“Of course it’s okay,” he says with a smile.
I lean in and give him a quick kiss. “I’m going to go upstairs and put on something a little more comfortable. What are you feeling for dinner tonight?” I ask, standing from his lap.
He loosens his tie and shrugs. “Whatever. Do you want to go out or stay in?”
“Either,” I answer, moving toward the door. “I think I’m going to go for a swim.” I smile at him from over my shoulder as I leave the room.
I go directly to the pool and start stripping out of my clothes. When I’m completely bare, I walk down into the heated pool slowly. I dip under the water to get my hair wet and to keep it back out of my face. When my head breaks the surface, my eyes open and land on him. He’s standing off to the side, eyes locked on me as he strips out of his clothes.
I smile. “Joining me?”
He smiles and nods.
“What about all that work you had to do?”
“Fuck it,” he says, just before he runs and dives into the pool.
When he comes up, he’s directly in front of me, pulling me closer. I wrap my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a long, slow kiss. He walks me backward until I feel the concrete wall of the pool against my back. His hands move up to cup my cheeks as he deepens the kiss.
I can’t help the small whimper that leaves my lips when I feel him harden and press against my core. His lips break free as he begins kissing down my jaw and across my chest.
“I love you, Valerie,” he whispers against my skin.
“I love you, Callan,” I reply, eyes closed, enjoying the way his mouth feels against my skin. We hold one another, kissing and touching until it all becomes too much.
“I need you,” I whisper, breaking our kiss.
His jaw tenses and his Adam’s apple bobs as he closes the distance between us against with another kiss. He picks me up against him and walks us out of the pool, but we don’t go far. Instead of him carrying me up to the bed, he lays me back on a deck chair. He covers my body with his, and he fits against me perfectly. I open my legs wider, needing to feel him, and he rolls his hips, sliding into place.
It only takes seconds of him moving inside of me before I’m shattering into a million pieces. Moments later, he follows along behind me until we’re melting into a puddle and mixing together.
24
Callan
THREE MONTHS LATER…
* * *
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to going to the gallery today?” I ask Val as I dress for work.
“I’ll be fine. It’s nothing serious. Just my back and hips—all normal pains when you’re thirty weeks pregnant.” She pulls on a long, loose skirt and then pulls on her white lacy top that she hates so much.
I watch her as she stands back and looks herself over in the mirror.
“Ugh, I look like a fat cow!” She scrunches up her face when she sees her reflection.
I chuckle but move up behind her, kissing her neck as I rub her belly. “You look beautiful.”
“No, I look like I just won a hotdog eating contest. I mean, look at this.” She spins around to face me. Her stomach is touching mine, but she’s still a good distance away from me. “To kiss you, I actually have to lean over.”
I laugh. “Ten more weeks, Val. You can make it.” I lean forward and kiss her long and hard. My hands find her ass, and I squeeze, causing a part of myself to come alive.
“How can you even get hard right now?” she whines against my lips.
I chuckle. “You’re breathtakingly beautiful. When I see your stomach, I don’t see its size. I see us, our love, our passion, our determination to be together. I love every inch of you. If I could, I’d spend all day worshiping this body.” I place my hand on her stomach and rub it gently, feeling the baby kick against my palm.
She offers up a sad smile. “Please, never stop talking to me like this. I don’t know how you do it, but you turn even the worst things into something beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful, and your stomach is beautiful, and this baby, she’s going to be beautiful too.” I offer her one last kiss. “Now, let’s finish getting dressed so we can get to work.”
“Don’t forget, we’re meeting Simone for dinner tonight to finalize the plans for the baby’s room.”
“I won’t forget,” I tell her, pulling on my jacket.
“Do you want me to meet you there, or should we ride over together?”
I shrug. “Whatever you want to do. I should be off work in time.”
“Okay, I’ll call you later and let you know how my day is looking.
I lean over and give her a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says, kissing me back.
I grab my briefcase and head out. When I get to the office, Joy is at her desk.
“Good morning, Mr. Gregory,” she says, standing and rushing to get me my morning coffee.
I shrug out of my jacket and take my seat just as she’s coming back into the room with my cup. “Here’s your coffee, and I’ve already checked the messages. Anything important I wrote down and set right here,” she says, reaching across my desk to touch the paper. The only problem is, her low cut top falls slightly, giving me a straight shot down her shirt.
I lean back. “Thank you, Joy.”
She smiles and nods, proud of herself. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?” She places her hands behind her back, causing her chest to stick out a little more.
I clear my throat. “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”
She smiles and nods her head, but then retreats to her desk.
When lunch rolls around, I give her my order, and she rushes out the door to get it. Bennet walks in and sits down across from me. “How’s my sister and niece?”
I smile and nod. “Baby is good, growing like she should be. But your sister is getting extremely annoyed by nothing fitting and all the aches and pains.”
Bennet laughs. “Valerie has never weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, so I’m sure this is a big change for her. She’s almost done though.”
“That’s what I keep telling her. I’d do it for her if I could.”
The door opens, and Joy walks back in. She places a bag on my desk, then starts digging through it. “Good afternoon, Mr. Windsor,” she says, pulling my food out.
Bennet and I both watch her as she unwraps my sandwich and lays it flat on my desk. Next, she pulls out my fries and spills them onto the paper next to my sandwich. Finally, she opens each ketchup packet and squeezes it out next to the fries.
“Um, thanks?” I say when she finishes and stands back, waiting for approval.
She nods and leaves the office to enjoy her lunch.
“She always do that?” Bennet asks, motioning toward my lunch.
I feel my eyes stretch wide as I shake my head. “I really miss having Val here. Hell, she’d just throw me my lunch from across the room.” I laugh.
“Other than this weird lunch thing, is she good at her job?” he asks, stealing a fry.
I take a bite of my burger. “She’s good, but almost too good. It’s annoying how on top of everything she is. And…I think she likes me,” I confess.
“What do you mean?” he asks, leaning forward.
“I mean, she’s always doing that crazy laugh, the fake one women do when they want to make a guy think he’s funny. She leans over so I can see down her top. She wears extremely short skirts and then bends over to file papers in the cabinet. Once, I even saw her look over her shoulder at me to make sure I was watching. Then once, she sat where you are, and we were talking. But her knees kept getting further and further apart until I could see clear up her skirt.”
His eyes nearly bug out of his head. “What? Fire her! Especially if this is getting to you. I don’t want you seduced into hurting my sister.”
I scoff. “I see nobody but your sister, Ben. I’m not touching that woman.” I motion toward the do
or. “I thought maybe I could stick it out, but…” I shake my head.
“Fire her. Today. The last thing we need is for Val to come in here and see this woman flirting with you. My sister is a little unhinged normally, but with all the amped-up hormones she has right now…” He doesn’t finish his sentence; he just shakes his head like he’s imagining it.
I nod once. “Okay. I just didn’t want you to think I was firing her for no reason. I don’t have the best track record with assistants.” I laugh.
Five o’clock rolls around, and I shut down my computer and start gathering my things. I pull on my jacket and pick up my briefcase as I head toward the door. I pause in the center of the room.
“Joy, I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go,” I say, causing her to freeze.
“I don’t think this is working out. I’d like you to gather your things. Don’t come back tomorrow. We’ll mail your last paycheck.”
I turn to leave, but the sound of her crying makes me stop and turn back around.
“I don’t understand. I’ve been trying so hard. Why does this always happen?” she asks, walking closer to me.
I hold up my hands, palms facing her. “I…umm.” I shake the panic from my head. “You’re not…you don’t…” I’m not sure how to put it. “I don’t want to deal with you flirting with me every day. There, I said it.”
She freezes. “Flirting with you?”
I nod. “Yeah, you know. The short skirts, the low-cut tops, bending over so I can see directly down your shirt or up your skirt. I mean, this is a workplace, not a club. You need to cover up, not show off your goods. I’m an engaged man.”
“Engaged isn’t married,” she says, tears now gone as she comes to a stop in front of me.
“It is to me. I love my fiancée. We’re about to have a baby together. I’m happy, and I don’t need this,” I motion between us, “to be misconstrued. Understand?”
She wets her lips. “Why are the good ones always taken?” She looks up, and her green eyes lock on mine.
I open my mouth to excuse myself, but the next thing I know, she’s closed the distance between us. Her mouth is pressed to mine, and her hands are on either side of my face. I’m frozen in shock and fear. My eyes are wide open, staring at her eyelids as she kisses me. My hands are up in the air at my sides, palms facing her.
“Sorry I’m late,” Val says, pushing through the doors.
Suddenly, I’m no longer frozen. I step back and turn toward her. The hurt on her face is evident. Her wide, glassy eyes move from me, to Joy, and back. Her lips are parted, but no words are coming out. Her right hand lays protectively on her stomach.
She shakes her head and turns, running form the office.
“Valerie!” I yell after her, but she doesn’t stop.
I turn back to Joy. “Get your shit and get out. I never want to see you again,” I tell her, marching toward the door.
I see the elevator doors close, but I don’t have time to stop them. I rush to the elevator and start punching the buttons, needing it to stop, to open up. But it doesn’t…not until she’s on the ground floor and it has time to come back up.
I jump inside the elevator and hit the button for the ground level. When the doors open, I run from the elevator and into the lobby, out the main doors, and into the parking lot. But she’s gone.
Cursing under my breath, I rush to my car and get behind the wheel, driving straight home, but she isn’t here. Surely she didn’t go to the dinner without me. Instead of going by the restaurant, I go straight to her mom’s, but her car isn’t in the drive. Next, I go to Bennet’s. Turning onto his street, I see her car parked in the drive. I quickly pull in behind it. I shut off the car and open the door in the same instant. I slam the door to the car closed as I push myself forward, toward the house.
I step onto the porch and pound on their door. Bennet opens it, and he shakes his head. “Come on; she’s out back with Maddie.”
I walk in and turn to face him. “Did you tell her? Did you tell her we just talked about this, that I don’t want anyone but her?” I ask.
He nods. “I did. But she’s angry and doesn’t want to listen.” He places his hand on my bicep and leads me down the hall to his office. “Let’s just give her a moment to calm down.”
“She’s not going to calm down, Bennet. I have to see her now and explain.”
“She’s on the back porch, but I’m telling you, Cal, you need to let her calm down.”
I shake my head. “No, fuck that,” I mumble, throwing the door open and marching through the house. When I step onto the back porch, Maddie gives me a weak smile as she stands and walks into the house, leaving us alone. Val tears her angry eyes from mine and focuses them on the back yard.
I slowly walk over and sit in the chair Maddie just left. “Val,” I start.
“No, don’t Val me. I should have known. I mean, you are playboy Callan Gregory after all. You do nothing but blow through women. God, I was so stupid to think that you could change.”
“Valerie,” I say again, refusing to get angry. “I don’t want her, or any other woman for that matter. I love you,” I say, reaching out and taking her hand in mine, but she yanks it away.
“How could you do this? Have you been with her this whole time?”
“I haven’t been with her at all! I love you. I want you and our baby. I fired her, and she kissed me. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I was frozen in surprise. Before I could push her away, you were walking in.”
She doesn’t say anything; she just shakes her head. I’m scared to reach out and touch her again in fear that she’ll push me away.
“Val, please look at me. Please, listen to me. Have I ever done anything to hurt you?”
She bites her lower lip and shakes her head.
“Then why would I start now? Now that we’re finally getting everything we’ve ever wanted. We have the support of your family; we have a baby on the way; we’re about to get married. Do you really think I’d throw all that away to fuck my middle-aged assistant? I mean, fuck. She’s older than I am,” I joke, and that makes her giggle.
I drop to my knees and place my hands on her hips, pulling her closer to the edge of her seat. Her hands rest on my shoulders.
“I love you, Valerie. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I can’t live without you and our child. Please, don’t throw everything away over this. I don’t want her. I didn’t want to kiss her. All I wanted was to fire her because she wasn’t you. I don’t need anything but you.” I rest my forehead against hers, and when I feel her start to waiver, I press my mouth to hers, kissing her softly.
Every second that passes, the fight in her gets weaker and weaker until she’s kissing me back with everything she has. Her hands push my jacket over my shoulders as she pulls me up onto her lounge chair. I settle between her legs and grind my hips against her. Her breathing is heavy and loud. It makes me want to slide into her, but her brother’s back porch isn’t the right place.
I break our kiss. “Please, come home with me,” I beg.
She nods. “Okay.”
I stand and pull her up with me. I lead her back through the house, toward the front door. Bennet and Maddie come to a stop in the foyer.
“Everything better?” Maddie asks, leaning against Bennet’s side.
I smile, and she nods.
“You fired her, right?” Bennet asks.
I laugh. “Oh yeah.” I tug Val toward the door. “We’ll see you guys later.”
We get inside my car, leaving hers here for the night, but before I can twist the key to start the car, Val is crawling onto my lap, forcing me to slide the seat back to make room for her growing belly.
“What are you doing?” I ask around a laugh.
“I can’t wait until we’re home. I need you inside me now.” Her hands are working quickly to free me from my jeans.
“Val, we’re in your brother’s very lit-up driveway,” I point out, but a second later, she’s
lowering herself onto my dick.
We both let out a relieved moan, and I can no longer hold back. I lean my seat back and place my hands on her hips as I buck up into her. She places her hands flat on my chest as she rides me back and forth, up and down.
My phone chimes from the center console and I glance at it in the darkness. It’s a text from Bennet.
Are you two fucking in my driveway?!
I want to laugh, but she rolls her hips and tightens her muscles at the same time. My release builds, and her moans grow louder and louder. The next thing I know, we’re both falling together.
When she takes her seat and I put myself back into my pants, I pick up my phone and send a text back.
Sorry about that.
I drop the phone back into the cup holder and start the car, taking us home.
25
Valerie
TWO MONTHS LATER…
* * *
“Callan, wake up!” I shake him awake when another pain rips through me.
“What? I don’t want to go to the gas station again. Did you eat all those Slim Jim’s already?” he mumbles, not bothering to open his eyes.
“No, Callan. I think I’m in labor,” I cry out, holding my stomach
He pops up. “What? You’re in labor?” He rolls out of bed and rushes to turn on the light.
I’m completely naked, wrapped in a sheet. “I think so. I’ve been getting these cramps every ten minutes, and they’re getting more painful each time.”
“Are you sure or is it like last time when you got a stomachache from topping your hot fudge sundae with spicy beef jerky?”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t eat that this time.”
“You ate those Slim Jim’s,” he points out.
I shake my head. “I didn’t eat them either. See?” I reach over and grab the six Slim Jim’s off the bedside table. Only one is open, and I only took a bite out of it.
His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 36
