“Because I said so. Now leave.”
I watched her weigh whether to push it and saw that she knew when to back down. Not that she was clever in general, but in that moment, she was aware enough to pick her battles. Callan looked pissed, and if he talked to me like that, I would have left without thinking.
“Okay, fine. I’ll call you,” she said with a bright smile, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss his jaw.
He pulled back before her lips touched him and said, “Don’t,” then waited until she walked out of the kitchen.
When she disappeared, I finally let myself breathe. “Gee, is she always this obnoxious?” I asked, voice low.
Callan opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. He shrugged one shoulder and said, “Yeah, but she gives good head, so…”
“Right,” I muttered.
“Where do you usually go grocery shopping?” he asked.
His question threw me off. “Why?”
“Because I want to send someone to fill the fridge with food you like, since I seem to always eat the few things you buy for yourself.”
That made me laugh out loud. “You want to send someone to fill the fridge? I can go to the store myself, Callan. I’m capable of doing groceries.”
“Never doubted that,” he muttered.
He leaned against the counter, not bothered by the lack of boxers covering his most important body part. I wasn’t really bothered either because, well, it wasn’t unusual for him to walk around here naked. Still, I’d rather not have a large penis dangling between his thighs while I tried to enjoy my breakfast.
Although…I had just witnessed worse.
“You don’t have to send anyone, and you don’t have to pay for it,” I said.
He gave a short, dry sound that might have been a laugh. “I’m not asking permission. I asked where you go. I’ll have Francine handle it. She’ll pick up what you want.”
Francine, the housekeeper. No, I wasn’t letting his housekeeper go out and shop for groceries when I could do it myself.
“What do you want?” he urged, his brows raised.
“Callan, I don’t want Francine to go to the store for me, and I don’t want you to pay for it either. I got it. Just leave it alone.”
“I won’t leave it alone. You ate a single sandwich last night, and I know for sure that this bowl of cereal will be the only thing you’ll eat today. You need food, so I’m going to fill the fridge.”
“Why?” It shot out of me without a warning, and I couldn’t hold back my anger either. “Why do you suddenly care so much? I’ve been here for over a year, and you never even cared to look at me. Why now?”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment it looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He just pushed away from the counter, shook his head, and muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t quite catch.
I threw my hands up, frustrated by the way he always acted like this. “Don’t answer then,” I snapped, my voice snappier than I intended.
He turned on me instantly, his glare sharp. “Fine. If you’re not letting me send Francine, then we’re going to the store together. Finish your breakfast and then come outside.”
I froze, my fork hovering halfway to my mouth. He didn’t give me a chance to process what he had just said, and I sat there, mouth slightly open, mind spinning, trying to figure out if I had heard him correctly. My stomach twisted again, but this time with a mix of excitement and disbelief.
This was…unexpected.
5
Lana
Grocery shopping with Callan was not something I ever thought would happen. And yet, here I was, standing in the parking lot of a mid-sized grocery store with him, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited beside the car. He didn’t say much, just watched me lock the door and adjust the strap of my tote bag over my shoulder.
I hated that I was nervous. Not because of him, really, but because grocery shopping had always been one of those small, independent things I could do for myself. Today, it felt different. Everything felt different when he was around.
