“What do you think?” I smirk.
“I think you teased those cowboys something wicked. I mean, how could you not, with this pretty face,” his fingers caress from my cheekbone to my lips, “or this sexy, curvy body.” His hand lands on my hip, which he squeezes. “You make my mouth water and my dick hard as fuck. So, I’m guessing your cowboys ended up having lots of cold showers.”
“You think I’m sexy?”
“Trust you to just pick that out of everything I’ve just said,” he laughs. “And, yeah. You know? The first thing I noticed about you was your legs. They go on forever with the sweetest nectar waiting at the top, just for me.” He smacks his lips.
Reaching up, I quickly kiss him before settling back down and thinking about my busy week ahead so I can suggest the next time we can get together.
I sigh. “What’s the big sigh for?” He kisses me on the top of my head, tightening his hold on me.
“I missed you last week, and I was thinking about our busy schedules this week.” I can’t resist, and kiss him again, only a light touching of my lips to his, but a tender kiss. “I want you to stay with me next weekend. Phoenix and Thalia are going home Friday until Sunday for Mia’s birthday so we’ll have the place to ourselves.”
He gulps and something, I’m not sure what, flashes in his eyes. “Um, yeah. Okay.”
I sit up and glare at him. “You could at least sound like you want to be with me.” Ugh! What the hell is wrong with him? I thought he’d be enthusiastic about it…not act as though it’s the last thing he wants.
“I do want to be with you.” He pulls me back into his arms. “I thought you’d be going with them?”
“I can’t. I have to work Saturday afternoon, which means we’ll have the place all to ourselves.”
He rubs his head, a sure sign he’s agitated. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything here because what I say is probably going to ruin the afternoon, but I guess I’m just going to blurt it out.”
I sit up and move slightly out of his embrace while I panic inside at whatever he’s about to tell me. “Reece, you’re frightening me.”
“Fuck! Dal is coming up Friday night and is staying until Sunday.”
Did he say Dal? I don’t say anything because I’m not sure what to say. I’m in shock and need to think. He isn’t helping by sitting back not saying anything, but watching me. I guess with the frown on his face, I have him worried.
I know he’s told me repeatedly that there’s never been anything between him and her other than friendship, but I can’t help be jealous of her. It’s because of her that he went running, back in Alabama…and now, he can’t spend the weekend with me because of her. I’m being selfish, but I don’t want my boyfriend spending the weekend with another girl. One who Thalia pointed out when we were in Ryder’s, and she’s pretty. Actually, she’s stunning.
Tears start to gather behind my eyes. I need to leave and think because our relationship is too new to have someone else in the middle of it, which is how I feel right now.
Chapter 18
Reece
Watching Callie’s reaction to my announcement feels like there is a ball of fire in my gut. I knew telling her about Dal was going to upset her, but I never expected her to start closing up and withdrawing from me, which she’s doing. As she absorbs the information she gradually backs away from me, and sits on her ass on the grass close to me, but not close enough. Not only does it feel like she’s sitting miles away, but she’s refusing to look at me. I want – no, I need her eyes on me. I want to see how she’s feeling because I’m not going to lose her like I did before.
Moving to my knees, I rest in front of her and take hold of her jaw, tightening my grip as she tries to move away. “I am not into Dal like that. I never have been and never will be…and she isn’t into me like that either. I know we’ve been over this before, but I’ll go over it time and time again until you finally believe me, if I need to. We can hang out on the weekend and you can meet her, get to know her. You’ll see that she treats me like an ass of an older brother. I know I screwed up with you before because of her, but please Callie. Please give her a chance. She knows all about you.”
Well that certainly got her attention. Not one word of what I’ve just said or garbled in panic was a lie.
“I’ve told her a few times, well, maybe more than a few times, how beautiful you are… Please don’t back away from me. Meet her before you judge.”
“Where is she sleeping?”
Ugh! This really is going downhill fast.
“At the apartment.”
She gasps.
“She sleeps on the sofa or I end up on the sofa and she sleeps in my bed and sometimes if Donovan’s away then she’ll sleep in his bed.” I better not mention that the last two times she slept with me in my bed. Nothing happened. I haven’t lied about that, but I think it might be best to keep that bit to myself.
“Callie, talk to me.” Her eyes search the park as if she’s looking for answers in the fields, but she stays silent. “Look, I’ve never had a girlfriend before when she’s come to stay so I’ve never really given any thought to how it looks.”
“I’m not going to tell you I’m okay with it, because I’m not. But you said she’s only a friend so I’m going to trust you, which means there’s no reason why we can’t hang out together and then you can still sleep at my place. That way no one ends up on the sofa and I won’t be worrying about the actual sleeping arrangements at your place.”