Callisto scans my face and then chews on his bottom lip, the searching look pricking at my insides.
“Zack’s really fine?” I whisper, mourning the loss of his touch.
He nods and whispers back. “The inmates went after Alhedy, but they’re both fine. Zack thinks they’ll end up in solitary for a while, and he gave me a message for you.” He looks away and scrubs a hand over his neat beard. Is the great Callisto Wren blushing?
“What is it?” I ask.
He won’t meet my eyes. “So, Zack said to have more sex. He—well, he likes it and won’t get bored if you’re . . . you know.”
My breath catches. “He . . . what? Really?”
“You heard me,” Callisto grumbles. He turns and goes ahead of me, rubbing the back of his neck.
I cover my face with my hands and laugh, the noise echoing into my palms. The bond. Zack knows when Rickon and I are getting busy because of the emotions pooling down the line. I hadn’t thought about it because I’m not the one experiencing it secondhand.
I chase after Callisto only to slam into his back inside the tent flap. “Oof!” I grunt. Stepping around him, I suddenly rememberhow I left Rickon. He sprawls, bare legs spread wide, one hand up behind his head. Gorgeous, vulnerable, and stark naked.
And Callisto can’t drag his gaze away.
I race forward and flip the sleeping bag over his legs, fighting more laughter.
“Should w-we—” Callisto whispers as he points over his shoulder. “Um. Go outside? Something to talk about?” His words tumble over each other.
Rickon stirs, and his eyes blink open. He smiles, half-asleep and limp from relaxation. “Oh. Hey, Calli,” he murmurs before rolling over onto his side and nesting his cheek on his palm.
Well, shit. I feel like crawling right back into bed, especially with Zack’s orders ringing in my ears.
“Hi,” Callisto breathes out. He shakes off his stupor, but his gaze flits back to the alpha in the bed a few times. “Um, Red, you said you had something you wanted to talk about?”
Damn. I don’t think I can tell him now. I wrap my hands around my heated body. “It’s nothing. Just a stupid idea.”
“No, it’s not,” Ricky says, slurring faintly. “She wants to ask you to film a sex scene with her.”
Callisto swings around to stare at me. “A sex scene?”
I long to run away, but the best I can manage is dropping onto the mattress and hugging a pillow to my chest to hide behind. “So, the thing is, since Brad got arrested, I need a body double to do his sex scene with. But since it’s on screen, I’m sure you won’t be keen. It was just a silly idea.”
Callisto drops onto his knees on the floor and reaches for my hands. “I’ll do it.”
His willingness burns into me like a falling star, granting my wish and lighting me up all at once. The reluctant alpha I first met has completely vanished.
Rickon sits up and covers a yawn. His hands flop onto the covers loosely spread over his thighs. “You’ll have to do abootcamp to gain some more muscle definition. Like how you looked when you did judo.”
Callisto turns to his best friend, but his thumbs gently massage the backs of my hands as he speaks. “That’s a while ago when I was younger. You sure I can still tone up like that?”
Rickon grins. “You’re still Callisto, aren’t you? Didn’t the other members always grumble at how fast you build muscle?”
“Your bare ass would be on the big screen,” I blurt out. He shouldn’t treat this like some sort of joke. “Don’t say yes because you feel you owe me or some shit.”
Callisto sighs and releases me, rocking back to sit on the floor at the foot of the mattress. “Answer me honestly, Red. You’re asking me because you don’t want to do it with a stranger, right?”
I duck my head. “Yeah, but I’m an actress. I need to get used to things like this.”
He reaches out to lift my chin, dark eyes peering into my soul. “True. But right now, when you don’t have all your alphas around you, and you just got through a horrific court case, not to mention discovering your haze flowing out on the black market, you don’t want an unknown actor putting their hands on your bare body, yes?”
I hug my arms around my knees. Is this a weak spot in my career? I love acting, I really do, and I want to honor all the performances that kept me going while I was held captive.
“Hey,” Callisto murmurs, brushing my cheek with his thumb. “Simple answers are fine, gorgeous. You want me there, I’ll be there.”
