Her brow shot up as her mouth dropped open.“You will?”
“No.Not a chance in hell.But you have to know that I want nothing more than to just be beside you.To breathe the same air as you.I need to keep you safe.I want to feel the heat of your skin against my own.My beast is thirsty for your touch, but I’ll remind him that we have a lifetime together, and we are long lived.”
Lola swallowed.“So, you, umm, want to show me your room?”
“Our room,” he corrected.Then he ran his hand down her arm until he could entwine their fingers together.Callon tugged her behind him, and she followed, enjoying the view of his flexing back muscles beneath the snug shirt.
As he turned and led her into the bedroom, she forced her eyes away from him and took in the area.The spacious room was a warm, inviting retreat decorated in rich earth tones.A massive four-poster bed crafted from dark mahogany wood was the focal point, draped in expensive Egyptian cotton sheets in a deep-bronze hue.Lola’s mind immediately jumped to thoughts of Callon’s tanned skin framed by those sheets.Cute kittens wearing clown noses.Just keep thinking about clown noses on kittens … or cockroaches.That’s even better.But her damn eyes stayed on the bed.The plush mattress looked sinfully comfortable, piled with many pillows and cozy blankets that begged to be curled up in—with Callon.
“Whatcha thinking about?”he purred.
Lola cleared her head and flicked her eyes to the side.“Nothing,” she said quickly.On either side of the bed were antique nightstands supporting aged brass lamps with amber-colored shades, perfect for setting a mood.No moods, Lola.There will be absolutely no mood-setting of any kind.The wall behind the bed was covered in an intricate tapestry depicting jungle cats prowling through stylized trees and foliage.It added an exotic, animalistic-feel to the space.“Animalistic, all right,” she muttered.He chuckled and his fingers rustled her hair.When she whipped her head around, Callon was a good ten feet away from her.She narrowed her eyes at him, but he just stared at her with a sexy smirk.Stupid, sexy smirk.She continued her perusal of the room.
Across from the foot of the bed was an enormous stone fireplace surrounded by built-in bookshelves stuffed full of leather-bound books.“Oh.”Her eyes widened, and her fingertips itched with the need to run them across the spines of the books and read the titles.Plush armchairs upholstered in buttery-soft leather flanked the hearth, inviting long nights spent reading by the fire’s glow.That was definitely going to be her favorite spot.
“I hope to convince you otherwise,” Callon said softly.
“Dammit,” she hissed.“There has to be some medicine for that.It cannot be normal to speak out loud and not even realize you’re doing it.”
He shrugged one of his ridiculously large shoulders.“I think it’s cute.”
Lola shook her head and looked past him to the far wall, which consisted entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows draped in gauzy champagne-colored curtains.She imagined during the day, warm sunlight would stream in, and at night, flickering fireflies could be seen dancing amongst the tree line.In the winter, if there was snowfall, the grounds would look like a winter wonderland with the moonlight shining down on it.
Along another wall, were opened double doors.Lola walked over to them and then into a sprawling closet and dressing area, fully stocked with what she quickly realized were not just male garments.
“Are those women’s clothes?”She looked over her shoulder and saw Callon lounging in the doorway.
He nodded, looking very much like a lazy cat.“Not just any women’s clothes.My female’s.”
“They’re mine?”She walked over to the clothes and started slowly flipping through them.Sweaters, jeans, slacks, T-shirts.Every kind of garment a person could ever need.“How?”
“My mother is very efficient.As soon as I told her who you were, she got busy making sure you had everything you’d need to make a home here.With me.With all of us.”
Lola took a deep breath as she let her hands drop to her sides.It was a lot to take in.She took slow breaths, reminding herself that unless she wanted to end up as a big-ass lion in the middle of a fancy closet, she needed to keep her emotions under control.Besides, what were her problems, if they could even be called that, compared to Katy?Katy was a prisoner of the Kingdom of Venom, and here Lola was freaking out about living a luxurious life with an incredibly good looking and, so far, very kind man.Though he had pulled a butthead move, they were past that, and she would not hold it over his head.
She turned to face him and nearly ran into his chest.“Whoa.”The air rushed out of her as her hands came up and rested on his stomach.
He rubbed up and down her arms.“Easy, Lo.You good?”
“Mmm-hmm.”She nodded.
“Words, please.”
“I’m good,” she said and then said it again, slowly.“I’m good.”And she meant it.
Callon tilted her head up and traced her face with his fingertip.“I love your skin.”
“It’s splotchy,” she muttered.
“It’s unique and lovely,” he challenged.“You were amazing today.”His gold eyes flashed as he let them roam over her face.“You never gave up, even when you got frustrated.And then when you were in your beast form… Damn, Lo.”His voice took on a husky tone that did very interesting things to her stomach.“You’re magnificent.”
“Really?”
He nodded as he leaned his head closer.“The most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.And the entire time, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to hold such a beautiful creature.”
Lola squeaked when he suddenly scooped her up in his arms and began carrying her from the large closet.Her heart beat in her chest as he strode back into the luxurious bedroom.The lights had been dimmed.By who?Hell if she knew.Maybe they had house-elves?She couldn’t think because Callon was putting her down, her feet gently touching the ground, but he didn’t stand up.Instead, he stayed kneeling, and, to her shock, he began to untie her shoes.
“Umm, are you taking my shoes off?”Okay, that had to be the dumbest question she’d ever asked at the dumbest moment, but in her defense, his hand was now wrapped around her ankle and, holy hell, when did her ankle suddenly become an erogenous zone?She felt his hands slide up her legs, her hips, her sides, and then they were cupping her neck.
