Chapter 22

Callie

“Yes, I actually did it.” Propping the phone on my shoulder, I opened the door to Dallas’s house and walked inside, placing his mail on the kitchen counter.

Hannah burst out laughing and I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “I honestly didn’t think you’d have it in you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ha-ha-ha. I may not be a party animal, but I know how to have fun.”

“I hear ya, wild woman. Are you staying at Dallas’s tonight?”

“Yep. I don’t exactly want to hear your reunion with Corey,” I said, strolling into the living room.

“We’re not that bad,” she grumbled.

“Okay, whatever you say.” I glanced down at my watch. “Oh, Hannah, I need to go. I have to run to my house and grab some clothes and go to the grocery store. I’m cooking for Dallas tonight.”

She snickered. “Among other things. I know exactly what you two will be doing.”

“Goodbye, Hannah.”

“Have fun!” she shouted before hanging up.

I pocketed my phone and headed for the front door when a sound echoed down the hall. It sounded like a bag dropping to the floor. Holding my breath, I peeked my head around the corner and saw a shadow move inside the last bedroom down the hall.

Frozen in place, I didn’t know what to do. I looked around for any type of weapon and grabbed the poker beside the fireplace. Tiptoeing down the hall, I tried to be as quiet as I could. The shadow kept moving around the bedroom, and then I heard a woman’s voice singing a Kelly Clarkson tune.

“What the hell?” I whispered to myself. Why was there another woman in Dallas’s house? Lowering the poker, I stormed down the hall and pushed the door all the way open.

The woman, wearing only a towel with her skin glistening wet, jerked around and screamed, her earbuds falling out of her ears. At first I thought it was one of Dallas’s old flings. I was prepared to tell her to get the fuck out until I saw her face. I recognized her from one of Dallas’s family pictures in the living room.

“You’re not going to attack me with the poker are you?” she asked, holding her hands up in the air.

Feeling like an idiot, I set it down. My cheeks burned like fire. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think you were coming in until tomorrow. When I heard a noise, I thought someone had broken in.” It was Lacey, Dallas’s sister. Threatening her with a poker wasn’t exactly the way I wanted us to meet.

She stared me up and down and smiled appreciatively. “I’m glad to see my brother made a good choice. I love a woman who can take care of herself.” She held out her hand. “I’m Lacey. I got done with my last midterm early so I decided to go ahead and come down. You’re Callie, right? My brother’s told me a lot about you.”

Grinning broadly, I shook her hand. It was nice knowing Dallas had talked to her about me. “Yes. It’s so nice to meet you. I was going to cook Dallas dinner tonight, but if you want to spend some time alone with him, that’s fine.”

She snorted and waved me off. “Definitely not. I’ll help you cook if that’s okay. Then afterward, I’ll confine myself to his little movie theater so you two can catch up.”

My cheeks flamed even more. “If you want, I can wait here while you get dressed and we can go to the store together. I also need to run by my house to get a change of clothes.”

“Sure,” she answered excitedly. “I’d be happy to. You can tell me your version of how you and my brother met. According to Dallas, he swept you off your feet.”

I burst out laughing. “Quite literally, actually, and not in a good way. I’ll tell you all about it.”

Now that Lacey’s hair was dry, I could see it was dark blond, and her eyes were bright green. Judging by the Easton family photo, she and her sister, Maggie, looked exactly like their mother, while Dallas was the exact image of his father.

“I can’t believe he tried to attack you,” Lacey said, helping me load the groceries into the trunk of my car. “I seriously thought he was kidding about that.”

“Nope.” I laughed. “He even broke into my room one night when my brother Justin decided to have a party. They don’t exactly like each other.”

We hopped in my car and headed toward my house. “Why doesn’t he like my brother?” she asked, her brows furrowed.

I sighed. “Justin thinks Dallas is going to use me like he has so many countless others.” We stopped at a red light and I looked at her. “He hasn’t had the best reputation with women.”

She nodded. “I know. I can’t blame your brother for being worried, but Dallas really is a good guy. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for our family. When I heard about you, I knew there had to be something different about you that drew him in.” She stared at me and smiled. “You’re the complete opposite of every other woman he’s been with.”

“Thanks. I take that as a compliment.”

“Trust me, it is.”

We turned into my neighborhood and I pulled into my driveway, pressing the garage door opener on my visor. “What are you going to do after medical school?” I asked her.

She got out of my car and followed me to the door. “Haven’t decided yet. I thought about maybe moving down here and finding a job after I finish my residency.”

“There’s always openings at the hospital I work at,” I replied with a wink. “If you stop by one day this coming week, I can introduce you to some of the other doctors.”

Her face brightened. “That’d be great. My goal is to have my own practice one day. I know it’ll be awhile before I get that far.”

“Never know.” We walked inside and she sat on my bed while I packed a bag for the rest of the weekend. I hated I wasn’t going to see Justin when he got back, but it was probably for the best. Once the last of my clothes were stuffed into my bag, I hauled it over my shoulder. “Ready to go?” Lacey stood by my bed, looking down at a picture. “That’s my brothers and me when we were younger.”

Brows furrowed, she turned to me. “Is this Maddox Ledger?” she asked, pointing to him. I was surprised she could even recognize him. That picture was back when we were only around ten years old.

I smiled at the photo. “It is. We’re really close. He’s my cousin.”

She set the picture down, grumbling, “This is a really small world.” 

“Did you have a thing for him?” I asked flippantly. When she didn’t smile, I bit my tongue. Whatever happened between them must not have ended well. 

She sighed. “You could say that. I haven’t seen him in two years. I’ve been avoiding him.”

I nodded toward the stairs. “Let me guess, he pulled a Dallas on you?”

She followed me down the stairs. “Not exactly. Let’s just say if my brother were to find out, your cousin would be dead. Maddox didn’t know I was Dallas’s sister. Hell, he probably doesn’t even remember my name.”

“Oh good God,” I choked out. “That makes it even worse. I’m sorry if Maddox hurt you in any way. He’s my family, but it doesn’t excuse his behavior. I can honestly say my brothers aren’t like him.”

She chuckled once. “I’m not worried about it. Like I said, he won’t even remember me. A lot has changed in the past two years.”

I stopped in the kitchen to grab us both a bottle of water when the front door burst open. Justin and Maddox strutted in, laughing about something. Lacey’s eyes widened and she froze. “Shit, he’s here.”

They both walked in and Maddox’s eyes lit up when he saw me. The right side of his face was bruised from the fight. “Hey, Cal,” he called out, lifting me up and swinging me around. My bag of clothes fell to the floor. “Did you have a good week?”

Justin’s lips pursed when he noticed it was clothes in the bag. There wasn’t a scratch on him, since he chose not to fight his old teammates. “I did,” I replied. “I didn’t think you guys were getting back so early.”

Justin and Maddox both noticed Lacey at the same time. Maddox’s eyes narrowed at Lacey, almost like he recognized her. “The team got an earlier flight,” he said, his voice unsure.

Lacey perked up and smiled at my brother instead of Maddox. “I’m Lacey, Callie’s friend from the hospital.” She stared at me and I nodded once so she’d know I was on board with her story.

Justin shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Maddox moved closer, his gaze still fixated on her. “Have we met?” he asked, holding out his hand.

She shook his hand and her knuckles turned white from gripping his so hard. “I’m sure I’d remember if we did. Sorry.”

Grabbing my bag, I nodded for Lacey to follow me. “All right, it’s time for us to go.” I kissed Justin on the cheek in passing. Just because he hated Dallas, I still loved him. “Good games this week. I’ll see you later.”

Once we were outside, Lacey breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh my God, I couldn’t breathe in there. Maddox is still as gorgeous as ever and your brother is so adorable. It’s a shame they hate my brother.”

“Judging by the way they stared at you, it might be the push they need to give Dallas a chance.”

She shook her head. “Oh no, it’s not. I don’t want you telling them who I am just yet; at least, not until I’m back in New York. And I don’t want my brother knowing anything about Maddox and me.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

When we arrived back at Dallas’s house, I grabbed an armful of grocery bags out of the trunk and walked inside. As soon as I turned the corner to the kitchen, Dallas lifted me up in his arms and I dropped everything. “I’m home early,” he announced. He pressed his lips to mine and ran them down my neck. “Why don’t we go to my bedroom and I can show you how much I missed you?”

“There might be a small problem with that plan,” I said with a chuckle.

His brows furrowed and his blue eyes penetrated mine. Holy hell, I’d missed him. “What is it?”

Lacey strolled through the door and smiled. “Surprise.”

 “Dinner was fucking awesome. Thanks for cooking for me.” Dallas kissed Lacey on the head and then me on the lips.

“You’re welcome,” we both replied. We had beer-can chicken with potatoes, carrots, and salad. It was pretty tasty.

Lacey nudged me in the side. “Why don’t you two go relax. I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“I don’t want you doing that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, it’s the least I could do for crashing your romantic night. Go.”

Dallas whispered in my ear, “She has a point.” Taking my hand, he dragged me out of the kitchen.

“I heard that,” Lacey shouted.

I’d missed the feel of his hand in mine. I never realized how much I’d miss him being gone for a week. “You and Lacey seem to be getting along really well. Besides the fact that you were going to beat her with a poker.”

I slapped a hand to my face. “Oh my God, I thought she was an intruder. I’m so embarrassed.”

We walked up the stairs to his bedroom. “I’m glad to see she wasn’t. Next time, call the police if you think someone broke in.”

“Okay,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn. I didn’t want to tell him what I really thought when I heard Lacey sing. Surely he wouldn’t have just given out keys to his house to just any random girl.

Once inside his bedroom, he shut the door and locked it, his eyes turning dark with need. “I’ve been thinking about what you did last night all day today.”

“Have you now?” He stalked closer and I fell onto the bed.

“It’s a shame Lacey’s here. I was really looking forward to getting into the pool with you when I got home.”

He nipped my bottom lip and squeezed my breast. “What exactly were we going to do in the pool?” I asked.

As he covered me with his body, I thought I was going to explode with need. At least, until a loud knock sounded on the door. “Guys, I’m sorry to bother you. Just letting you know I’m going out for a while. That way, you don’t have to worry about . . . you know, being discreet. I’ll see you both in the morning.”

“And what car are you taking?” Dallas asked, shaking his head.

“Um, yours. Is that okay?”

He winked down at me. “Keys are on the kitchen counter.” Her steps pounded down the stairs and then the front door slammed shut. “Looks like I got my wish after all.”

“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

Biting his lip, he trailed a finger down my chest to my stomach. “There’s a robe on the back of the bathroom door. Meet me outside.”

Heart racing, I watched him walk out of the room. I took off all my clothes and slid on his bathrobe. When I got outside, he was already naked and swimming in the water. Steam billowed above the water and the closer I got, I could feel the heat. He looked over at me and swam over to the edge. “After games, it feels good to get in here and swim.”

“I bet, especially after working your muscles extra hard with fighting.”

His deep chuckle made everything inside of me tighten. He reached out and touched my ankle. “You helped relax me last night. Now come on, get in.”

With his heated gaze on my body, I unwrapped the robe and let it fall to the ground. It was a chilly night so I didn’t waste any time jumping in. The heat of the water engulfed me and I sighed when I came up for air.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Dallas asked, swimming closer.

“It does. You must have a huge heating bill every month.”

He shrugged. “It’s worth it.” He backed me up against the pool wall and held on to the edge before lowering his lips to mine. They were so soft. Willingly, I opened for him and he pushed his tongue inside with demand, like he needed me . . . I loved it. I’d never been needed by anyone. His arousal pushed into my stomach and I ached to feel him inside of me.

“It’s a shame I can’t make love to you out here.”

Even though my body was on fire, I trembled. “Yes, you can,” I whispered, slowly lowering myself onto him. He sucked in a breath and I chuckled seductively in his ear. “I’m on the pill.”

Judging by the deep growl that escaped his lips, that was all he needed to know. “I love being able to feel you like this,” he groaned, pushing inside of me. “But I think it’s time to heat things up a bit.”

“How so?”

Without answering, he gripped my waist with his strong hands and lifted me off his length, turning me around. I gasped with how quick he moved me, my heart thumping wildly in my chest when he lowered his lips to my ear, biting down.

“You’re going to want to hold on to the edge, angel.”

Instantly, my insides tightened in anticipation and my nipples grew more sensitive. I grabbed the side of the pool as he snaked his arms around me, pushing his rigid cock between my legs and pinching my nipples between his fingers. I squeezed my legs around him, and he used my breasts to pull me up and down, his length sliding along my slit. I could feel my orgasm beginning to build, and the moment my body clenched down, Dallas changed angles and slammed his cock inside of me.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out as he rode me hard, rubbing his thumb achingly fast across my clit. The water sloshed around us and I was about to lose my hold on the edge of the pool, but Dallas’s grip held me firmly in place. His thrusts went deeper and deeper, until it was too much to bear.

“Fuck,” Dallas grunted. “I’m gonna come.”

Hearing him say that was my undoing; it was too late to hold back. The harder he pushed, the harder I came, trembling all around him. My orgasm went on and on, getting stronger the second Dallas dug his fingers into my hips, and he yelled out, cock pulsing as he came inside of me.

Breathing hard and jerking with aftershocks, Dallas kissed the back of my neck and rested his head against mine. “I missed you,” he murmured in my ear.

I squeezed my eyes shut and smiled. “I missed you, too,” I whispered. “You have no idea how much.”

Gently lifting me up, Dallas turned me around and held my face in his hands. “How did I get so lucky?”

“You didn’t,” I replied, giving him a wink. “We both did.”