Off the Air

by L.H. Cosway

  I stared at him, chest heaving, my attention rapt. He pushed up the hem of my T-shirt, his fingers tracing the scar on my hip. “I remember when you got this. It was summer and you fell on a piece of broken glass during a stunt,” he murmured reverently. Next, his hand clasped my ankle. “And when you broke your ankle in Manchester that time I swear I went crazy with worry.” His hand travelled back up my body, dipping under my T-shirt to stroke my stomach. He didn’t need to say what injury he was thinking of now. Three years ago I broke my ribs, and when the doctor told me I’d been pregnant, that my baby was lost, my heart broke too.

  So had Cal’s.

  He knew all my scars, inside and out, and I knew all of his. Pain was a part of our history, but we wouldn’t let it ruin us. Not anymore.

  In a flurry of need, we tore at each other’s clothes, not even caring that we were out in the open, the only privacy between us and the house a giant jacaranda tree, its purple blooms vibrant under the morning sun. Cal kissed his way up my inner thigh, his voice a hungry rasp, “Finally.”

  I gasped when his lips met my sex. No preamble. Cal’s tongue laved at me and I gripped the armrests, head thrown back, pleasure rippling through me. He splayed his fingers out over my stomach.

  “Please,” I begged. I wanted him to touch me everywhere. My nipples beaded, begging for attention.

  Cool air wafted over my bare skin, tickling at my nerve endings. Cal devoured me with a look before his mouth went back between my legs. He held my gaze and circled my clit with his tongue. Reaching up, he caressed my breast then pinched my nipple. I arched my spine. This felt so good. I was going to come so soon, too soon.

  I didn’t want this to end quickly, but I couldn’t hold back.

  I came with a sharp, keening cry and Cal continued to tongue me, slower now, softer, exquisitely drawing out each wave.

  His mouth curved into a satisfied smile as his hands gripped my hips possessively. “That was fast.”

  My cheeks heated. “It’s been a while.”

  “I’ve missed your taste,” he purred, planting kisses on my inner thigh.

  “Come here,” I said, needy.

  I ran my hand down his stomach, marvelling at his tattoos. Trailing my fingers along the pattern on his neck, I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw and he trembled, swearing under his breath.

  “You might not be the only who comes fast,” he said as I nuzzled his cheek and he groaned. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

  “Yeah?” I said, meeting his gaze as I reached down to palm his cock. He was rock hard.

  He buried his face in my neck, his gravelly voice vibrating through me. “Fuck, keep touching me.”

  I positioned him at my entrance. He pushed in the tiniest bit and I moaned at the stretch. It really had been too long. No wonder Cal made me come so quickly. My body had been completely neglected.

  “Wait, wait, we need a condom,” Cal grunted.

  “I’m on the pill,” I countered and his expression darkened. “Seriously,” I went on, breathless, needing him, “I never miss a pill, not anymore, not after…”

  My words trailed off when he brought his lips to mine and kissed me slowly, gently. Breaking away for a second, he whispered, “Are you sure?”

  Biting my lip, I nodded. Cal exhaled, like he was mentally berating himself, but then he moulded his lips to mine again and pushed fully inside. I moaned in pleasure as he started to fuck me slow. I exhaled harshly and begged him for more, harder, faster, but he kept up his slow, even tempo, like he was savouring every second. I got lost in his eyes and then found his rhythm. Every time he exhaled, I inhaled, every time he inhaled, I exhaled. We were in sync. I felt connected to him on a cosmic level.

  Cal wasn’t fucking me. He was making love to me, and emotion swelled in my chest. It was torturous but perfect. Every part of me was primed for release. He literally only needed to touch my clit and I’d go off like a trigger.

  Cal held himself up, eyes on mine. “I forgot how well we fit.”

  “You feel so good,” I moaned, biting my lip.

  His expression was strained and I knew he was close. He kissed me again, hips still moving slow, when I felt his wet heat fill me. He caught the lip I’d just bitten in his and groaned, his gorgeous weight bearing down on me. I loved being surrounded by him like this. Cal was larger than life, and sex only amplified that quality.

  I happily drowned in him, his scent, his strength, how alive he was.

  Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I cradled him to my chest and listened to his breathing. Cal took my hand and pressed my fingers to the left side of his chest.

  “You feel that? My heart beats like crazy for you,” he said, voice raspy.

  I focused on the rhythm of his pulse, and a feeling of peace swept over me as I drifted off to sleep.

  I woke up a little while later. Cal still slept, his big body spooning mine. The realisation that we were completely naked in broad daylight hit me. I panicked and sat upright, wondering if anybody was awake to see us. Fumbling for my clothes, I found my phone in my pocket and checked the time. It was almost midday. We’d been out here for nearly two hours. I pulled on my top then tried to wake up Cal. Nudging his shoulder, he stirred then blinked.

  When he saw me, he grinned sexily and pulled me to him for a kiss. I melted under his attentive lips but quickly broke away. His eyes were molten lava and I was in danger of getting lost in their depths.

  I cleared my throat. “Um, you should probably put some clothes on.”

  He dragged his hand through his hair, his eyes dancing in amusement as he gave a low chuckle. “Yeah, I probably should.” He grabbed his jeans, then his T-shirt, his voice gravelly when he said, “This morning was incredible.”

  I flushed and looked away, spotting Linda coming out of the house. “Crap, there’s Linda. Okay, I’m going to my room to take a shower.” I’d just had one a few hours ago, but I smelled like sex. Cal’s scent and sweat were all over me.

  I made to leave, but he caught my wrist, gaze searing me as he bent to steal one last kiss. “Love you,” he purred and my heart did a somersault.

  “Love you too,” I replied quietly and he smiled gloriously.

  “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”

  I couldn’t help smiling back, chest full of butterflies as I hurried over to the house. I felt so different, light, like I was walking on air.

  “Hi, Linda,” I said. “Why didn’t you fly home this morning with the others?”

  Her face showed concern. “I heard about what happened to you and Trevor, so I stayed to make sure everything was okay. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m good. It was a rough night, but we survived.”

  She came at me, surprising me with a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” I was taken aback by how much she cared.

  “Thanks. I’m sorry you missed your flight.”

  “Think nothing of it.”

  We parted and I headed to my room, undressing and turning on the shower. I stepped under the spray and sighed when the hot water hit me. This morning I’d used muscles that hadn’t seen action in a while, and my body ached. I saw a shadow and knew it was Cal.

  “Pulling a Norman Bates. Classy,” I teased. His deep laughter simmered through my bones. Without warning, he pulled open the shower door and stepped inside, fully dressed. The spray soaked his clothes instantly.

  “What are you doing! Get out!” I said in a fit of giggles.

  His mouth curved in a delicious smile. “Nah, I think I’ll stay.”

  His eyes trailed down my naked, wet body and lust marked his features. I swallowed and tried to ignore how big he was, how his presence filled the tiny space, how surrounded and turned on I felt. Instantly, my nipples beaded. Cal noticed.

  “What do you want?” I asked, my voice thick with arousal as water trickled down my face. Cal groaned, his hand coming up to trace my lips. My mouth fell open and I moaned when he slipped a finger
inside. My head fell back against the tiles and Cal’s eyelids lowered, sex in his gaze.

  I wanted him again.

  I swirled my tongue around his finger and he pressed his body to mine. “You like that?” he asked, gravelly.

  “Mmmm,” I moaned. My nipples brushed the rough, soaked fabric that clung to his chest and it was torture. I needed his touch everywhere.

  He added another finger, slowly feeding them in and out as he lowered his mouth to my aching nipple and sucked. I held his head there, needing something, everything, more. Cal growled as he dragged his lips across my breast.

  “You want something else in that hot little mouth?” he asked and my sex clenched. I nodded and the dark look that came over him almost did me in. His fingers left my mouth, replaced with his lips. He kissed me roughly, thoroughly. Instinctively, I broke away and lowered to my knees. A string of expletives erupted from him as I shoved his wet jeans down his thighs to free his cock. He hadn’t bothered putting on boxers in his rush to get dressed out by the pool.

  His erection throbbed as I softly pressed my lips to his shaft. Then, torturously slow, I sucked his head into my mouth and took as much of him as I could without gagging. I soaked in his reactions. One of my favourite things about giving Cal blow jobs was how reactive he was, how vocal. He told me how incredible I looked, how beautiful my mouth felt, all the while his expression was tight with exquisite male tension and arousal.

  I loved how I could do this to him.

  Swirling my tongue around the head of his cock repeatedly, I gripped his firm backside and took him in deep. He made a sound of pure masculine pleasure as I bobbed my head up and down. I kept sucking him, working him up to a crescendo until his cum filled my mouth. I swallowed. He picked me up and kissed me in a way that made my bones melt.

  He broke away, breathless. “Thank you. That was fucking perfect.”

  I started to pull off the rest of his clothes.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll have lots of chances to repay me,” I said with a playful smile.

  He smiled back, and this time he was the one who got down on his knees.

  Much, much later, I woke up in my bed and Cal was spooning me. I snuggled closer and savoured his warm, comforting skin.

  “It feels so good to be able to hold you,” he whispered, lips brushing my ear, causing pinpricks of pleasure to skitter down my spine.

  “I still can’t believe you spent twenty grand to get me and Trev out of jail.” Yes, I wasn’t letting that drop.

  “You’re going to have to start believing it, because you’re not paying me back.”

  I smiled. “You underestimate my sneakiness. I’ll figure out a way.”

  Cal pressed his lips to the back of my neck. “Good luck with that.”

  All of a sudden, I was no longer sleepy. I arched my spine, pressing my backside into Cal and felt his erection stir. He swore under his breath.

  “Go back to sleep, Leanne.”

  I twisted around to meet his hooded gaze. “Make love to me again.”

  His expression was torn and I frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  Cal’s eyes went to my mouth regretfully. “I have a proposition.”

  My eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”

  “I want us to date.”

  “Okay…”

  “I mean properly,” he was quick to elaborate. “I want us to start over. We never got a chance to do things normally. We were sleeping together before I ever took you out for a meal. We did everything the wrong way around.”

  I studied him, curious. “So what you’re saying is, you want a do-over?” I asked, slightly disbelieving. This was a weird conversation to be having since we were both completely naked under the covers.

  Then, as the full meaning of what he was saying sank in, my heart shimmered with gold. My impatient, brooding, and argumentative man had come up with an idea to take things slow. I was suddenly overcome with how much of a gentleman he was being.

  “Does that mean no sex?” I asked, trailing a finger from his neck to his collarbone.

  Cal caught my chin and brought my gaze to his. “As much as it pains me to say it, yes, it means no sex until the time is right.”

  My lips tilted in the tiniest grin, moving my thigh against his. He groaned in frustration. “When do classy ladies usually put out these days? The third date or the fourth?”

  Cal’s thumb brushed back and forth over my chin, his voice husky. “Oh, I’d say they wait until at least date five or six.”

  “That’s a lot of dates.”

  He made a humming noise in the back of his throat, his eyelids lowered and I got a little lost. I swear I couldn’t be more turned on. “It is, but I’m trying to teach myself delayed gratification,” he said finally.

  “Well then,” I breathed with a sexy lilt, bringing my lips so close to his our breaths mingled. “You’d better get the hell out of my bed.”

  Cal never looked so tortured. It took a long moment, but he finally climbed off the bed. He pulled on his clothes, which were still damp from the shower, his expression pained.

  “This could either be the best or the worst decision I’ve ever made,” he said, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to my forehead. He looked regretful as he backed away towards the door. “See you in the morning, Leanne.”

  “See you in the morning, Callum.”

  Michaela woke me the next day for our flight. I’d slept like the dead, in spite of the bed feeling decidedly empty after Cal left. I was all sorts of giddy and excited about the idea of him taking me out for dates. Where would we go? I’d never really gone on a proper date before. When I was a teenager, the most romantic thing a boy could do was buy me a Coke and take me behind some bushes for sloppy kisses.

  My longest relationship was with a bloke named Ricky, who would mostly just pull up to my house in his Ford Fiesta, drive me somewhere secluded, then shag me in the back seat. All I remember him talking about was alloy wheels and Formula One racing. Needless to say, I had a lasting and strong aversion to car sex.

  But the idea of being taken out by Cal, of being romanced by him, had my stomach all aflutter.

  We were in a rush to get to the airport and I only felt like I had time to exhale when I was seated on the plane. Just like on the way over, my seat was across from Cal’s, but this time I didn’t mind having him close. The fact that we were taking things slow, rewinding the clock, gave me a heightened awareness of him, even more so than usual.

  Like, when he rested his head back and closed his eyes, I couldn’t resist staring at his handsome profile. Or when he rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows, I couldn’t stop staring at his tattoos, especially the one with my initial. Perhaps for the first time, it didn’t make me feel weird. In fact, I liked having a permanent mark on him.

  By the time we landed, I was so ready to get home to my flat. I was excited to sleep in my own bed, work out at our gym, just basically get back into a regular routine.

  We’d collected our bags from the luggage carousel and were just about to exit through the arrivals gate when I heard a commotion. The sliding doors opened and flashing lights almost blinded me.

  “They must have caught wind of yours and Trev’s arrest,” Cal said, his voice terse. He stood next to me, his hand coming to rest on my lower back and I inwardly groaned. This was all we needed, a bunch of paparazzi looking for some juicy story about why two of the stars of Running on Air were held in a South African jail cell overnight.

  “Callum! Leanne! Callum!” they shouted and I momentarily wondered why none of them were calling Trev’s name.

  “Leanne, do you have anything to say about the photos?” one of the paparazzi asked, snagging my attention. He was one of our regulars, a medium height, dark-haired guy named Bill who was actually pretty cool all things considered. He was definitely one of the politer ones.

  “Can you please back up?” Michaela requested, standing in front of us. “Callum and Leanne have just gotten off an eleven-hour flight and
they’re exhausted, so you can understand why they aren’t answering questions right now.”

  I pushed by her, a cold tremor running down my spine. Something about this felt off. “What photos?” I asked and Bill stared at me like, shit, she doesn’t know. I felt Cal’s hostility aimed at the people surrounding us while he stood at my back and Bill pulled out his phone. The whole time to our left and right, we were being filmed and snapped.

  “These pictures leaked a couple of hours ago,” Bill said and I snatched the phone from his hand.

  Immediately, my stomach dropped, a wave of nausea washing over me as I flicked through picture after picture of Cal and me. They’d been taken from a distance, but there was no mistaking our nakedness, nor what we were doing.

  Someone had taken pictures of us having sex by the pool at the guesthouse. Shame and panic threatened to overwhelm me. Cal pulled the phone from my hand, a string of swearwords leaving his mouth in a trail of fury. He shoved the phone back into Bill’s hand and swept me away from the paps.

  Before I knew it, we were in a taxi heading into the city. “I think I’m going to puke,” I muttered and the driver shot me a dirty look through his overhead mirror.

  “You get sick in my taxi and you’ll be paying for the cleanup.”

  Cal’s arm came around my shoulders as he scowled at the cabbie and pulled me to him. “Whoever took those pictures is going to fucking regret it,” he grunted.

  “Cal, our parents are going to see them,” I whispered, feeling both embarrassed and ashamed.

  He caught my chin, a warning in his eyes. “Don’t you dare. There’s no shame in what we were doing. It’s the person who took the pictures who should be ashamed. No one else.”

  His arms tightened around me and my mind raced. Then, a horrifying realisation struck me as I turned to him. “Oh my God, what about the contracts? We’re going to be fired.”

  Cal stared at me, the colour draining from his face as the fact sunk in.