Page 31 of Reid

Callie forced a smile and slid onto the high stool beside him. The food looked amazing, and as she bit into the burger and felt the grease and juice slide down her chin, she moaned in appreciation. “Oh wow, this is so good.” She snagged a fry covered in baconaise and groaned again at the taste. Her agent would flip out if she saw her eating like this, but she didn’t care.

Reid chuckled. “Yeah, they are good.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Callie staying in the moment and enjoying having Reid with her even in the silence. His presence was calming, reassuring, and yet she was aware of his every movement. As if they were connected by an invisible wire.

“Do you want to call Clay now or get settled in your room?”

His question caught her off guard. She’d been hoping to stay in his room with him, but maybe she’d had it wrong. “Umm, I guess get settled then call Clay?”

Reid moved from his stool and walked toward the hallway as she followed. He pointed out the large bathroom with a walk-in shower and jacuzzi bathtub, and then he showed her into a room beside the toilet. Like the living room, it faced the river, but unlike it, there was only a window, with no balcony.

“You can use this room as your own.”

Reid cupped her elbow as she went to pass him and swung her into his arms. Her hands hit the wall of muscle on his chest, her mouth opening on a gasp as his body plastered against hers. Reid’s hands on her hips burned through the material of her pants, his thumb moved in a slow circle on the skin between her hip and belly. It took everything she had not to squirm and rub her thighs together, it was so seductive and had a profound impact on her body.

“Let me make one thing clear, Callie.” His eyes were bright and piercing as they held her captive, and her heart pounded as if she’d run a marathon. “This is your room for the duration of your stay, but I want your pretty little ass in my bed. Every. Fucking. Night.” She melted at the way Reid punctuated the words with hard quick kisses to her mouth. He wanted her but was giving her space in case she needed it. “But not tonight. Tonight we call Clay. I heard what you said, Callie, and God knows if anyone could make me break a vow to my best friend, it’s you. You drive me crazy in the best way, but I’m not the man you need if I can do that. So as much as it kills me to say it, I think if you really want this to have a chance, we need to be upfront and not hide what we’re doing from those we love.”

Once again, he was looking out for her, giving her everything she needed. She could see from his words how serious he was about them having something real and genuine. She fell a little more in love with him knowing he didn’t want to lie to Clay.

She had no illusions that she was falling for Reid, he was everything she hadn’t known she needed or wanted but the facts were there. She was falling in love with him, but did he feel the same? Could he love a girl like her? He was everything—a protector, a warrior, and a gentleman all rolled into one delicious man. What could she possibly offer him except money and her body? A body she was reminded often would sag and fade, and then what would she be? Who would she be?

She’d find out, but she wasn’t going to let doubts about her future spoil her now. Right now, she had a man offering her what she craved, and she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it. “Thank you, Reid, for seeing what I couldn’t. I love Clay and lying to him would be the wrong thing to do. Let’s call him and then we can enjoy what we’re doing without guilt.”

“Don’t think I can’t kiss you though, sunshine.”

His head lowered to hers and he did just that, kissing her until she fell boneless into his body. His hands moved over her back and ass with a promise of what was to come.

Chapter Twelve

Reid woke early to the sound of rain on his balcony’s glass door. He looked at the clock and groaned when he saw it read six am. He’d meant to get up at five so he could get an hour on the weights before he had to start his day.

A day that began with Callie on the other side of the wall. His morning wood ached to be inside her at the thought. They had tried to call Clay last night, but he hadn’t picked up. Not wanting to worry him, they’d left a message that Callie was safe and in Hereford, and to call when he could.

Curling up, he threw off the covers and moved to the en-suite shower. He slept naked so walked right into the cold spray, not letting it warm up. The cold did nothing to help the ache in his balls or the hardness of his thick cock. As the water warmed, he lathered up his hair and body.

He ignored his body’s needs until his hand brushed against his dick. He hissed out a breath and grasped the head and pumped it once, his hips moving involuntarily as Callie’s image formed in his mind as she’d climaxed around his tongue, his mouth watered as he remembered her taste.

He gripped harder as he jerked his cock with quick, efficient strokes, knowing his body and what he needed to relieve the persistent hard-on he seemed to have had since meeting Callie.

Her name was on his lips as he felt the tell-tale tingle along his spine as his climax hit him hard. Warm rivulets of his cum, covered his hand and lower belly as he leaned his forehead against the shower tile and caught his breath. This woman was going to be the death of him.

Cleaning up, he stepped from the shower and towelled off, dressing in dark denim jeans and pale blue long sleeve t-shirt, he swiped a comb through his wet hair and walked towards the kitchen.

He was surprised to see Callie already up, dressed, and drinking a cup of coffee as she sat at the island in his kitchen. The sight gave him a pleasant feeling in his chest, one he couldn’t remember feeling before. She looked at him shyly from under her eyelashes, and it took everything in him not to go to her and kiss her until her lips were bruised from him tasting her.

Fuck, he needed to get a grip, or he was going to have another hard-on before he’d even had coffee.

“I made coffee. I hope you don’t mind.”

Reid took down a cup and poured himself one. “Of course not. I want you to treat this place like home.” He meant it too, he wanted her to relax and the thought of seeing her stuff mixed in with his felt nice—perhaps too nice. He was getting carried away when they hadn’t even started anything properly yet.

“I have a meeting at the office today. We have some things to go over with your case and a few others we’re working on. I’ve asked a couple of friends to come over and stay with you while I’m gone.”

She stood and moved to the sink rinsing her mug before she placed it in the dishwasher. “I’m sure I’ll be okay on my own.”

Reid frowned. She was doing it again, allowing her own needs to take a back seat to his. Setting his mug to the side, he moved to her, sliding his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his front. His big hand splayed over her belly while the other moved up between her breasts and cupped her throat gently. He could feel her pulse beating wildly in her neck.

He used his fingers to turn her head to him. “Callie, they’re coming because I want them too, because you mean something to me, and I would never, not for one-second, leave you unprotected.”