To Be With You

by Daphne Abbott

  She blinked. “Callum?”

  “Yeah,” I said and slowly stood up from my crouch. “It’s me.”

  Olivia sobbed and dropped the bat to the floor with a loud clatter. Then she threw herself at me, and I only had a second to brace against the wall before I caught her in a tight hug. Despite the heat of the room and the warm water still raining down on us, she shivered in my arms.

  I wrapped her up as tightly as I could in one arm so I could run my other hand over her hair. “Hey, hey, hey,” I said and pressed my mouth to her temple. “What’s this about?”

  Olivia shook her head and squeezed me tighter. “I woke up and heard a noise. I forgot you texted me you’d landed.”

  Sure, waking up to noises in the bathroom could be scary. But something about this reaction made me think something else was going on. I’d talked and texted Olivia the entire time I was in Maine. There’d been no sign from her that anything was wrong, but now it was clear something else was going on.

  The water was cooling, so I turned off the faucet. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes, okay?”

  Olivia nodded and stepped back enough to pull off her shirt and shorts. Once she was nude, I pulled a towel from the hook and wrapped it around her body. I grabbed the other towel and tied it around my waist before I pulled her close again.

  “I’m s-sorry,” Olivia said with a slight tremble in her voice. “I don’t know why I’m so freaked out.”

  “Shhh,” I muttered, and kissed her forehead. “I should have let you know I was here. I’m sorry for scaring you like that.”

  Olivia leaned back and smiled at me, looking like herself for the first time tonight. “You could make it up to me with a kiss hello.”

  I was still worried there was more to her freak out than she was letting on. But it was almost midnight, and neither one of us was up for a deep discussion. I kissed her softly with just a brush of my mouth against hers.

  “Mm,” Olivia sighed. “More of that, please.”

  Since she asked so nicely, I gave her what she asked for. Long drugging kisses and soft touches. All while I gently guided her out of the bathroom. I stopped at the bed, picked up her work things, and put them on the dresser.

  When I turned around, Olivia was in the center of the bed. Towel gone. Her skin glowed in the warm light from the lamp, looking smooth like a fine painting. Saliva pooled under my tongue. She was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen.

  I tugged off my towel and crawled onto the bed to kneel between her legs. “I missed this.”

  Liv smiled and ran a hand down the center of her chest. “You mean naked video calls weren’t enough?”

  I laughed and leaned down to nip at the taut skin of her hip. “Mm, no, those calls were the best part of my day.” I used my tongue to lick at the spot I’d bitten. “But nothing compares to feeling your body against mine.”

  Olivia sucked in a sharp breath when I blew a soft breath on her pussy. I could see she was already wet, and her clit was a hard little numb of pleasure. “Cal.”

  Her sighs and moans only encouraged me to keep going. I moved down her body, using my shoulders to wedge open her legs more. Then I used my fingers to gently hold her pussy open so I could give her one long lick. Olivia sobbed in pleasure again, so I blew on her clit, then licked her again.

  We’d been together for weeks now. I knew how to make her come in minutes, or we could spend hours edging toward orgasm. Olivia’s ability to switch between needing control and needing to be controlled and kept me on my toes, and I was enjoying the exploration.

  “No more teasing,” Liv gasped after a few more passes of my tongue. “Missed you too much.”

  Her admission shocked me. Not because I didn’t think she cared, but she was always careful not to express those thoughts. I’d been doing the same tiptoe dance around my own feelings, and this crack in Olivia’s wall felt like a tipping point. But which way we’d fall was anyone’s guess.

  I sucked her clit into my mouth and slid a finger into her pussy, letting myself enjoy her taste longer before I moved on. I took my time kissing my way up her body while Olivia writhed and moaned below me. She threaded her hands through my hair to tug and pull me in the direction she needed me.

  For now, I followed willingly, using my mouth and hands to drive her wild and beat down the last of the tension in her body. We’d started our sexual relationship in this way, chasing away bad feelings with the dopamine from sex, but I was wondering if it was just another way for us to avoid hard conversations.

  Olivia scrambled my thought when she slid her hand down my body and grabbed my cock in a firm hold. “You’re going too slow,” she said in a voice husky with arousal.

  I chuckled and buried my face in the crook of her neck. “I was trying to savor you.”

  “I’m not cheesecake, Callum.” I laughed harder, then groaned when she slid her hand up and down my length in several long strokes. “Do I need to take over?”

  Heat flowed through my body at her words. I loved the power plays between us; the exchange of control was my favorite part of sex with Olivia. But not tonight. Tonight, I’d been gone for ten days, and I wanted to make love to my girl.

  My heart stuttered at the thought that had just run through my head. Tiptoeing around words and feelings like love was one thing, but thinking about it felt like a whole other thing. If I was honest with myself, it had never just been sex for me. How could it be when I’d never been able to have a purely physical relationship before?

  I’d been a fool to agree to this fling. A fool that was dangerously close to losing everything to this girl once more.

  I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Things like emotions and the future could wait until after I’d made sure Olivia came.

  “Wrap your arms around my neck,” I said, as I shifted between her legs and rubbed my erection over the wet lips of her pussy. We’d got rid of condoms weeks ago after an awkward conversation. But the talk was worth it to feel all of Olivia’s heat against the sensitive tip of my cock.

  As she wrapped her arms around me, I canted my hips and slid my dick against her clit. I grinned when she groaned and clenched her arms around me tighter. There were so many ways to please Olivia, but direct stimulation to her clit was her favorite. I made sure she got what she liked. Often.

  After a few more seconds of teasing us both, I changed the angle of my thrusts again and slid inside her body in a smooth thrust that caused electric pleasure to zip down my spine. I had to hold myself still for several seconds to regain my composure. I didn’t want things to end just as they started.

  When I finally felt like I had myself under control, I grabbed her thigh and lifted her leg higher to get more room. Then I thrust into her just slowly enough to be a tease to both of us, yet firm enough to give her that friction I knew she needed to find her orgasm.

  I pressed my cheek to hers and told her how much I’d missed her over the last ten days. I didn’t know why I needed to say these things to her now. All I knew was that they’d bubbled up inside me, and I couldn’t hold them in any longer.

  “Missed you, Cal,” Olivia whispered back. Her mouth pressed against my ear, just as mine was against hers. It was as if we were both desperate for the other to hear everything we’d bottled up. “Couldn’t sleep without you.”

  Something in my chest cracked at that admission. But before I could respond that I had the same problem, Olivia grabbed my chin and pulled my face to hers so she could kiss me. The taste of her on my tongue and the feel of her on my cock were the perfect storm. I could feel my orgasm threatening to explode, and I knew this time I wouldn’t be successful in stopping it.

  So, as we continued kissing, I reached between our bodies with my free hand and used my thumb to rub Olivia’s clit. The hard point of her desire was slick with her juices, and my thumb slid easily against her skin. I found the spot she l
oved most and pressed hard over and over. Driving her closer to the edge.

  Olivia tore her mouth from mine and sucked in several deep breaths. “I’m close.”

  I smiled because that was obvious, but I didn’t mention it. I just kissed her again as I increased the rhythm of my thrusts and kept up my attention to her clit. I could feel the walls of her pussy clench and shudder around me as I led her further and further toward oblivion.

  Olivia tore her mouth from mine again and sucked in a gasp, just as every muscle in her body tightened. She didn’t wail or scream as she orgasmed. Instead, she held on to me and road the wave silently. I watched from above as pleasure crossed her features. The look on her face and the feel of her pussy on my cock became too much, and I followed her over the edge.

  My release felt so good it was painful. My skin was so sensitized; every part that touched Olivia felt on fire. It was exquisite torture, and I’d happily die if it meant my last memory would be emptying myself into this woman.

  Below the roar of blood in my ears, I could hear Olivia whispering, “missed you,” repeatedly. But it didn’t feel like she was telling me she missed me for ten days. It felt like she was saying something entirely different. Something I was wondering if we’d both been feeling for weeks. Something we’d agreed would mean the end of our arrangement.

  We collapsed into a heap of arms and legs, both of us silent except for our labored breathing. At some point, Olivia left to clean up, and I stumbled to the dresser for a pair of shorts to sleep in. The room felt humid and claustrophobic because of all the steam the shower had generated, so I opened both windows a crack to let in the cool night air.

  “Why’d you open the windows?” Olivia’s voice sounded off.

  “It was hot in here, and it’s nice outside. Is it a problem?”

  She moved to the dresser, and from the drawers she’d taken over, she pulled out a fresh pair of panties, shorts, and another soft tee. “I just like to be warm when I sleep.”

  “I’ll keep you warm.” I rolled onto my back and spread my arms. “Come here and cuddle up.”

  She crawled into the bed, rolling her eyes at me, but she took me up on my offer and cuddled into my side. Her head on my shoulder and her soft body along mine felt better than the stack of pillows I’d been using at the hotel as a replacement.

  Olivia’s fingers skimmed over my chest and followed the clematis vine over my shoulder. “What do these mean?” she whispered as she moved her fingers to the columbine over my heart. “Are they just pretty things, or do they have a story?”

  I could lie. Tell her I just liked pretty art on my body, and she’d probably accept it. But tonight, something had broken free inside of me, and I couldn’t keep the truth from her any longer.

  “Did Rose ever teach you the symbology of flowers?” I asked.

  “No, I wasn’t really into that stuff. I just enjoyed looking at the pretty colors.”

  I smiled and grabbed her wrist to direct her fingers to the lilac branch at the center of my chest. “The Victorians believed in the language of flowers so much so, that a bouquet created entire conversations.”

  “I think I read that once in a romance novel. The hero sent the wrong flowers to the heroine, and she thought he hated her.” Olivia moved her fingertips from the lilac to the peony on my right pectoral. “I thought it was silly when I read it. But I guess it makes a certain amount of sense.”

  “Rose once gave me a book on a rainy day that was filled with all the flowers, herbs, and trees and their different meaning. I thought it was cool, like a secret.” I shrugged. “I guess it just stuck with me.”

  “Okay, so what do they mean?” She sat up, and in the dim light of the bedside lamp, I could see she was now excited to explore the map of my ink. “Like, the book quotes are easy to understand, but what about this, for example?”

  I looked down to where she was pointing at the branch of pine needles that outlined my collarbone. “That’s easy. Pine represents humility. That was my first piece, and I got it after Fabián found me drunk and puking myself.”

  “You mentioned that night once before. What sent you over the edge like that?”

  I covered her hand with my free one, knowing this would be the hardest part for her to hear. “It was the day you posted your engagement ring on social media.”

  She jerked, but I gripped her hand in mine. “I’ve been honest with you, Olivia, about my struggles. I don’t hide them, and I wear the trials of my life on my body with pride. The tattoos are not to remind me of pain, but to remind me I got through it and came out on the other side.”

  Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. “But my engagement nearly caused—”

  I sat up and grabbed both of her hands in mine, feeling like if I didn’t get this right, everything would implode. “No. Nothing you did brought me to that brink. I used your engagement as an excuse to drink. To ignore everything else that was going wrong with school, my family, and my life.”

  “How can you stand to be near me now?” she whispered. “I may not be the direct cause, but I definitely was a contributing factor.”

  “Because we were eighteen. We were young and stupid and didn’t know our own minds. I should have never asked you to come with me. You should have never felt pressured to go with me or do anything you didn’t want to do.”

  We sat there, staring at each other for a long moment. A range of emotions flitted across Olivia’s face, and I could see she was finally processing several things we’d been avoiding for weeks. I wanted to say more. To tell her the love I thought I’d felt at eighteen was nothing compared to this all-encompassing feeling that’d taken over the moment we kissed in the hall.

  Chapter 23

  Olivia

  Dawn light filtered through the sheers on the windows and warmed my face. I groaned and rolled over, tucking my head under a pillow, but the sounds of birds broke through my fitful sleep, and I cracked my eyes open cautiously. Callum’s naked back was to me, and I could tell he was deep in sleep, unlike me.

  Between the light, the birds, and the thoughts swirling in my mind, I knew there was no chance I’d get back to sleep. I rolled over and slipped out of bed as quietly as I could. The bedroom and bathroom were littered with our clothes, and the bat I’d kept by the bed was not leaning against the shower. Cal hadn’t asked why I had it on me, and I hadn’t offered. I wasn’t even sure how I could voice my fears to him without sounding like I’d lost touch with reality.

  I’d tried to tell Liam that I suspected items were being removed from the site at our latest dinner. He’d told me to report the thefts to Nick and the sheriff’s department, but I didn’t have any hard evidence. Because just as soon as something would disappear, I’d find it in another place. The few times Nick’s crew had come up short on supplies, they explained it was shipping errors. And the lights I saw at night moving around the house could just as easily be lightning bugs as it could be someone up to no good.

  After a quick shower, I pulled on my robe and a pair of panties before heading into the kitchen for some caffeine. Fab was sitting at the counter with a pot of French press at his elbow, a stack of papers next to it, and his laptop open to his editing software. The now-familiar site warmed me from the inside, and I couldn’t help but wrap him up in a sideways hug and sigh in contentment.

  “Hey, babe,” he murmured as he clicked through some settings. “Coffee’s fresh.”

  “I can smell it,” I said and remained leaning against him, watching as he worked through a transition.

  He turned and looked at me for the first time. The smile slipping from his face. “Something wrong?”

  “I missed you guys the last couple of days,” I said and tried to shrug it off.

  Fabián’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t spit on my face and tell me it’s raining, babe.”

  A laugh bubbled up out of my throat that sounded
more like a sob, and I buried my face in his shoulder. Fab pushed back from the counter and pulled me into a tight hug, shushing as I continued to make strange, sad little noises. I worried Cal would hear and discover me in the arms of his friend, but I knew he would be the least likely man to misconstrue what was happening between Fab and me.

  “Did you tell him what’s been weighing on you, Cher?” Fabián asked when the muffled little cries slowed to a stop.

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Bullshit. Stop your lyin’, or I’ll slap your mouth.” He sounded mad enough to do it, which only made me giggle. “Girl, you are a mess.”

  I leaned back, smoothing the hair from my face and wiping at my cheeks. “I feel like one.”

  “Why are you putting this on me and not your man?”

  I groaned and pulled away to grab a cup of coffee. If we were going to have an in-depth conversation at this hour of the day, I would need liquid courage. Fab watched me waste time on prepping the coffee with a thoughtful expression on his face. His ability to just wait out a person until they spilled information was eerily effective.

  “I’ve been feeling like something weird is going on at the mansion, but I’ve got nothing to prove it.”

  “Like, what things?” he asked.

  “Like stuff going missing and reappearing in places it shouldn’t be.” I took a sip of my coffee, and the fresh rush of caffeine did wonders for my mood. “Weird sounds and things out of the corner of my eye. If I was a superstitious person, I’d think I had a ghost tormenting me.”

  “But you’re not, and real vandalism has happened on that property,” Fab said. “You should take these things seriously.”

  “I told Liam some of it,” I admitted. “But he thought it just sounded like we had an issue with theft. Maybe some kids out to annoy me.”

  “Could be. Or it could be someone with more nefarious intentions. The important thing to do is to document it with police reports. That way, if we find out someone’s been messing with you, the police will have the information they need.”