I’m sitting in my car, in Callie’s driveway, trying to decide how to talk to her about the guy from last night. There’s no way in hell I’m telling her my dad has taken the PI and is probably torturing him to find out what he needs to know, or more to the point, what he thinks I need to know. With trepidation, I open my door and walk up the path to her front door.

It flies open unexpectedly and Callie is standing there, her ginger locks wild and loose around her shoulders. She has on a tight black tank top and skin tight jeans. It’s enough to make my cock rock hard, but it’s her smile—the smile that is directed at me—that captivates me.

“Oh, Kai,” she offers with a hint of a question.

There’s something different about her, but I can’t put my finger on it.

“Hey, beautiful.” Closing the gap between us, I hook my arm around her waist and pull her to me. Time stops and the world fades away until there is only the two of us. I have no idea what possessed me to do it, but it felt right. For a moment Callie’s body stiffens under my touch but I don’t have it in me to release her. Instead, I drag one hand up her back and beneath her hair at the nape of her neck and softly guide her head back until her succulent lips and lust-filled eyes are looking up at me. I crush my lips to hers.

Slowly, as my lips melt into hers, I stroke her face with my other hand and I feel her relax. Callie moans quietly into the kiss, her hands entwine in my hair and I take it as an invitation to crush her more tightly to me, feeling every curve pushed up against my body.

I relish the brief moment before her hands drop to her sides and she fights against my hold to take a step back. I let her go, worried I moved to fast and she instantly regrets kissing me back. Then I remember our jilted conversation last night and she told me not to come today. I’m a fucking dickhead. Yes, I had to come and warn her about the PI that showed up last night, but she doesn’t know that yet. She must think I’m some kind of stalker, not listening when she tells me no, and now I’ve walked in here and smacked a kiss on her without warning.

Who the fuck am I?

Immediately, I miss her warmth and the taste of her lips, but I can’t press the issue as I shouldn’t even be here. Before I have a chance to speak, Missy appears.

“Do you two need me to leave?”

More harshly than I intend, I greet Missy, “And good morning to you too.”

My eyes are glued to Callie who is looking at Missy with what I think is embarrassment. Or is it regret? I want to make sure she’s okay, apologise for my shit timing, but not for kissing her. I could never apologise for something I will never regret.

I take a step inside the house and a fuzziness fills my chest. My mother’s furniture looks great in here. They even painted a couple of the pieces to give them a shabby chic look. These ladies don’t waste time, they’ve only had it for a full day. Pride fills me. I know now that Callie is running from someone and from what I can figure out, it’s only been a few days.  She is coping surprisingly well and I wonder if she realises just how amazing she is.

“D-do you like what we did to the furniture?” Callie asks timidly, watching me as I take in my surroundings.

What I’d like to do is tell her how much I want to plant my cock so far inside her that she’ll be screaming my name for eternity. That I want to watch her as she comes and feel her pussy clench around my shaft as I pump in and out of her, but now really isn’t the time.

“It looks good. Real good,” I tell her before I clear my throat and try to push aside my dirty thoughts. It was more than the need to fuck her. But it wasn’t something I could label. “Could you spare a cup of coffee?”

Callie nods and walks toward the kitchen with Missy following close behind. I adjust myself and groan inwardly at the thoughts that are running rampant through my mind. Callie’s mouth on my cock, her tongue swirling the tip, me between her legs, licking, tasting, sucking.

FUCK. I need to think of something else.

Concentrating on getting a cup of coffee and pushing all my illicit thoughts out of my mind, I sit down at Callie’s table and watch her work. Jesus, even making coffee she looks hot.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Kai? Kai, you there?” asks Missy.

“Sorry, what?”

“Callie asked if you take sugar.”

I shake my head. “Nah, I’m sweet enough, no milk either please.”

Callie grins and my cock responds. I swear she’s got a direct line to my libido. It goes into overdrive with everything she does.

Callie makes us all a coffee then sits next to me. Missy grabs hers and disappears into another room.

“How was work?” Callie asks innocently.

“It was work, but I want to talk to you about something.”

Callie’s body twists in her chair to face me, her head tilting to the side. For a brief moment she looks so open and trusting, like she’s willing to accept anything I have to say or do. I see the exact time her walls come up, her eyes darken slightly and the beauty in their depths is replaced by doubt and hesitation. Even knowing this, my hand has a mind of its own; my fingers graze over the top of her arm slightly, the need to touch her too strong. Callie shuffles away from me.

“Is that why you’re here even though I said not to come today?” she asks.

“Don’t,” I growl.

“Don’t what?” Her response is immediately defensive.

“Don’t push me away.” My hand snakes around the back of her head and I pull her to me. My tongue invades her mouth, desperate to taste her again.  Callie stiffens and her hands push against my chest. Silently I curse myself for the dick move.

What the fuck was I thinking?

I wasn’t, that’s the problem.

Where the fuck is my restraint when I need it?

I want to move away from her but with this raging boner in my pants, I stay where I am. I also find myself wishing Missy wasn’t in the house but I think I’ve pushed my luck enough today. My breathing is ragged and I need to get some distance between us before I lose all control.

“Beautiful, I need you to move back.” I’m powerless to do it myself, I want all of her.

“Why?” Callie’s face is twisted in a frown. I hate the look of self-doubt she gives me, knowing it’s all my fault.

“Honestly? I’m struggling with my insane attraction to you and you’re not ready,” I grind out quietly, readjusting myself.

Realisation spreads across her face, her cute heart shaped lips making an ‘O’ shape, her eyes widening as they are drawn to my groin area where my hands rest casually against my slow-to-retract hard on. It is hard to tell whether she is intrigued, shocked or pleased with the effect she has on me.

Callie moves away, extinguishing the heat between us. I stand, grab my coffee and walk out onto her back deck. I’m counting sheep and trying to get my cock to calm the fuck down. After ten minutes, Callie comes out and sits on the railing of the deck and my mind instantly thinks about standing between her thighs and...sheep, need to think of sheep.

“Kai?”

“Hmm?”

“You wanted to talk to me about something?”

That works, like an ice bath. I move to stand next to her, me facing the back fence and Callie the house.

“A man came into the bar last night asking about you.”

Callie jumps down off the rail, all colour draining from her face; fear distorting her perfect features.

“What man?” Missy asks abruptly from behind me.

“A private investigator,” I say as I spin around.

Missy is looking at Callie and something I can’t decipher passes between them. Callie looks at me and forces herself to smile. It’s fake, half-hearted at best and I hate that she’s trying to hide herself from me. It’s like watching a bad movie as she twists her lips up; it’s the same look she gave me out at my house when Razor and Fracture left.

“Kai, I can’t imagine what a private investigator wants with me? It must be a mistake.” Her voice shakes on her last words, her fear more visible than she realises.

I reach out to touch her and she flinches, the woman who greeted me at the front door has disappeared and the old cautious and fretting Callie is back. I let my hand drop to my side.

“You can tell me anything, Callie, I’m not going anywhere.”

She frowns as she takes in what I’ve said and chews on her bottom lip. Slowly, she shakes her head. “You know, Kai, I’m not feeling well. Maybe we can catch up another time.”

“Yeah, you said last night you thought you were coming down with something,” Missy chimes in.

Callie nods and I take a step back at the wall that’s just been thrown up between us. Missy moves closer to her and wraps an arm protectively around her. Anger brews in my veins as I realise I’ve been shut down and out.

“Callie—”

“Kai, I’m really not well, maybe we could talk...later?”

I nod, my teeth grind together as I fight the urge to grab her and make her understand. I stalk through her house, slam the front door like the childish prick I am when I don’t get my own way and slip into my Polly F100 without a backward glance. It’s not until I’m about to leave that I see Callie on the front verandah looking upset. This douses my anger slightly but she’s the one who pushed me away. I slam the truck into reverse and drive away.

Perhaps my father is right? Maybe she isn’t worth the trouble? As this thought passes through my mind it’s like acid going through my veins and I know it’s not true. But how do I help someone who won’t let me in, who won’t let me protect her?

The only thing I can think to do is to go to my father and see what he’s found out about her from the PI.

This woman is going to be the end of me.