Callibet: Book 2 of The Bet Series

by Sienna Grant

  “Callie, you fucking idiot.” Beth laughed at her friend, grabbing her hand and pulling her back up to stand. “Chris, give her a shove, would you?”

  I placed her back on her feet and rested my hand on her back to keep her steady. I shuffled forwards and stayed closer to her. If she wobbled then she'd just fall back into me.

  After a few more beers and another few shots, Callie had forgotten her earlier grievance with me and clung on to my arm like I was her saviour. She turned her gaze to me and looked at me like I hung the moon. I certainly didn’t do that. I shifted the strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes and looked into her deep sea of blue. “Maybe we should get you home.”

  I looked around and saw Beth wrapped up in Charlie’s arms on the dance floor as they slowly danced. The place had pretty much emptied now, and there was barely anyone around. Lifting Callie at the hips, I placed her on a stool and told her to wait there. “I’ll be just a second and I'll take you home.”

  “Oh, my knight in shining armour…” she sang out as I walked away.

  I shook my head before tapping Charlie on the shoulder and stopping their dance. “Guys, I’m gonna take Cal home. Thank you for an amazing day and for inviting me. It’s been brilliant.”

  Beth left the comfort of Charlie’s arms and moved to me, springing to her tiptoes, and threw her arms around my neck. I returned her hug and kissed her cheek. Once Beth had loosened her hold on me, I stuck my hand out for Charlie and waited for him to take it. “Thanks for coming.” He shook my hand and smiled.

  “My pleasure.” I nodded. “Speak soon, guys.”

  With that done, I helped Callie down from the stool. She stepped into her heels, and with her clutch bag in my hand, I placed my other hand at her waist and began to walk her out. “Wait!” She stopped suddenly, “I can’t go yet. I haven’t said goodbye. BETHANY!” She screamed across the marquee. “I LOVE YOU GUYS!”

  “We love you too. Now go home and call me tomorrow,” Beth called back while Charlie just shook his head and blew out an amused sigh. She blew kisses to her friend, and with my hand wrapped around her again, I managed to get her outside.

  “I can walk, you know. Oh, and mister.” She spun around and pointed her finger in my chest. “You’re not getting s...sex. Not this, hic, time.” She held up a finger and attempted to move it from side to side but couldn’t.

  “Cals. I just want to get you home, babe.”

  “Well, I can walk… just f…fine by myself.” She hiccupped again and wobbled.

  “Fine. You do that.”

  Taking a step across the grass, she began to walk, but her foot got stuck. She pulled it out of the sodden ground but had no balance, and as she lifted her foot, she went arse over tit. Leaning over her and laughing with my hands on my thighs, I reached out a hand for her. She grabbed on, but with me being pissed too, she tugged a little too hard and I ended up on top of her.

  “Fucking hell, Cal.” I wanted to be annoyed. I tried. The grass was wet; it was December, and not only that, it was fucking freezing. She looked up at me with those big eyes again and I melted a little. My breathing spiked and my heart beat against hers just for a split second. I swallowed hard and sighed as her gaze was filled with one I was all too familiar with; desire.

  “Come on. Let’s get you home.” My own voice was thick with wanting, but I had to respect her wishes. Once I was back on my feet, I pulled her up and turned my back to her. “Jump on, I’ll carry you home.”

  I squatted down and felt her grab on with one hand, and as it snaked around my neck, I stood and started the walk back to hers.

  I woke up the morning after Beth’s wedding with a stinking hangover, in a pool of vomit, and naked apart from a towel. I shuddered as I got up from the bathroom floor with my eyes closed and turned on the shower.

  A loud yell made my head throb, and my eyes opened halfway to see Chris in my bath in his suit trousers and shirt, but his tie, jacket, and shoes were elsewhere.

  My mind registered that he was there in the half second before I stepped back into a puddle of sick, slipped forwards, and face planted into the bath, pulling the shower curtain down on top of us.

  “Callie, Jesus.” He groaned as I tried to get up but ended up more tangled in the shower curtains and stuck onto him.

  My hair was a crusty mess, I smelled like vomit, and I was panicking because not only was I naked, I was a wreck too, and Chris was the one guy who shouldn’t have had to see me like that.

  “Callie, calm down,” Chris began as my stomach rolled again, and I quickly swallowed the nausea. My focus on the fact that I felt like I was about to barf all over him let him get me out of the shower curtain and back onto the soaking wet floor.

  My feet slipped, and I ended up sitting on the floor with my head in my hands as Chris turned off the shower and put the curtain pole back up.

  “Callie, are you okay?”

  His voice was soft and sweet, and I groaned into my hands. I could barely glance up at him as my cheeks heated from absolute mortification from the fact I apparently had given an impersonation of the exorcist with the one guy I couldn’t have. Not only that, but I’d also soaked him, fell on him, and got vomit all over his shirt.

  “Oh, I’m just peachy. Thanks.”

  My voice betraying my sarcasm had him laughing, and he scooped me up and plopped me into the bath, turning the shower back on and smirking at me as I stood in the spray, wishing I could wash down the drain with my dignity.

  For a second, he didn’t speak, and then his fingers lifted my chin, holding it up so he could look into my eyes.

  “Hey, I’ve had worse wake-up calls.”

  His green eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me, and I felt something swoop in my gut. Before I could say anything to him, he dropped his hand and stepped back, closing the curtain on me.

  After a few more seconds, I heard the bathroom door click closed, and I leaned against the tiled wall, taking deep, cleansing breaths and washing my dark unruly mop.

  Once I was clean and miraculously feeling a bit better, I brushed my teeth then cleaned the bathroom. After making sure I scrubbed all the evidence of the night before away, I walked to my room in a bath towel that barely covered my ass cheeks just as my flat door was knocked.

  I debated going to answer the door, but when it went again, I knew I had to answer. I tiptoed along the hallway and peeked through the peephole. I couldn’t see anyone, so I opened the door a smidge and saw Chris standing there with a McDonald’s in his hands.

  God, I fucking love this man.

  Not only did he get me, but he also brought me the best hangover cure known to man. He stepped inside as I widened the door and took in my towel-covered body with eyes that glistened with hunger.

  When his gaze returned to mine, I saw how large his pupils were, and his tongue darting out to moisten his lips made me want to step into his space and kiss the fuck out of him.

  “Got you something to help you feel better,” he told me in a husky tone that made my body prickle with goosebumps and my pulse accelerated like a sports car on a straight road.

  “Thanks, Chris.” I stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. My heartbeat sped as I smelt his faint, worn-on aftershave, and his hand slipped along my arms, holding me tightly to him.

  He ran his nose along my cheek and his lips touched mine before he dropped my arms and stepped back, going into the sitting room and plopping down on the sofa with the food.

  I followed him, and he smirked at me as he handed over my Big Mac, fries, and Coke.

  For a while we just sat eating in silence, and then he turned to face me, letting his eyes roam up my bare legs and my scantily-clad body.

  “God, Callie, I want...” he began, but his mobile began to ring. He quickly took it from his pocket, frowned at it, and answered. “Hi… yeah, Mum… I’m here… what? HE DID WHAT? Okay, I’m on my way. Yeah, you too. Bye.”

  His face darkened as he spoke, and he turned to me
, throwing the remnants of his food into the brown bag.

  “Sorry, Callie. I have to go. Louisa’s douchebag of a partner put her in hospital.”

  He stood up and dashed from the room without waiting for me to say anything. Fuck, Lou was in hospital. Why was I not surprised? Louisa, was my roommate, but she was also Chris’ cousin. She was away to her boyfriend’s for the weekend and wasn’t due back until Monday. They had always a tumultuous relationship, and to be honest he creeped me out. I’d always suspected there was more to their fights that either Chris or I knew, but as I paced around, wishing he’d told me what had happened because I was worried about her. She was my friend too, although we weren’t as close as before, but regardless I quickly sent him a message once I found my mobile—in my purse, in my bedroom, along with Chris’s suit jacket and tie.

  His jacket was covered in vomit, as was my beautiful bridesmaid dress and my gorgeous shoes, which gutted me. I took them all into the bathroom and soaked them, cleaning the vomit off, and hung them over the rail to dry.

  Once I was done, I was exhausted, and all I wanted was to crawl into bed. However, hurricane Callie had also vomited over the bed, so I had to strip and wash my bedding and my mattress, so I was going to have to sleep on the lumpy ass sofa.

  I just hoped Louisa, would get away from Finley. As I sat down with a cuppa on the sofa, I remembered how they fought like cat and dog and then fucked like rabbits, but one night when they were mid-sex, I swear I heard him call my name as he came and that freaked me the fuck out. He always had this creepy-ass look on his face whenever he saw me, like he was watching me whenever he was over or when he was in Sixties while I was working. I hated it. I tried to bring it up to Lou once, but she shut me down and didn’t talk to me for weeks afterwards, so I let it go and assumed it was my messed up imagination.

  I settled down on the sofa with a blanket and flicked on the TV to The Vampire Diaries, intending to spend the rest of my day getting lost in Damon and Stefan Salvatore’s world.

  After a few hours of watching season two and dozing, I decided to call for a Chinese and order some Coca Cola.

  I changed the show and watched Bones for a bit while I waited on my food, and when it finally arrived, so did Louisa. She stormed in ten seconds after I plated up my food and barged into her room, slamming the door behind her.

  I waited on her to come back out, but she didn’t. After a while of her blasting Evanescence, I had to intercede, if only to stop the wailing and screeching of her singing along.

  Louisa worked in the bar with me, but she had only moved in with me a few months ago after Jay left to go live with his newest squeeze, Karl, but it didn’t last long. His relationships never did, so he got his own flat since Lou had already moved into his old room.

  She wasn’t the easiest roommate and she never cleaned up after herself, but she was quirky and funny. It was through her I’d met Chris, since he was her cousin.

  I wondered how bad it was at the hospital, but I shook that thought off and went to her door, knocking on it and peeking round to see if she was okay.

  “Fuck off. I’m not in the mood. I can’t deal with you and your perfection right now, Callie. Little miss doesn’t put a foot wrong and everyone loves her, so just go the fuck away and leave me alone.”

  I opened my mouth to respond to her rant when I saw the bruises on her neck and back, which froze me to the spot. Before I could decide whether to go in and try to speak to her or leave her, there was a loud knock at my door.

  I spun around and went to answer it, but she beat me to it and opened the door to Finley, who stood there looking all apologetic with a bouquet of flowers.

  Her whole demeanour changed as I watched her lead him back into the bedroom. I wasn’t sure what to do, but when I heard them raise their voices, I threw caution to the wind and text:

  Chris.

  Hey, Louisa’s back home. Her neck and back have bruises on and Finley’s just shown up.

  What do I do? C xx

  Three little dots appeared, and after a second, he sent a simple reply.

  Dial 999. I’m on my way.

  I quickly called 999 and then went to the door, knocking softly and pushing the door open. Louisa was crying on her bed and holding her cheek, and Finley was standing glaring at her. White hot anger licked through me, and I stepped into the room, ignoring the pulsing of my gut saying ‘danger.’

  “Hey, you guys okay? I heard some yelling.”

  Louisa glanced over at me, and I saw with a swooping sensation that her lip was bleeding.

  “We’re fine. Now fuck off,” Finley said, and I clenched my fists by my side.

  My blood began to boil as I glowered and stepped towards him.

  “This is my fucking house and I’ll go wherever I want. You don’t like it, there’s the door.”

  He stepped towards me, like he was trying to intimidate me with his six-foot frame, but it just made me laugh. I had three big brothers, worked in a bar since I left school, and I was a champion boxer when I was younger.

  This douche had nothing on me. He swung at me and I ducked out of the way, laughing at him, goading him to try again.

  “That all you got, you fucking pussy…”

  He swung again, and I spun away from him again, laughing louder.

  “Fuck, no wonder you try to hit girls. Were you bullied as a kid?”

  My taunts made him angrier, but as long as his anger was directed at me and not Louisa then we were all good.

  He swung again and managed to clip my shoulder, but his blow was weak. He smirked at me as I pretended it hurt. His lithe step towards me and the cockiness of his smile told me he got off on hitting women, but when he tried to hit me again, I blocked him and slammed my fist into his solar plexus before kneeing him in the nuts.

  “You wanna hit someone, you sack of shit, then try me…”

  Warm hands closed around my body as I stood over him, and I was spun around to see Chris standing there with two other uniformed cops at his side. I barely glanced at the two guys with him. My eyes stayed on Chris as Finley was led from the room and he was fighting a grin the whole time. Well, he was until he saw Lou’s lip and the mess of her face.

  As I reached Callie’s place, the door was swinging open. Nodding at the two uniforms at my side, I led the way since I knew the layout so well, but I didn’t need to because Callie’s voice filtered down the hallway as she shouted. I knew this was to do with Louisa. I bet that little fucker Finley was on one. One of the uniforms opened the door. I wrapped Callie up in my arm and nodded at the cops to take him away. Louisa dropped down to the bed, shaking her head and letting it drop into her hands while I took Callie into her room.

  Once in there, she sat down on the bare bed, and I closed the door behind us. Dropping to a squat in front of her, I hooked my knuckle beneath her chin and lifted it up. A dark shadow was forming on her cheekbone and my anger shot up a notch. Not only did he think it was okay to knock my cousin around, but he also thought he could lay a finger on Callie.

  “What are you going to do with him?” I heard Louisa ask from behind the door.

  Callie sniggered and shook her head. “What is wrong with that girl? He’s never gonna change. The dickhead needs a swift kick to the dick, and even that’s too soft for him.”

  “You know why he was here, don’t you?”

  “Well, after what you said earlier - no.”

  “She dropped the charges against him. We had no option but to let him go.”

  “She dropped the fucking charges? Are you kidding me?”

  I clamped my hands down on her legs as she tried to get up. Callie was a spitfire and didn’t have any qualms in facing off with anyone. It was why she and Beth were such good friends; they both know it's the truth they get if they need advice. Smoothing my palms up and down her thighs, I tried to calm her down. The last thing Louisa needed right then was Callie on her case.

  “Look, I’m as angry as you, but as much as I hate what he�
��s done, the advantage of all this is at least he’ll spend the night in the cells because he won’t be able to get bail. We’ll hold him for twenty-four hours at least.”

  “Thank you, Chris. You’re always there.”

  Catching her fingers in my hand, I lifted them to my lips and kissed her knuckles. I needed to get out of there. I stood back up to my full height, and she tipped her head back and looked up at me. “I better go and make sure Lou is okay.”

  She nodded, and as I bent partially at the waist, I curled my fingers around the back of her neck and pressed my lips to her forehead, leaving them there for longer than they should have been.

  I left Callie sitting on the bed and went into the next bedroom, tapping on Lou’s door and waited for her to answer.

  “Callie, I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”

  I opened the door. “It’s me.”

  She swung around sharply but didn’t say anything. I moved around the bed and took a seat next to her. “I thought you’d gone.”

  “No, I was talking to Callie. Why did you drop the charges, Lou?”

  “I had to. You don’t understand, Chris. I thought if he saw that I got him out of there, it wouldn't be as bad.”

  I snaked my arms around her shoulder and tugged her into my side. “You know it doesn’t work that way. He’s a woman beater and you’re his victim. I can’t stand by and see him do this to you, especially when I’m in a position to help stop it.”

  “What’s going to happen to him?”

  “He’ll have a few hours in the cell where he’ll be charged after the subsequent time we’re allowed to keep him. And believe me, he’ll be in there as long as I can get away with.”

  “You’re a good man, Chris. Thank you. I wish I could be as strong as Callie.”

  Yeah, I wish that too, I thought, but I didn’t voice it.

  A tear rolled down her cheek, and I tightened my hold around her. The fact that she was my cousin meant I really shouldn't get involved in the case, but my inspector had no fucking chance if he thought I was stepping away from this. I kissed the top of her head and stood. “Call me tomorrow. I should have some news for you.”