just a few hours of being with Lijah, watching him in action, she had definitely fallen in lust with him.
Was it wrong of her to feel this way?
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Lijah growled as his arms moved about her waist and he pulled her in tightly against the muscled contours of his body, crushing her hands against his chest. “This is real, Callie.” He deliberately ground the hardness of his erection against her. “I’m here, you’re here, and you sure as hell can’t fuck a ghost.”
She flinched, both at his words and the underlying anger in his tone. “That was completely uncalled for.”
He shrugged. “The truth is the truth.”
“And you’re big on the truth, are you?” she accused.
“Yeah, I am, as it happens.”
Callie believed him, could clearly see the dangerous glitter in his eyes. Lying to this man wasn’t an option.
“What’s the problem, Callie?” His face had hardened. “And don’t say it’s because you don’t want me, because I’ve seen the way you’ve been watching me all afternoon.”
Her cheeks blazed with guilty heat. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from watching him. She also hadn’t known he was aware of it. “You’re quite impressive in work mode,” she came back defensively.
“I’m quite impressive in a lot of modes,” he assured her dryly.
Callie already knew that too, had realized it from the moment Lijah emerged from underneath the Stetson that this man had the power and expertise to absolutely wreck a woman on a physical level. Knew he would claim and give absolute pleasure, while revealing nothing of himself. “Michael and I weren’t lovers.”
He stilled. “Why the hell did you tell me that?”
“Because you were making assumptions that simply aren’t true.”
“Perfectly natural ones in the circumstances, I would have thought,” he drawled, eyes narrowing. “What was wrong with Hammond?”
She drew in an indignant gasp. “There was nothing wrong with him!”
“Then why didn’t he— Was he was of those gay artistic types?”
Callie was rendered almost—almost—speechless. “How dare you?” she managed to burst out. “Michael was a gentleman, and he certainly wasn’t gay.”
“And I’m so obviously neither one of those things.” Lijah eyed her mockingly. “You want me anyway.”
Callie could feel that want now, pulsing, heating, arousing as it clawed at her insides wanting to break free. And she so wanted to forget the horror of these past months—and the ordeal to come—and lose herself in the promise of pleasure she could see glinting in Lijah’s eyes as he looked down at her.
She wanted his strength, his possession, if only for a brief time, to breathe in and lose herself in his body and that hot male musk that had curled its way into her senses.
As Lijah was now breathing her in, his face buried against the column of her throat, lips nuzzling, tongue tasting as it licked against that sensitive flesh.
“Yes…” Callie acknowledged achingly, giving a shiver of pleasure even as her neck arched in silent invitation.
“Better.”
“You want me too.” The evidence of that was all too obvious.
“Never said I didn’t.” His breath was hot against her skin. “So, we have time for food, or we have time to fuck. Which is it going to be, Callie?”
Despite those early years spent on army bases with her father, Callie knew she had never met a man as direct as Lijah before. At least ten years older than her, with those bad-boy good looks that tempted a woman into sin, he didn’t even attempt to pretty up his intention with compliments or seduction, or a claim of having feelings for her. He stated exactly what he wanted: sex without false emotions or promises.
They could eat, or they could fuck.
All Callie had to do was choose which one.
Chapter 5
“Maybe a little hors d’oeuvre would help to make up your mind,” he murmured as his lips grazed across her jaw on a path toward her lips.
Callie
Was it wrong of her to feel this way?
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Lijah growled as his arms moved about her waist and he pulled her in tightly against the muscled contours of his body, crushing her hands against his chest. “This is real, Callie.” He deliberately ground the hardness of his erection against her. “I’m here, you’re here, and you sure as hell can’t fuck a ghost.”
She flinched, both at his words and the underlying anger in his tone. “That was completely uncalled for.”
He shrugged. “The truth is the truth.”
“And you’re big on the truth, are you?” she accused.
“Yeah, I am, as it happens.”
Callie believed him, could clearly see the dangerous glitter in his eyes. Lying to this man wasn’t an option.
“What’s the problem, Callie?” His face had hardened. “And don’t say it’s because you don’t want me, because I’ve seen the way you’ve been watching me all afternoon.”
Her cheeks blazed with guilty heat. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from watching him. She also hadn’t known he was aware of it. “You’re quite impressive in work mode,” she came back defensively.
“I’m quite impressive in a lot of modes,” he assured her dryly.
Callie already knew that too, had realized it from the moment Lijah emerged from underneath the Stetson that this man had the power and expertise to absolutely wreck a woman on a physical level. Knew he would claim and give absolute pleasure, while revealing nothing of himself. “Michael and I weren’t lovers.”
He stilled. “Why the hell did you tell me that?”
“Because you were making assumptions that simply aren’t true.”
“Perfectly natural ones in the circumstances, I would have thought,” he drawled, eyes narrowing. “What was wrong with Hammond?”
She drew in an indignant gasp. “There was nothing wrong with him!”
“Then why didn’t he— Was he was of those gay artistic types?”
Callie was rendered almost—almost—speechless. “How dare you?” she managed to burst out. “Michael was a gentleman, and he certainly wasn’t gay.”
“And I’m so obviously neither one of those things.” Lijah eyed her mockingly. “You want me anyway.”
Callie could feel that want now, pulsing, heating, arousing as it clawed at her insides wanting to break free. And she so wanted to forget the horror of these past months—and the ordeal to come—and lose herself in the promise of pleasure she could see glinting in Lijah’s eyes as he looked down at her.
She wanted his strength, his possession, if only for a brief time, to breathe in and lose herself in his body and that hot male musk that had curled its way into her senses.
As Lijah was now breathing her in, his face buried against the column of her throat, lips nuzzling, tongue tasting as it licked against that sensitive flesh.
“Yes…” Callie acknowledged achingly, giving a shiver of pleasure even as her neck arched in silent invitation.
“Better.”
“You want me too.” The evidence of that was all too obvious.
“Never said I didn’t.” His breath was hot against her skin. “So, we have time for food, or we have time to fuck. Which is it going to be, Callie?”
Despite those early years spent on army bases with her father, Callie knew she had never met a man as direct as Lijah before. At least ten years older than her, with those bad-boy good looks that tempted a woman into sin, he didn’t even attempt to pretty up his intention with compliments or seduction, or a claim of having feelings for her. He stated exactly what he wanted: sex without false emotions or promises.
They could eat, or they could fuck.
All Callie had to do was choose which one.
Chapter 5
“Maybe a little hors d’oeuvre would help to make up your mind,” he murmured as his lips grazed across her jaw on a path toward her lips.
Callie
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