His shirt continued to rise.“I want to show you something.”
“You forgot to ask if I wanted to see it first.”Lola shook her head.“And I most definitely do not, no matter how fantastic your abs, and chest, and –” Lola’s mouth froze in mid sentence as she stared at the flesh over his heart.
She might have continued to enjoy the view if she hadn’t been so shocked to see the tattoo there.The same tattoo she had over her own heart.“You, you, your,” she pointed as her eyes widened, “That tattoo.Why is that tattoo like mine?”shesqueaked.“I mean that is taking things to an incredibly high level of unstable.I think we should get you some help.There’s doctors who can prescribe medicine that will help you control your urges.”She ran her hands up and down her thighs, and took several deep breaths as she attempted to keep herself together.Dude seriously stood there looking way too damn impressive with his matching tattoo.“All I wanted was a book boyfriend,” she muttered.“I mean, did I want him to change into some cool animal?Maybe.But did I want him to be a nut-job?”She shook her head.“Preferably no.But then, I live in the false reality of books, what can I really expect to attract?”
“Are you done talking to yourself?”He asked and then pointed to his chest.“I’ve had this tattoo for twenty years, Lola,” he said gently.“It’syouwho got the matching tattoo.”
Her head was shaking before she even began speaking.“No.I didn’t even know you.How would I know what kind of tattoo you have?That’s insane.All of this is completely, ridiculously, out of this world, insane and I really need to go but dammit, all I want to know is how in stalker-hell you havethattattoo.You could be lying.In fact, I’m sure you are.Stalkers aren’t known for their honesty.”
“Known many stalkers?”he asked, his lips twitching as if he was fighting a smile.She got the feeling he didn’t smile much.Maybe because his face lacked the lines that were a result of lots of grins and laughter.Callon’s face was smooth, other than the natural ruggedness, he looked like he’d been sculpted from marble.
“My BFF makes me watch crime shows with her,” she huffed.“Not once has there been a stalker that was like, ‘Oh, I’m telling the truth, officer.I wasn’t stalking her, I was just doing a public service by watching her to keep her safe.’”
“I’m not lying, Lo.Take a deep breath and just focus.Think back to what Kian told you about the tattoo when he drew it up for you.”
“Only my family, friends and the voice in my head, get to call me Lo.”She narrowed her eyes at him.“And don’t tell me what to do.I’ll take shallow breaths if I want to, thank you very much.”
“Even if it makes you pass out and I have to resuscitate you?”The smug look was back as was the flirtatious tone that made her gooey inside.
“You don’t resuscitate a person who has passed out, you crazy ass-hat.And put your damn shirt back on.You’re distracting me from thinking rationally.”Lola ran a hand across her face as she tried to remind herself that regardless of how handsome he was, how intriguing he was, and strange– Yes, she was drawn to strange things.Regardless of those things, she needed to walk away.Callon Leo was trouble, and possibly a threat, even if she hadn’t felt threatened by him since the moment he began talking.She attempted to convince herself he was, and that’s why she’d done her own threatening with her trusty Taz.In reality, she’d only felt drawn to him.Don’t forget attracted,she reminded herself,you’re totally leaving that one out.
“What did Kian tell you about that tattoo, Lola,” he pressed again.
She scrunched up her face as she tried to think back to that conversation.She remembered the surprise on his face.The way he’d looked at the door where his ‘unstable cat’ had supposedly been.“He said he’d only drawn one other tattoo that was similar a long time ago.”She looked at the lion on Callon’s still-bare chest.“But he said it was a long time ago.Kian didn’t look a day over twenty-five.”Lola’s brain felt like it was going to explode.Her life had changed so much in three weeks and it didn’t look like it was going back to normal anytime soon.“Was he tattooing people when he was in kindergarten?And you said you got it twenty years ago?”
“Not exactly,” he answered evasively.“Look, I know it’s a lot.I can see it all over your face,” he took a step towards her.“But you’re also a curious one.So, give me a chance to show you that I am not dangerous to you.To help you understand why you’ve been seeing strange things.Explain why we have the same tattoo, and,” his voice dropped into dangerous bedroom territory, “why you want to purr as you rub up against me.”
This time Lola didn’t stop herself from laughing, “I so donotwant to rub against you and purr.I don’t purr.It’s not humanly possible to purr.Like, that’s not a thing.Besides that I have no idea where you’ve been rolling around or with whom.I don’t rub up against random people.Purr?”she flicked her hand at him as if to brush away his comment.“I mean who says stuff like that?”Lola laughed again and silently asked God to open a hole and let her fall into it.God did not grant the request.
Callon did that moving fast thing again.This time he didn’t just stand close to her, he touched her as well.His very large hands cupped her face and Lola stopped breathing.She’d never had a guy hold her face, or even touch her, for that matter.Well, not in a way that made her feel like this.Like she wanted to purr dammit.I do not want to rub against him.I do not want to rub against him.But she totally did.
“Good,” Callon growled.“I’d hate to have to gnaw some poor male’s hands off.”
“Did I say that out loud?”
He nodded and smiled.This time she did see fangs.He didn’t bother to try to cover them as he had the first time he’d smiled.“I don’t share and I don’t like the idea of anyone having touched you, even in the past.”
She stared at him, unable to speak as his words ran through her mind on repeat.Not to mention the pearly-white, pointed canines she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of.The sound of her phone ringing broke the silence.“Hold that thought, please,” she told him.She pulled her phone from her back pocket, slid her thumb across the screen and placed it to her ear, all without ever looking away from Callon’s eyes, or his hands dropping away.“Hello?”Her voice sounded strained as if her vocal chords were being squeezed.
“You were supposed to call me when you got home,” Katy barked without preamble.“You texted hours ago and said you’d call me.”
“And me,” she heard Maddie in the background.
“You got off work hours ago and the text from the coffee shop was hours ago.We thought we’d give you some space because we’re the shit as best friends, but obviously, that was a dumb idea.Did you get abducted?”
Lola laughed nervously as Callon leaned closer and pressed his forehead to hers.He relaxed at the touch, and she was pretty sure she heard him sigh.“If I had, do you think my abductor would let me answer my phone?”
“Abductors are cray-cray,” Katy responded.“Perhaps, he’s not all there in the head and forgot to take your phone away.”
He’s definitely not all there in the head,Lola thought as she tried to ignore the way Callon’s thumbs gently caressed her jaw.She was in no way being affected by his touch.It was as if her mom was touching her face.Okay, no.That’s just wrong.The way she was feeling because of his touch could in no way be in the same context of her mom touching her face.
“Hello?Earth to Lola,” Katy’s voice jerked her out of her head space.“Where are you?And what is that sound?Is that purring?I’ve never heard Dog purr that loudly.”
Lola felt Callon’s body move and she realized he was laughing.He could hear her conversation, not that it was surprising.Katy was as loud as a bull horn even on her quietest days.She put her hand on his chest and pushed, but she might as well have been shoving a tree.Dude wasn’t going anywhere he didn’t want to.And he was purring, or it sure as heck sounded like purring, only much louder than her cat’s.And dammit, he still had his shirt off.His skin was warm and fleshy.What the hell is fleshy?She didn’t know, but Lola knew she liked it.A lot.
“It’s not Dog,” Lola said.“It’s a stray cat I found wandering around.He looks like he might be rabid, and he’s all mangy-looking.”
Callon pulled back and raised a brow at her.His perfectly, symmetrical face, strong jawline and high cheekbones giving him a regal look.“Mangy?”he asked, not even bothering to lower his voice.
