“No.” She spits out her answer, then sighs.
I let the silence fall. What did I do to deserve her contempt?
“Sorry. I meantno.” This time, she says the word with less force. I bite back a grin. “I have a rabbit.”
“What’s his name?” Given her feisty attitude, I’d have guessed she has something sharp like a hedgehog or a snake. I lay the whisk on a spoon tray shaped like a smiling moose head and pull out two mugs. The hot chocolate is the perfect temperature as I pour it—steaming, but not so much that it’ll burn going down. I prepare a special serving for Callie. “Marshmallows?”
“Sure?” She half laughs, and I grin as I sprinkle in some small marshmallows. “My rabbit’s name is Honey Bunny.”
“That’s cute.” I walk over to the couch and hold out a mug. Shit. I didn’t plan on a pet that might need to be fed. She’s not going to like it when I insist she spend the night at the cabin for her own safety.
“You know what? You’re really weird.” Callie accepts the hot chocolate and wraps her hands around the ceramic, breathing in the sweet steam.
“That’s not very nice.” I settle on the couch an entire cushion away from her, prepared to fend her off if she attacks me. I probably shouldn’t have handed her a mug of hot liquid.
“Sorry. I just—this has been a surprising evening.” She glances outside, where it’s already dark, but still bright because of the pure white snow blanketing the outside world. “Night?”
“What kind of rabbit is Honey Bunny?”
“A giant lop-eared.” Sir Fluffy strolls over and sniffs at Callie’s feet. She leans down and scratches his head. “And he would kick your cat’s ass.”
I chuckle. “Sir Fluffy’s an old dude, so I don’t doubt it.”
“Sir Fluffy?” She shakes her head. “I feel like I’m in some alternate dimension right now.”
“Because of the hot chocolate?” I furrow my brow. “Or because you have a rabbit named Honey Bunny, and I have a cat named Sir Fluffy?”
“Um, yes. Those things.” Callie sips and moans. “This is so good.”
I watch with fascination, trying to ignore my dick twitching at her moan. I’m not going to lie, I’m very much enjoying having a pretty woman curled up on my couch. It’s nice to have company that isn’t Noah. For a second, I picture her reaching over to rub her hand on my?—
“Listen. Here’s the deal. Like I said in my messages, I’m trying to divorce my husband, but I need to find him to sign the papers and return something very important to me. My mother’s ring. He disappeared a month ago, then called me two weeks ago, but I have no idea where he is. And he doesn’t want me to know for some reason.”
Fuck. I clear my throat and adjust myself. I need to focus.
Her eyes dart down to my crotch, and she flushes. I guess I wasn’t very subtle. She’s definitely not thinking about touching my cock, but then I realize her nipples have hardened to little peaks beneath her tight shirt so maybe she is?
“What’s the urgency?” I manage.
“I’m just… done.” Callie clears her throat and smooths her hair. She pulls a thick chunk over her right shoulder. “My father died three months ago, and I realized that I want out of my marriage. I want to get away from my family and my old life. I want to start over and live a crime-free life, so I’m going to move to Seattle to get a master’s in library science.”
“Yeah?” I chuckle. “A librarian in Seattle sounds pretty wholesome.” And the exact opposite of me. I’m the least wholesome person she could possibly connect herself to.
“I’m less going for a wholesome vibe, and more a safe one. Ethical. Legal.”
“Hm. Got it.” Also not words that describe me or my life.
“I already work at a library, but I’m a library assistant, not a full librarian.”
“Which one do you work at?” I am very much enjoying the image of Callie Callahan in a long skirt and cute tight sweater carrying books pressed against her chest.
“The one on Congress.” She shakes her head. “But that’s not why we’re here.”
I nod, making a mental note of her workplace location, which she tossed out to me like it’s nothing. I’d do just about anything to see her at work, but she should not have told me that. The woman has no sense of self-preservation.
I shouldn’t agree to help Callie Callahan.
I’m too attracted to her. It’s been a long time since the last weekend trip to Boston with Noah where I found a flirty woman at a bar and took her to my hotel room to fuck. She was more than happy to do whatever I wanted. She was pretty and sweet and made all the right sounds. But it was too easy. Boring. And I crave connection, not just fucking. Something tells me sleeping with Callie would be more complicated than that.
