When she shook her head, my lips crashed back down to hers, and everything outside of the two of us and what was about to happen ceased to exist. I appreciated that she was trying to make things easier on me, but she didn’t need to.
Ever since I’d gotten my head straight and my doubts about being with her sorted out, she was the easiest decision to make. Being with her felt right, and that was all there was to it.
Fuck it. Maybe I should just show her how I feel. Even if I can’t say it yet.
Chapter 28
Tiffeny
Callen’s hand slid to the small of my back and he pressed his hips against mine ever so lightly. Our chests pressed together and he slowed our kiss from the fiery way it had started, eventually bringing his forehead to mine. His eyes met mine, holding my gaze before he scanned my face.
His thumb grazed the side of my jaw, rubbing back toward my ear. He kissed my cheeks, my jaw, and my eyelids before finally moving back to my mouth. When his lips landed back on mine, the kiss was gentler than it had been before.
He brought his hands to my hips and squeezed as he started walking us backward. As he had the last time we’d been there, he kept going until my back hit the wall.
“I want to start on the bed this time,” he murmured between kisses, nipping my lower lip and pulling on it until I moaned. “Come on.”
Somehow, we managed to make it to my bedroom without ever fully breaking our kiss, any bones, or any furniture. We even managed to get our clothes off before falling onto my bed while still making out.
There was an urgency growing in me that I couldn’t stop. My legs wrapped around his hips as we lay back on the bed. I positioned myself so his cock slid against my wet folds and his heavy tip rested against my swollen clit.
I gasped at the contact and Callen let out a low moan. “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
“What did you have in mind then? Ice cream?” My heart thundered against my ribs. “Because I have to tell you if you stop now, you’re going to have to get it from somewhere else.”
He kissed the tip of my nose and propped his elbows on the bed next to my head, his face only inches from mine and his chest heaving. “Believe me, I’m not interested in getting anything from anywhere other than you. I’m not stopping. I’m just switching things up.”
A smirk curved his lips. Then he cupped my ass and lowered himself down the length of my body. He used his knees to spread my legs farther apart, making space for his shoulders as his head hovered above my pussy.
A moment later, his tongue landed on my clit, circling it before his lips closed around me and he sucked. I writhed beneath him, glad that his hands were on my hips or else it felt like I would start floating. Shaking as he kept licking and teasing me to the edge of oblivion, I gripped his head and arched my head into the pillow.
“Callen, I—” Cut off by my own moans, I bucked my hips into his mouth. One long finger curled into me in response, driving me right over that edge.
I came so hard, I wondered momentarily if we were having an earthquake. Callen’s head between my legs as they formed a vise around it made it seem unlikely, but holy hell, it felt like it.
My breaths were unsteady as I finally descended back to earth, seeing him sitting up with a goofy grin on his face. “Definitely much better than ice cream. Even yours. I’m not even sorry to say it.”
“I’m not sorry to hear it, either,” I managed to say while trying to catch my breath. “But it’s my turn for dessert now.”
Heat flashed in his eyes, and I saw his cock move, but he shook his head. “Nope, I wasn’t done yet.”
“Not fair.” I did my best to pout, but it was kind of hard, given how sated I was. “What about my dessert?”
“Compromise?” he asked, a wicked, devilish-looking grin spreading on his lips.
My heart stuttered, but I couldn’t deny being curious about what he was going to suggest. “Okay, what kind of compromise?”
In a flash, he turned around to straddle my face, with his nestled between my legs. Suddenly completely clear on what he wanted, I stuck my tongue out to lick the underside of his tip while I wound my arms around his ass.
“Oh, this,” I said, my lips brushing over his warm skin as I did.
“Yeah, this,” he groaned, then lowered his head and lapped at me like I really was an ice-cream cone. Taking him into my mouth, I released one of my arms around him to wrap my hand around his shaft and stroke the part of him I couldn’t fit in my mouth.
Every one of his moans vibrated against me, working with his fingers and tongue to catapult me right back to that blissful edge. Callen’s cock sliding between my lips heightened the sensation, until suddenly it was gone.
As was the exquisite pleasure that had just been about to wash over me. I blinked in surprise, lifting my shoulders to see what the hell was going on.
Callen was already in the process of rolling on a condom. Then he lay down with his back on the mattress and reached for me. His grip was rough on my hips as he moved me to straddle him, his eyes burning into mine.
“Couldn’t wait any longer,” he gritted out as I lowered myself down on his rock-hard erection. Pleasure swept through me again as he stretched me out and started thrusting.
It wasn’t long before I reached my peak and my entire body started vibrating like a tuning fork that had been struck against a star. Callen flipped us over at some point, his hips never once stopping their wild thrusting.
I felt him tense and tremble, my name on his lips as his eyelids fluttered and his jaw clenched. His stomach dipped against mine, and I felt him twitch deep inside me as he finally found his own release.
Callen let out a long groan, his face coming down to rest in the crook of my neck. His labored breaths fanned out across my skin, leaving goosebumps as he trembled above me.
We stayed like that for a long time until he finally had to get up to take care of the condom. When he came back to bed, his dark black hair was all messed up from having my fingers in it and he looked so damn sexy I almost lunged for him again.
I held back though, since despite what it might have looked like when I was with him, I wasn’t actually a nymphomaniac. Opening my arms for him instead, I wrapped one around his neck as he came to lie back with his head on my chest.
I stroked my fingers through his hair, secretly reveling in messing it up even more. Smiling up at the ceiling in the darkness, I felt him stiffen at my side.
“What’s up?”
“I almost just dozed off,” he murmured, his voice thick and sleepy. “That feels so damn good.”
“You’re allowed to doze off tonight, remember? Sleep, baby. It’s okay.” I closed my own eyes, but when he still hadn’t relaxed a few minutes later, I propped myself up on my elbow and slid a finger under his chin to get him to look up at me. “You can’t relax, can you? You’re thinking about getting back to Winter.”
He nodded, a sheepish smile curling its way onto his lips. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to fall asleep with you, hold you all night, and wake up next to you in the morning. It’s just that I can’t help it.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I admire how good of a father you are to her. You don’t have to stay if you’d feel more comfortable going.”
A thoughtful expression darkened his eyes. After a beat, he laced our fingers together. “What if you come with me?”
“Come with you?” My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I raised both brows at him. “As in, come spend the night at your house?”
“Yes.” His tone was decisive now, determined. “I want to sleep next to you. I just want to be there for Winter when she wakes up in the morning, too.”
“Okay, but you know that means she’s going to know I spent the night at your house?” I knew she wouldn’t at all understand what that implied yet, but still. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
He gave a single, firm nod, then smirked as he hopped out of bed and put his clothes back on. “She know
s friends have sleepovers, but you’d better bring some pajamas. As much as I’d like you naked all night, there’s a very good chance she’ll be getting into bed with us in the morning.”
“Duly noted,” I said. Climbing out of bed, I got dressed and packed a small overnight bag, but my thoughts were all in a haze.
Just a little while ago, I’d told him I was okay with this being what it was. Then he went and upped the ante on me by inviting me over to sleep at his house. With Winter there. I wasn’t about to complain about it. I was just a little bit confused.
Getting into it and asking a million questions would just ruin the mood, though, which was the last thing I wanted to do. We were both happy, relaxed, and enjoying each other. Both of us wanted to spend the night together and I was excited about getting to see Winter in the morning.
I’d told him I was okay with this being what it was, and if it was this, that was pretty freaking awesome. So I didn’t ask my questions. I simply took his hand when he offered it and followed him out the door once again. Callen drove his car while I followed so I could get to work in the morning.
The house was dark and quiet when we got there, both Julia and Clark’s cars still in the driveway. I arched a brow at Callen when we snuck past the guest rooms, only one of which had the door closed, and he winked as he pulled me past it and into his bedroom.
“Want to get ready for bed, or would you like something to drink first?” he asked once the door was securely shut behind us.
“Let’s get ready for bed.” Drinking together was something we could do all the time. Just lying in bed together? Not so much.
Callen grinned and inclined his head toward the bathroom. “Good choice. You go first and I’ll get cleaned up once you’re done.”
After extracting a small bag with my toothbrush and toiletries in it, I lifted my eyes to his. “I’m pretty sure that at this point, you don’t need to be worried about seeing me change into my pajamas. You’ve seen a hell of a lot more of me than that.”
He shrugged, nodded, and came into the bathroom with me. It was strange how intensely intimate it felt going through our nightly routines together when he’d been buried inside me numerous times, but somehow, it still did.
There was a certain domesticity to this that was comfortable and unfamiliar all at the same time. If Callen felt the same way, he didn’t show it or say anything about it.
Once we were done in the bathroom, he put on a pair of drawstring pants and turned the comforter down, climbing into bed and patting the open space on the other side for me. I didn’t hesitate, even as I wondered if this was more difficult for him than he was making it seem.
I’d never been in a relationship where this happened regularly, but I had a feeling he had. He might not have told me very much about Winter’s mother, but doing all this together seemed to come naturally to him.
He even kissed me on the forehead when I climbed into bed with him. Then he turned me over in his arms so my back was against his front. He hauled me as close I could get to him, planted another kiss between my shoulder blades, and cuddled into my back.
“Good night, Tiffeny,” he whispered, releasing a contented little breath as he fitted his legs to the backs of mine. “Sleep tight.”
“You too,” I replied, but it took me a lot longer to fall asleep than it did him. There were so many thoughts tumbling through my head, but there was one incredulous one I kept coming back to.
Callen Grimes likes to cuddle, and he wants to do it with me.
Chapter 29
Callen
“Daddy?” Winter’s soft voice asked right up against my ear the next morning. “Wake up, Daddy.”
My eyelids cracked open and I reached for her automatically to help her climb into my bed. It took me a second to realize there was something warm already pressed tightly against my side, and with Winter in front of me, that meant—
It all came rushing back then. Tiffeny was in bed with me. At my house. With Winter about to get into bed with us. Fuck.
We were both fully clothed, thank God. But still.
What had seemed like such a good idea in the dark of night suddenly didn’t seem so great anymore in the bright sunshine streaming through the wide windows. No. It was a good idea. Don’t second-guess yourself.
Releasing a deep breath, I helped Winter the same way I did almost every morning, but I was wide awake this time. Carefully keeping my gaze locked on her, I waited for her reaction to finding Tiffeny in my bed.
She frowned at first, then recognized her. Air caught in my throat, and my heart started pounding, but then she broke out in a wide grin and wiggled her way in between us.
Tiffeny stirred, which had my heart racing again as I waited for her reaction, too. Christ. It’s not even eight in the morning yet.
It was way too early for these kinds of nerves.
Tiffeny smiled and lifted her arm to make space for Winter. “Good morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?”
I blinked twice in rapid succession. Tiffeny hadn’t skipped a damn beat, hadn’t seemed flustered or uncertain about what to do. It was like she did this with us every morning.
My daughter didn’t bat an eye, either. “I slept so good. Julia and Uncle Clark lay with me until I fell asleep and then I dreamed about the pirate game we played.”
“Pirate game?” I asked, my heart rate finally returning to normal as I turned to face both my girls. Tiffeny lay on her side, facing me as well, while Winter lay on her back with her hands on her tummy.
“We pretended to be pirates,” she explained excitedly. “There was treasure in the pool and everything.”
“That explains why there weren’t any toys downstairs last night. They’re all outside, aren’t they?”
She nodded. “We gathered all the treasure and put it on the deck under the chair for safekeeping.”
“Of course, you did.” I smiled, shaking my head against the pillow. “Let me guess. It was Uncle Clark’s idea to stash it there?”
“Yes. It was a great idea. We didn’t want the bad guys to get their hands on it again.”
“Smart,” Tiffeny said. “Speaking of Clark and Julia, do you think they’re still here?”
“I can’t hear anything, but Clark won’t leave if I don’t give him coffee and something to eat,” I said.
Her brows rose, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. “He trusts you to cook for him? Brave man. It’s only Friday. I’m sure he still needs to work today.”
I snorted out a laugh but nodded and sat up. “Even I can scramble an egg. It’s not very hard. You just break it and stir it all up.”
“That’s not really all there is to it.” She wriggled her nose and winked at Winter. “But okay. Let’s go make some scrambled eggs. And then I need to get to the shop.”
“Will you show me how you make them?” Winter asked.
“Sure, honey,” she replied as she got out of bed and sashayed out of the room with Winter following after her.
A lump formed in my throat as I watched them leave together. Holy fuck. It really is like they’ve done this a thousand times before.
Before I could give a name to the emotion that caused said lump, I cleared my throat and went after them. Tiffeny was already pulling out a pot from the cabinet under the stove when I got to the kitchen, while Clark and Julia looked mighty cozy sipping cups of coffee at the island.
“Good morning.” Clark smirked when I walked in. “Coffee? I made it extra strong in case you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“I’m assuming you made it that way for yourself then?” I shot back.
Clark shrugged in that what you gonna do way, and Julia’s cheeks reddened. Tiffeny’s gaze jerked up from where she’d been fiddling with the stove and landed squarely on Julia’s, her eyes wide.
“What?” Julia asked, her voice sweet as she batted her lashes innocently. “We were playing pirates till late.”
“Clark let you stay up past your bedtime, did
n’t he?” I asked Winter, who was getting a box of juice from the fridge.
She froze, looking over at Clark for help, but the truth was written all over her face. As always though, he had her back. “It wasn’t that far past her bedtime. Besides, it was the first time in forever I got to spend time with the kid properly. Can you really blame me for wanting an extra hour?”
Sincerity rang clearly in his voice, and I caved, especially because I knew he’d be going on tour again soon and didn’t know when he’d get to see her again. “Fine, I guess I understand. This one time only.”
“Anyone want some toast?” Tiffeny asked after exchanging a loaded look with Julia, who nodded but also smiled at her.
Tiffeny rolled her eyes before turning them on us. “Guys? Winter?”
“Yes, please,” Clark said. “Four pieces.”
“Four?” Her brows jumped, but then she shrugged. “Fine. Pretty soon, you’ll be back to eating kale all day, so you better get your carbs in now.”
Clark groaned and hid his face in his hands while Winter and I started on the toast. Julia and Tiffeny talked as she cooked. Julia got out plates and Clark chimed in every once in a while.
Tiffeny turned to Winter before she started cracking the eggs into the bowl. “Want to come help me, sweetheart?”
Her head bounced up and down enthusiastically. Tiffeny picked her up and set her down on the counter before handing her an egg. “Right, now you smack it like this, then crack it into the bowl, okay?”
She demonstrated under Winter’s careful gaze while I envisioned us having to dig out a whole bunch of eggshells from the mixture. Surprisingly, Winter managed all right under Tiffeny’s supervision, and in no time, we were dishing up.
After breakfast, Clark and Julia were washing up when Winter walked over to Tiffeny. “Can you help me get ready for day-care?”
“Of course.” She picked up her coffee mug and walked to Winter’s room with her, disappearing a moment later.
My heart gave another strange pang. I couldn’t believe how seamlessly this morning was going, how normal it all felt when it was all of our first times in this situation.
Keeping Secrets Page 20
