Fated for Love (11 page)

Wes gently lifted the dog’s head from his lap, settled her beside them, then placed his hands on Callie’s cheeks and looked thoughtfully into her eyes.

“You’ll have to guide me, Cal, because all those things you said you wanted to do? I want to do them, too, and I don’t want to cross any lines you might regret.”

I want you. Kiss me. Touch me. Take that darn shirt off so I can feel you against me
. She knew she hadn’t said a word. She could barely admit those things to her girlfriends—and only had because she was so darn mad at herself for being shy. But to say them now? To him? Just looking at Wes made her damp, and kissing him nearly made her—

In the next breath, he captured her mouth with his again like he’d read her thoughts. She didn’t think as she brought his big, strong hand to her breast. She moaned against his lips when he brushed his thumb over her nipple, sending a sharp titillation of need through her. Callie’s hands slid beneath his T-shirt to his hot, hard abs.
Oh God. You feel so good.
He drew her legs around his waist. His thighs were taut beneath hers, and as he pressed himself to her, she couldn’t ignore the pressure of his arousal against the thin, damp material of her swimsuit.

Completely lost in the sensation of Wes’s full lips as they slid to the corner of her mouth, then followed her jaw to the base of her neck, Callie exhaled and arched her neck back. The cool evening breeze brushed over the wet memory of his kisses along her bare shoulder as he slid his shirt from her arms. His hand moved down her back and cupped her rear. Tight. Her body shuddered, and she arched farther back, opening her chest to him. Thankfully, blissfully, his head came back to center, and he kissed the chilled skin above her breasts. His other hand was splayed across her upper back, sending warmth to chase the chill away. With every breath, she felt his fingers touch the tie of her bikini, and oh how she wished he’d just tug those strings free. She didn’t need to go all the way; at least that’s what she told herself. She could wait until she was sure what all the tangling of her nerves and swelling of her heart really meant before they went that far, but she wanted—
needed
—more of him. He smelled so damn good, and as he kissed her, his neck was right there, inviting, taunting, looking so gloriously delicious that it might as well have been covered in chocolate frosting. She settled her lips over the curve at the base of his neck and couldn’t help but sink her teeth into his hot, salty skin and suck it in against her tongue, earning a deep, guttural groan from deep within him. She felt his neck arch back—she couldn’t open her eyes if her life depended on it. He tasted too good, felt too warm and hard—
oh so hard
.

“Callie.” A breathy plea that drew her lips to his.

Finally, she felt his fingers grip the tie of her bikini top.
Yes, please, yes
. They were both breathing hard, so hard they had to draw away with the need for oxygen. Wes pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed as they both sucked in air. When his eyes fluttered open, they were nearly black, full of desire. How could words be so unnecessary? She lived her life by them, swore by them, devoured them, and followed them to so many magical places, and yet when she looked into the dark pools of Wes’s eyes, not a single word was needed. A silent nod and a press of her fingertips against the back of his biceps had him gently pulling the tie of her bikini top free. His hand slid down her back, and another tender tug sent the thin material to their laps. His eyes held hers as the hand on her rear sank a little lower, his fingers splayed. His fingertips brushed the damp material between her legs, and his eyes—those smoldering dark eyes that enraptured her with every glance—traveled slowly to her lips, lingering just long enough for Callie to suck in a breath before they sank lower and came to rest on her breasts. He drew his eyes back to hers.

“You’re exquisite.”

Exquisite
. Not beautiful. Not pretty.
Exquisite
. A careful, well-chosen word that had her arching back again and drawing his mouth to her breast. She sucked in a jagged breath as his tongue washed over her nipple; then he took her breast fully into his mouth and stroked it with his hot tongue. Not fast and hard, but slowly, erotically, sending pinpricks of anticipation through her limbs. She held the back of his head. His hair was soft; the muscles in his neck bunched beneath her palm as he sucked and laved her breasts. Soft kisses drew his lips back. His teeth grazed her sensitive nipple, causing another trembling inhalation.

“Wes.” The whisper came without thought.

Palm on her ass, his fingertips pressed against her center, stealing any chance she had at coherent thoughts, he caressed her through the thin material. She was wet, swollen. Needful. Callie had never felt so needy, so filled with desire and white-hot lust. She pressed her hands to his cheeks and took him in a deep, greedy kiss. Sexy, aggressive, wanton noises filled the air around them. It took a moment for her to realize they were coming from her. When Wes’s finger slid beneath her bathing suit bottom, the first touch of his fingers nearly did her in. Her tongue, her lips, everything stilled for a breath from the sheer pleasure of it. She didn’t stop him—she didn’t want to—and in the next breath she kissed him again, harder, deeper, as he slid his long fingers inside her, in perfect rhythm to every stroke of his tongue. He took over. He had to. She was having trouble breathing, much less leading their passionate kiss. One hand pressed to the middle of her back, the other working its magic down below, and his mouth, that magnificent, luscious mouth of his drove her right up and over the edge. Her body flashed hot, every muscle flexed, as her head fell back and her eyes slammed shut. She clung to him for dear life as he held her at the peak until she thought she might faint from the force of the explosions inside her. He drew her close, held her against him, his fingers still buried deep inside her, as she came down, her body shuddering against him.

Holy cripes
. She rested her head on his shoulder, panting—and desperately wanting more.

He kissed her softly, and when he withdrew his fingers, she gasped a breath and held it as her insides ached for his return. Without severing their connection, he shifted them both to their sides, legs stretched along the towel. He slid one thick thigh between her legs and pressed his body to hers. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his warm, broad chest, feeling safe and probably far too comfortable after all the things he’d heard her say. He ran his fingers along her back, and they stayed like that for a long time, until he pulled back and kissed her forehead, then shifted her hips so she was partially beneath him.

His gaze was soft, his body a warm blanket above her. He was propped up on his elbow, fully dressed, and, Callie realized, she was bare-chested and wearing a damp bikini bottom. She felt her cheeks flush again.

“Callie.” His brows knitted together. “Stopping was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”

She wasn’t sure if she was thankful he stopped or disappointed. Her brain was still reeling from the intensity of the orgasm he’d given her using nothing but his fingers. That was definitely a first. She pushed away the shy girl who was coming back to the surface and forced her shaky voice from her lungs.

“Why did you?” She slipped her finger beneath the edge of his T-shirt.

His eyelids were heavy, and when the edge of his lips curled up into a sweet smile and he ran his index finger down her cheek, she wondered if she’d actually said anything at all.

“Because I’m not who you think I am. I have been with a lot of women, and if we ever decide to go that far, I want you to know that I’m clean. I’ve been tested. I’m not stupid enough to try to lie to you, but I wanted you to know that I haven’t been with women here, Cal. Not at my ranch. I steer clear of mixing business with pleasure.”

“Then why…?” Okay, so he’d been with a lot of women. She knew that without having been told. A man couldn’t look like him and flirt the way he did without having followed up on it a few hundred times. She silently cringed at the number, so she modified the thought.
A handful of times.
That was better, even if it might not be true.

He sighed loudly and ran his hand along her arm. “I’ve been asking myself that since I offered to ride up the mountain with you.”

Oh, great
.

“Hey, look at me.” He lifted her chin so she had to look at him.

He did that a lot, and Callie was beginning to like the silent demand that she allow him to look into her eyes, as if it would make her hear him more clearly. Maybe he put as much value in words as she did.

“I don’t have all the answers, but I’m going with it. You’re unlike anyone I know, Callie. In a good way. And I’m drawn to you. So drawn to you.” He rubbed her arm again. “I love your femininity and your strength.”

“That would be a great line if it were true, but I’m not strong.” She stared at his chest again to keep from falling into his eyes.

“Not many women would move away from everything they knew to follow their dream. Maybe
strong
is the wrong word.
Brave. Courageous
. Moving to a small town where you know nobody? That takes a hell of a lot of courage.”

Courageous? Brave?
She’d never thought of herself as courageous. Even her friends didn’t think she was courageous. Did they? Or did they think she was weak for not being aggressive with guys and for being careful with her heart
and
her body, but maybe brave in other ways? The power of the words he chose intrigued her.

He placed his hand on her hip and ran it down the length of her thigh. “And I’m not sure if there’s a gym in your library that I’ve missed the last few weeks, but your body is strong, Cal.”

“Um…I have Jillian Michaels to thank for that, actually.”

“Jillian Michaels? Like
The Biggest Loser
Jillian?”

She nodded. He smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“Okay, that just makes you so much cuter.”

She rolled her eyes. “Loserish, I know.”

“What? No way. Those DVDs are hard as hell. My sister, Emily, tried them for a few days and was so sore that she quit doing them.” His eyes slid down her body. “Jillian must know her stuff, because you are the perfect combination of femininity and strength. But I have a feeling it has less to do with Jillian and more to do with who you are.”

She turned her head from side to side, shielding her eyes as if peering into the distance.

“What’s the matter?” His hand gripped her hip protectively.

“I was just checking to see if I’d died and gone to heaven.”

CALLIE CLOSED THE cabin door behind her and leaned against it, finally free to let out the dreamy sigh she’d been holding in.

Kathie stood at the top of the stairs and hollered into the bedroom, “Flushed and sighing.”

Christine and Bonnie followed her down the stairs.

“We thought he’d abducted you for the night,” Bonnie said. They’d changed their clothes, but Callie was still wearing her bathing suit and Wes’s button-down shirt, which he’d insisted upon her keeping.

Kathie grabbed her hand and dragged her to the couch. “So? Spill. He heard it all, so…”

Christine snagged a bottle of Skinnygirl piña coladas and filled a glass for each of them. All three of them stared at Callie with wide, expectant eyes. She traced a distressed vein in the leather couch.

“Yeah, he heard all of it. Maybe next time you could, I don’t know, jump up and down and tell me to shut up?”

“In all fairness, we tried to give you hints, but, girlfriend, you were on a roll.” Christine took a drink. “Wow. That’s good.”

“Yeah, well.” Callie
had
been on a roll, and she knew it would have taken exactly what Bonnie had done to shut her up.

“Well?” Kathie straightened her glasses and tucked her dark hair behind her ear and leaned in close.

“We rode off into the sunset, sat on the crest of a beautiful flowery meadow for a while, then made out like horny teenagers.”

Kathie hugged her. “I knew it! You guys owe me so big-time.”

“You bet on it?” Callie smiled at the thought. They would bet on her sex life. In fact, they’d done it in college a handful of times, until they realized that she’d meant it when she said she wasn’t going to sleep with her dates.

“Nah. Bon wouldn’t let us.” Kathie rolled her eyes in Bonnie’s direction. “But I would have won.”

“See? I have your back.” Bonnie patted Callie’s leg. “So? Did you lick every inch of him?”

Callie felt her cheeks flush. “No.”

“Oh, stop it. It’s us, Cal.” Kathie moved closer and draped an arm over her shoulder. “You’re wearing his shirt. That’s got to mean something.”

“Yeah. It means it’s cold on the mountain when the sun goes down.”

Christine and Bonnie nodded at that.

“And?” Kathie narrowed her eyes.

“And let’s just say the man knows his way around a woman’s body.”
Did he ever
. Surprisingly, she didn’t blush this time. “But we didn’t. You know.”

“Hm.” Kathie sat back and pressed her lips together.

“Your choice or his?” Christine asked.

Callie shrugged. “Both, I guess. Gosh, you guys. We don’t have to cram everything into one perfect night.” It was a perfect night, at least once she was in his arms.

“True.” Kathie finished her drink. “So what’s your plan?”

“I didn’t think we needed one, but apparently he did. He asked me again to stay. Did you guys know we’re supposed to learn to shoot skeet tomorrow and go on an overnight camping trip?”

“Yeah. It’s on the itinerary,” Kathie reminded her.

“Right. I didn’t read that far. I was leaving, remember?”

“But now you’re not. Right?” Bonnie asked.

Callie took a drink. “There is no way I’m leaving now.”

Christine squealed and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad. This is so good for you.
All
of it.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Callie ran her finger along the couch again, following the path with her eyes. “I might just break my heart-and-you-know-what rule.” As the words left her lips, she wondered if she’d need to break that rule. She’d felt something for Wes for weeks, and it was way more than lust.