He cut himself off, his jaw flexing like the rest of the words had gotten stuck in his throat. I realized then thatCallum Westwoodwas at a loss for words. It wasn’t something I ever thought I’d experience, but he genuinely seemed uncertain about how to say what he wanted to say.
If he was having this much trouble formulating his words, it had to mean that this wasn’t as easy or as effortless for him as he’d been pretending. In that moment, I realized it was entirely possible that he was just as lost with all this as I was. As that thought burrowed into my brain, something in me snapped.
I didn’t want to think anymore. I didn’t want to weigh the pros and cons. I didn’t want to bury myself in all the reasons why this was dangerous or even acknowledge that it really was doomed from the start. All I could focus on was the heat of his gaze, the ache twisting low in my stomach, and the fact that he was standing close enough that I could feel his breath ghosting across my lips.
Before I could second-guess myself, I surged forward and kissed him. It wasn’t sweet or careful. It was rough and wild, likestriking a match in a room filled with gasoline, the kind of kiss I’d been longing for but wasn’t sure I would ever have again.
His surprised grunt vibrated against my mouth, but then his hands were on me, one at my waist, and the other sliding up my back. He was kissing me back just as fiercely, like we’d both been starving for this and only now realized it.
My fingers clutched the front of his shirt and I dragged him closer to me, as if I could anchor myself in the sheer intensity of him. Every thought and every carefully built wall I’d hidden behind for years crumbled in an instant.
His tongue stroked my own with a fervor that lit a fire in my soul, my body responding to him like he owned it. Within seconds, I’d completely forgotten all the reasons why this was a bad idea. I was burning for him, his chest hard and solid against my own, and his hips angling into me.
I felt my cheeks heat and my knees buckle, and when we finally broke apart, I was gasping for air. My heart wasn’t just racing. It was in a freefall, but as I looked up into his eyes, I realized that he was still waiting for an answer—and I still didn’t have one to give.
CHAPTER 21
CALLUM
The shrill, sudden blaring of Maisie’s alarm yanked me out of a restless sleep. As I opened my eyes, I blinked against the pale rays of sunlight bleeding through the curtains, groggy and feeling like I’d spent the night on a bed of nails.
Her hand shot out of the other bed, silencing the alarm before I could even push myself upright. I rolled over just as she sat up, her hair mussed and her eyelids looking heavy.
For a second, I imagined what it might be like if this was normal. The two of us waking up together, but then the memory of last night hit me like a sucker punch straight to the gut.
The kiss.That fucking kiss.
The way she’d launched herself at me like she just couldn’t help it. Like she wanted me just as badly as I wanted her.
For a few wild, carefree moments, it had been like we’d gone back in time, but then, just as quickly as her walls had disappeared, they had slammed back into place.
After, she’d locked herself in the bathroom and stayed there until she’d thought I’d fallen asleep. I hadn’t. I’d heard it when the water had stopped running and the light had finally clicked off, but I’d let her believe I’d drifted off because obviously it was what she’d needed in that moment.
I had no idea where we stood now, but it clearly wasn’t anywhere good. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, but even in the quiet of the morning, she still wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Morning,” I said, trying to draw her attention my way. My voice was rough with sleep, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “You’ll be happy to know that you didn’t snore last night. Did I?”
She barely glanced at me, muttering something that could’ve been either a greeting or an answer. She rolled out of bed. “We should go meet Brody for breakfast.”
Right.
She disappeared back into the bathroom and reappeared only a couple minutes later wearing jeans and a hoodie. Her hair was in a ponytail, her makeup light. She sat down at the edge of her bed and pulled a pair of sneakers out of her bag, acting like she couldn’t get away fast enough. On her way out, she finally looked at me again over her shoulder.
“I’ll meet you downstairs?”
I dropped my chin in a curt nod, hating that the tension between us today was thick enough to choke a donkey. It seemed like one minute, we could ignite like fire, and the next, we turned to ice.Are all relationships this way?
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed. “Maisie?—”
Before I could say anything else, she slipped out of the room and I heard the snick of the lock falling automatically back into place after she’d closed the door behind her. I groaned and scrubbed my palms over my face before I stood, crossed to the bathroom, and grabbed a quick shower.
Every time I thought about that kiss, my body threatened to start a riot, but I didn’t have time to do anything about it. Eventually, I realized the only way to get through the day without a permanent tent in my jeans was if I stopped thinkingabout it completely. So I raced through the shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and hurried downstairs to join them for breakfast—all while doing everything in my power to try not to remember how good her body had felt pressed up against mine.
I made it to the lobby just in time to see the team spilling out of the stairwell like hyperactive ants on a mission for food. The change in Maisie when she saw Brody was instant. Her whole face lit up, her shoulders easing and her smile quick and genuine.
Pushing away from the reception desk where she was obviously waiting, she strode to him, bending over so he could throw his arms around her neck. The hug they shared was quick, but it must have been exactly what she’d needed because, when she straightened up, she was all smiles and softness, none of the tension from before remaining.
Watching her with Brody, I realized I could live with her shutting me out for now. I could live with the awkward silence and the shut bathroom doors—hell, I could live with anything—as long as I got to see her smile like that.
