Page 28 of Nailed

“I said I don't want to go home right now. Not yet,” I repeated. “Please take me somewhere, Cal.”

11

Lauren

Callum took me to a lookout point on the lake front. It was almost 9PM and the nighttime sky had transformed the atmosphere. He parked us at a nose-in spot near the end of the lot, and from here I could see the “stepstone” revetments—massive, ancient-looking blocks that led directly into the water.

The place was mostly empty, with only a few straggling figures passing by in the far distance, too far away for us to even see their faces. The only sound was the rhythmic lapping of the lake against the concrete seawall.

After turning the ignition off, Callum turned to face me.

“I'm sorry,” he apologized again. I hated seeing the look on his face. He looked angry and disappointed all at once, and hearing his next words made me realize those feelings were directed at himself. “I didn't react fast or angrily enough to stop that mob from stirring up like that. If it was someone else…I know that Brock could've handled the whole thing better. And even Rafe, God, he would've had that guy on the floor in seconds.”

Callum paused, his hand dropping from the wheel and his shoulders slightly slumping.

“I'm sorry, Lauren. I should've done better,” he said.

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and in that moment, I knew exactly what I needed from him.

“Cal, you being here with me tonight was the only thing that kept me sane during the entire meeting. I was only able to be there because I knew you were next to me,” I said.

His eyes turned glassy.

“It doesn't matter what Brock or Rafe would've done. It was you who got me out of there and you who protected me. And I've never felt safer in my entire life.” My words had softened to a whisper and I meant every single one of them.

I trusted Callum.

It was a stark realization to make for someone who'd spent most of her life trying to carve out the part of her heart that longed for it.

Those warm, dependable, steady eyes glinted with something else. Something hotter. It was a mirror to my own and I knew that from this point on, there'd be no going back.

I leaned in first.

Callum's mouth was surprisingly soft against mine, and unyielding at first, as though he wasn't sure whether this was the right thing to do or not.

He was always so concerned with doing the right thing. But I could feel the rising tension in his body as his restraint faltered, and I felt the very moment it snapped.

When he kissed me back, the raw desire behind its intensity shocked me. He wasn't aggressive like Rafe. Callum's desire was shaped differently. It was exploring, longing, seeking depth and not power.

My hands tangled in his hair and he let out a soft, low moan as he leaned closer, quietly asking for more. Begging for it.

The console between us suddenly felt like an ocean to cross. I adjusted my body until my legs were pulled up onto the seat, trying to climb over but it was awkward in the confined space of the cab.

When I moved my mouth to his neck, Callum reared back as though I'd bitten him. He cupped my chin, breathing heavy.

“Miss Lauren,” he said raggedly, voice strained. “I don't want you to do something you're going to regret later.”

His thumb stroked my cheek. His hesitation only melted my heart even more. I knew what he was saying. It wasn't even just about me regretting what I was about to do. It was about me not regretting who I was doing it with.

I put my hand over his and leaned into it. “I want this, Cal. I want you.”

When I turned my head and kissed his palm, his whole body seemed to unspool like wire. He reached over and hoisted me up and over the console with barely a grunt of effort.

My knees knocked into the gear shift before I tumbled into his lap. The truck rocked on its suspension, the heavy springs creaking and cutting through the calming sounds of the lake's waves.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world, to have my body wrap around his. Our lips met again as his hands slipped from my waist to my hair, his fingers curling.

For what felt like a mini eternity, we were locked together like that, slowly moving against each other as we eagerly discovered the other. I memorized everything, from the way his lips tasted sweet, to the way his skin felt beneath my hands and the way his body moved under mine.