I don’t know exactly how we get undressed or how we end up with me straddling him, but it’s happening, and I groan when I slide onto his hard length.
“Fucking Christ,” he grates out. “Fuck, you feel so good.”
I nod, because he feels good too, and I let myself get lost in a steady rhythm and his hands roaming over every inch of me. He traces the paths my stretch marks make, then cups my breasts, running his thumbs over the stiff peaks of my nipples. His hands feel like paradise, like every incredible vacation or perfect sunny afternoon. It’s euphoric, and exactly what I needed.
But it’s when he presses against my clit that I truly come undone. I shudder around him, riding him through every wave that crashes into me, and Callum follows right behind me, bucking up into me like a wild animal.
Once the high wears off, I climb off him, curling into my favorite spot next to him, and he pulls me even closer. There’s so much I want to say to him, so many words sitting on the tip of my tongue, and the urge to lay it all out there right this instant overwhelms me.
“Callum?”
He doesn’t answer, and I look up to find him fast asleep. I sigh, then press a soft kiss to his lips. He doesn’t even budge.
“I love you, too,” I whisper to his sleeping form, and I follow him into slumber.
The call comes on a Monday in the second week of March.
I chickened out the next morning after Callum came back from his last road trip. I had been so ready to tell him everything the night before, but he was in a good mood the next morning, so I thought it best not to ruin it.
If only I had known the good mood wouldn’t last. He’s been sulking around the apartment since then, and this time I can’t even blame hockey for the sour mood he’s in. Once they got back on home ice, the Serpents returned to their dominating play and have gotten eight of their last ten possible points. They’re right back where they were before, and they’re officially the top team in the Pacific by a cushiony five points. They’ve still got work to do, but they can breathe a little easier now.
I just wish someone would give my husband the memo.
“Uh, I’m going to take this outside.”
I don’t know why I bother saying it. Callum doesn’t even look up from the TV he’s been sitting in front of since he got home from practice. He’s playing some video game where he runs through what looks like hell on earth with a chainsaw shield.
I hit save on the article I’m working on, then step out onto the balcony, shielding my eyes against the bright midday sun.
“Hello?” I say, holding the phone up to my ear.
“Chloe!” Avery’s cheerful voice comes over the line. “I’m so glad I was able to catch you.”
“Avery, hi. How are you?”
“Doing well. Gosh, that was a fun wedding, huh?”
“Yeah, it was great.” I glance inside to see where Callum is, but he hasn’t moved. I step farther away from the door, keeping my voice low as I say, “I assume you’re calling about the editor position?”
“You assume correctly.” She imitates a drumroll before announcing, “Welcome toSports Action News, Chloe!” She laughs. “Well, not technically. It’s more like welcome toSeattle Life & Leisure, a subsidiary ofSports Action News, spearheaded by yours truly and—hopefully—our new editor-in-chief, you.”
I smile, loving the sound of it.Chloe Keller, Editor-in-Chief.It’s everything I’ve been working toward, and the title sounds just as amazing as I always thought it would. Even so, I can’t help but feel like something about it isn’t right, and I have a suspicion it has to do with the man sitting roughly thirty feet away.
“Chloe? Did I lose you?”
I give myself a shake. “No, sorry. I’m still here. I’m just…I guess I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.”
“I know! It’s amazing, isn’t it? My husband and I are excited about this new venture. And we’re bothveryexcited to have you on board. I mean, I know I gave you a heads-up about it”—she laughs, remembering her drunkenness at the wedding—“but this is the official offer. All you need to do is say yes, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Yes!I want to shout, but the word doesn’t come as easily as I hoped it would, and I know it’s because of the tension I feel with the person on the other side of the glass. The one who has beencranky the last few weeks but is still somehow so good to me. The one who has been patient for far too long and the one who has loved me since I was eighteen. The one I love too.
“Chloe? You are still interested, right?”
“Sorry,” I say again. “Yes, I’m interested. I just… Would it be too much trouble if I asked for some time to think about it?”
“Oh.” She sounds just as surprised as I expect, especially given that I’ve had a month to think this over. “Um, yes. I can do that. I mean…are you sure you’re still interested?”
“Yes, I swear I am, Avery. I, uh, I just need to discuss it a bit more with my husband.”
