As soon as he set eyes on Callie’s pale, anxious face, though, the pain was shoved into a corner of his brain by happiness and relief. Suddenly the memory of the accident came flooding back – Callie running out onto the street, the car screeching to a halt, himself pushing her out of the way, him sailing through the air and landing heavily on the pavement. That definitely explained the aching ribs and head. His heart sank a little as he remembered the reason she’d run out into the street in the first place – to get away from him.
“I’m sorry.” His voice came out as a harsh croak, and he realized that his mouth and throat were drier than bone dust. “I’m so sorry…about Nadia…about everything,” he said, hoping she understood. He was going to have a very stern talk with security about who they let up to his rooms in the future.
Callie opened her mouth to say something, but just then the doctor and nurse bustled into the room. “Oh good, you’re awake!” the nurse, a buxom middle-aged woman with red hair said, tapping at the keyboard of the computer that was monitoring his vitals. The next few minutes were a storm of chatter; talk about how close a call the accident was, how lucky he’d been to come out of it with only two cracked ribs and a concussion, and how he was in such good shape he might even be able to go home today.
“And you, young miss,” the nurse continued, whirling around to pin Callie with a stern look, hands on her hips, “Are very lucky this man stepped in to save you when he did! I daresay you might not have come out as well as he if you’d been the one to get hit by that car.”
Callie nodded, biting her lip. “You’re right… I’m very lucky.” Did he imagine it, or were those tears shining in her eyes?
The doctor and nurse spent a few more minutes checking him over, and then left the room. Brendan took in a deep breath, then winced as his ribs protested. “Callie – I didn’t know that she would be there. We weren’t in a relationship. It wasn’t like –”
“Don’t.” Her voice was thick with tears, and Brendan watched in shock as a big, fat drop rolled from the corner of her left eye down her cheek. “There’s nothing you have to apologize for, Brendan.” She wiped the tear from her cheek, only for it to be replaced by another. “I’ve spent a lot of time sitting here, thinking about what happened, and although I think any woman probably would have reacted the way I did, I realize that it just doesn’t matter anymore.” She swallowed hard, then reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I know what’s in your heart, and I know what you want… and…and it’s the very same thing that I want.”
Brendan returned her squeeze with one of his own. “You have to believe that I would never do anything to hurt you,” he whispered. “I love you too much for that.”
His heart caught in his throat as he said the words, but it was the right place, the right time, and he knew Callie returned his feelings by the way she beamed at him now. “I love you, too,” she murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. “Now and always.”
Brendan slid a hand into her hair and closed his eyes, returning her kiss. “Always.”
Epilogue
“I’m home!” The front door opened, bringing in with it a gust of wind and the sound of chimes tinkling from the front porch.
“Be right there!” Brendan grabbed a pair of oven mitts and whisked the lasagna out of the oven, then placed the pan on the counter to cool. Untying his black apron, he hung it up on the hook by the stove, then went to greet Callie, who was hanging up her coat by the front door.
“Hey, beautiful.” He took the large, brown box from where it was tucked beneath her free arm, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good.” She pulled back, eyes sparkling with a grin, and Brendan marveled at how amazing she looked, her chestnut hair windswept and her cheeks glowing pink from the cold. Her cute little nose twitched as she sniffed the air. “Dinner smells good.”
“Sure does.” He followed her to the kitchen, setting the box on the table as she inspected the lasagna. It had been six months since they’d decided to move in together and they had never been happier.
“What’s in the box?” he asked, running his finger along the edge of one of the flaps.
“A surprise.” She winked. “Open it up and see.”
He pulled open the flaps, then gasped at the stacks of identical, glossy paperbacks inside. Reverently, he picked one of them up, turning the book in his hand. On the front cover was a photo of a couple locked in a passionate embrace with the title, Insatiable, emblazoned across it.
“Wow.” He ran his fingers along the raised type. “So they’re finally out.”
“Pretty exciting, isn’t it?” Callie came around the island to wrap her arms around him from behind. “I don’t usually get to deliver these to my clients in person, so it’s a bit of a new experience, but there’s nothing quite like seeing your book in print for the first time, is there?”
“Definitely not. This is fucking amazing.” He stared down at the book for a moment longer, then gently placed it back in the box and turned to face the woman he loved. “I guess we’re going to be heading out on our book tour soon, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are.” Leaning up, she nibbled gently on his bottom lip.
Brendan growled a little, then scooped her up and placed her on the opposite counter so he could kiss her properly, her face level with his. Her arms twined around his neck as she slid her tongue inside his mouth, robbing him of his ability to think, to breathe – he never could think much of anything else but her once they got started.
Miraculously, he found the willpower to break the kiss. “Are those books for the signing tomorrow?”
Callie laughed. “No, you’ll have at least ten times that many when you go to the bookstore tomorrow. These are just to pass out to friends and family.”
Brendan grinned a little. “I should probably send one to the boys,” he said, referring to his former band mates. “They’d probably get a kick out of it.”
“Oh yeah, they’d love it. Just make sure you sign them first.” She slid her hands up his shirt, then flicked her thumbs over his nipples, causing him to hiss in response. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow, you know… so we should probably get started and turn in early.”
“Yeah, we’ll get started alright,” he growled, pushing her up against the wall and kissing her breathless. He knew it would only be a matter of minutes before they’d be making love, right here on the kitchen counter – that’s how it always seemed to be, the two of them tearing each other’s clothes off the moment they were home alone together, as if they couldn’t bear to be apart.
And if Brendan had any say about it, they would never be apart again.
About The Author
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Hunter writes contemporary and paranormal romance stories that feature irresistibly powerful alpha heroes and beautifully curvy heroines.
Connect with Adriana on her website at http://www.AdrianaHunter.com and subscribe to her official newsletter at http://www.SpicyTales.com for details on upcoming books!
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorAdrianaHunter
Also By Adriana Hunter
ROMANCE NOVELS
Sweet Surrender
Rock Hard
Fight For You
ROMANCE NOVELLAS
Truth Or Dare
Something Borrowed
For Keeps
Made For The Billionaire
Learning Curve
PARANORMAL ROMANCE STORIES
All American Wolf
Taming The Alpha & Claiming The Alpha
Better Mate Than Never
ANTHOLOGIES
Curve Crazy
To Love An Alpha
Dangerous Desires
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Change Of Plans (New Adult BBW Romance) Page 8
