“Are Dare and Evan okay with moving back?”
Calum’s gaze slid over to me, the corner of his mouth kicking up in a boyish half-grin. “They’ll go where I tell them.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair…” I trailed off, uneasy.
Cal’s fingers gripped the steering wheel, as if bracing himself, and nodded with concession. He glanced at me before speaking. “The way I see it—they’ve had me for the past nine years—the music, the label, the fans, the tours. The guys have my back—they know how much I’ve sacrificed for the band, and we’re in a really great place now. We have clout. We can call the shots.”
“That makes sense.” The words fell from my lips softly as I watched his profile—his strong features that appeared so sharp until he smiled. Feeling my attention, his eyes shifted to me, the corner of his lips kicking up.
“Trust me, Harp. They are more than okay with this.” He assured me with a smile before pulling his attention back to the road.
“Asher’s extremely excited to see you later today,” I mentioned, dropping this little factoid with hopes that it would water the roots he was putting down.
“I can’t wait to see him, too,” he replied, the full-blown grin that graced his lips made me feel likeI’dgiven him a gift, something he hadn’t expected but desperately wanted. It made butterflies riot in my belly, my heart kick up a notch or two, and my lungs forget how to breathe.
How could a smile send you into a tailspin while simultaneously soothing every fear was beyond me.
Calum’s hand snaked across the console to hold mine. I glanced at our entwined fingers, loving how his larger hand encased mine; loving the warmth that spread throughout my abdomen—loving it, whilst fearing its power.
My eyes rose to study his profile. He was driving one-handed, with his attention mainly focused on the road. He peeked at me and flashed a grateful smile. “Thank you for giving me the chance to be here now.” He said gently, his thumb tracing slow circles on the back of my hand.
“Of course,” I whispered. He gently squeezed my hand, releasing me so that he could parallel park in front of the bookstore. I’d been so distracted, so absorbed in our conversation and the feel of his hand holding mine that I hadn’t even noticed we’d neared our destination.
With a flick of his wrist, Cal cut the ignition. I placed my hand on the door, about to open it, but his voice had me pausing.
“Wait.”
I turned as he leaned forward, blue eyes pinning me, stilling the beat of my heart for a second. He cupped my cheek, the warmth of his callused hand reaching my bones. Brushing his thumb across the seam of my lips, before sliding it to cup my chin, he leaned closer and kissed me.
Slowly, taking his time, his lips sparred with mine in a carnal battle. His tongue slid against the seam, and my lips parted wholly in welcome, my tongue searching for his, his fingers slipping into my hair.
Fire exploded low in my belly, igniting my bloodstream and sending my heart galloping madly against my rib cage.
All too soon, he slowed the pace down, kissing my lips with reverence before pulling away a little. “Have a great day, beautiful. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye,” I whispered, somehow finding the momentum to open the door and climb out. I closed it once I was on the sidewalk, giving him one last smile before whirling and walking into the bookstore. At first, I was watching his reflection in the glass panes of our storefront—but then I realized we had an audience of our own.
Holly and Shelly darted away from the window, rushing off to their respective sides, while Ellery stood exactly where she’d been a moment before, shooting me a plucky smile.
“It’s a little late, guys.” I sighed, shaking my head as I approached the middle of the store.
The younger girls both exchanged looks with one another before bursting out into guilt-ridden explanations—well, guilt-ridden on Shelly’s part.
“We’re sorry, we really didn’t mean to spy—I was setting up the recommendation table, and I just happened to look up.”
“And then she said you guys were making out, and I was likeNO WAY!Because I didn’t think you did that, Harper.”
“Funny, Holly.” I arched a brow, trying not to give away how unamused I was about the whole situation. I expected this from Ellery, naturally, but our other employees? Not so much.
Still, something needed to be said, Calum was already coming and going as he pleased, the way he had before. If he wanted to see me, he sought me out. It didn’t matter what time of the day or night it was.
Now he had even more of a reason to see me; Asher. Regardless of whether or not I’d been caught making out just now, I’d still have to tell my employees the latest developments in my life.
“Are you dating him? Again?” Shelly’s question had a bit of force behind it, like she was disappointed and happy for me in equal measure. My eyes flickered to her, and I nodded slowly.
“I am. But I do consider my private life private, so please keep this between the four of us for now.”
“Okay,” the two girls said in unison, nodding.
