She’s curled up in the corner of the couch working on some project with yarn. I’m starting to think it’s the thing that brings her peace. She looks like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Too bad I’m about to burst that little bubble.
“You could have given me some warning.” That sounded a lot angrier than I meant, but I hate my siblings poking around in my business. She didn’t even mention running into Piper yesterday, and that’s the part that stings. That she didn’t think I should know.
She drops the little hook and it dangles from the yarn. “What are you talking about? Oh, and hello by the way. You’re home early.”
“My sister. She sneak attacked me, wanting to know why you were here.” I turn toward the hallway, ready to get out of these clothes and into something more comfortable. “After she told me she talked to you.”
“Oh.” Her voice is soft.
She follows after me into the room. I’m already pulling off my shirt and tossing it into the hamper in the corner. Her clothes are spread out across the bed and I wonder what she’s been up to.
Instead of stopping in the doorway like she did that night, she’s right behind me when I turn around to grab a shirt out of my dresser.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal. Especially after you didn’t mention anything about it at dinner. I just assumed you talked and it wasn’t that bad.”
Hearing the sadness and frustration in her voice is what breaks me. Even worse, I’m the cause.
I sigh. “It’s not. I just didn’t like being taken by surprise.” There’s no reason to pick a fight over something so small. Especially when the only reason is because I can’t get I her out of my head.
“Then why are you giving me crap about it?” She pokes me in the chest with each word. “I don’t understand why it’s a big deal if anyone in your family knows I’m staying here.”
“Because they’ll poke and prod until they see us together. And as much as I want that, I know that isn’t what you’re looking for.” I can’t believe I just said that. Ugh, she needs to be out of my house before I do something wild like fall in actual love with her.
Her mouth drops open for a split second before she’s crashing into me. That’s unexpected, but I don’t fight her as she wraps her arms around my neck. The distance between our bodies closes as the kiss deepens. Her nails dig into my skin, clinging to me to keep us from drifting apart. My arms circle her waist, pulling her toward me.
In all the years I’ve known her, I never expected her to kiss me. Especially not like this. Her body presses closer to mine and I stumble backward into the dresser. Something falls to the ground, but I don’t care right this second.
“Mom?” Lexi’s voice comes from the guest room and Callie is out of my arms before I realize what’s happening.
“Shit,” she mutters. She picks up my shirt and chunks it at me. “Put this on and get out of here.”
My eyebrows knit in confusion as I pull the shirt over my head. “Did I do something wrong?”
How the hell did we go from making out to whatever this is? The timing isn’t great, I know that. But this? This feels like I’m not good enough.
“No. Yes? I don’t know.” Her words rush together. “This was a mistake.”
“You kissed me.”
“And I shouldn’t have.” She groans and pushes me toward the door. “That cannot happen again.”
Before I have a chance to say anything else, she closes the door on me. The lock clicks before I hear her feet shuffle away. What the fuck? I just got locked out of my room in my own house.
She may think kissing me was a mistake, but I need to know why. Maybe calling the plumber in the morning isn’t as important as I thought. Figuring out what happened between Callie and me just now, has become priority number one.
Sixteen
Callie
What the hell was I thinking? The last thing I needed to do was kiss a man who just tried to make me feel like shit. Even if he explained himself. Still, it wasn’t fair for him to take out his frustration about his own feelings on me.
There’s no telling how far we would have gone if Lexi hadn’t called out. It’s weird she hasn’t come to say whatever is on her mind. Good, but weird. I’m not sure how I could have explained that away. Though I know for a fact she would have given me hell about it.
I walk toward the bed and climb into it. Sitting near the edge, I pull my knees to my chest. If Lexi wasn’t here, there’s a good chance Peter and I would have ended up here. In this exact spot. Thank goodness for small interruptions because I’m not ready for that with anyone.
Hell, the only reason I kissed him is because he said the words I’ve longed to hear my entire life. It’s like the teenage girl in me took that as permission to take over my body. Losing control isn’t something I normally do.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and scares the hell out of me. I pull it out and answer it without even looking. “Hey, Miles.”
