Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
“I think Callie might be the best gift ever, Dad,” I mused.
He winked. “I think you might be right.”
I wandered into the kitchen, inhaling the scent of the turkey roasting.
“God, it smells good in here.”
Callie looked up from the pot of potatoes she was mashing with a smile. “It does.”
I looked to the dining room, where Elly was busy setting the table, making sure everything was perfect. I held in my laughter. It was the same all the time. She spent hours making it look like a magazine spread, and five minutes after we sat down to eat, her perfection was destroyed. Still, she loved it, so I never bothered to ask her why.
Tracey glanced up from the pastry she was rolling. “The kids behaving?”
I chuckled as I went over to Callie and pressed a kiss to her head, quietly asking if she was okay.
She nodded and focused on her task at hand.
“Alan and John are taking them out sledding.”
“Good plan.” She smirked. “Wear them out. Once they eat, they’ll fall asleep for a while.” She lifted her pies from the counter and slid them into the second oven. “You must be tired, Shane. All the travel, the worry, and the driving?” she asked.
I nodded. “I am a bit.”
My mom clucked her tongue and took the masher from Callie’s hand. “Of course you are. You both must be. I can finish these. Take Callie and go have a nap. Dinner is in about three hours. It’ll do you a world of good.”
“I’m fine,” Callie protested, even as a yawn escaped her lips.
Laughing, I pulled her toward me. “Come on, Callie. We’ll have a little rest so we can visit with everyone tonight.”
“But…”
“No arguing,” Mom insisted. “We’re way ahead, thanks to all your help. Go.” She shooed us out of the kitchen, and I climbed the stairs, Callie following me, her hand still cradled within mine.
I opened the door to the room I always used, not surprised to see my cases and Callie’s bag sitting at the foot of the bed. I sat down and pulled Callie between my legs. “My family didn’t ask, but if you want your own room…” I let the words trail off, my grin wide as Callie shook her head.
“No. I want to be here with you.”
I slipped my hand up her neck, pulling her down to my mouth and kissing her. She tasted sweet, her breath warm in my mouth, and I groaned as she kissed me back. Together, we fell back on the mattress. In seconds, she was under me, our kisses morphing into more. Deeper. Harder. Lips pressing, tongues stroking, hands sliding under clothes, seeking the warmth of bare skin. She made the most erotic noises low in her throat. She drove me crazy with desire, all else fading from my mind. I was no longer tired, no longer worried about tomorrow or next week. All that mattered was getting as close to her right now as I possibly could.
“I hope you brought more of those condoms with you,” I moaned against her neck.
“All of them. Including the glow-in-the-dark ones.”
“Excellent.”
I planned on using every single one of them.
Callie curled up against me, her head on my shoulder. We could hear the kids outside, their laughter echoing. I stroked my fingers up and down Callie’s arm in gentle passes, enjoying her closeness.
“Maybe we can go out with them tomorrow,” she murmured.
“They’d like that.”
“It’s been a wonderful day, Shane.”
I pressed my lips to her forehead, lingering against the soft skin. “Yeah, it has.”
“Oh.” She sat up, her long hair tumbling over her shoulders as she clutched the blanket against her chest. Her cheeks were flushed, her skin still damp from our lovemaking. Her hair was a mess from my hands, and she had a small bite mark over her left breast.
My mark.
She was so beautiful, my chest ached just looking at her.
“What is it?”
“I didn’t give you your gift.” She scrambled from the bed, bending over and digging in her case. The view of her ass was spectacular, and I needed her back in my bed right away so I could show her just how spectacular it—and she—was.
She placed a small box on the bed beside me and sat down, her hands twisting with nerves.
“Callie, I didn’t expect you to give me something. Having you here with me is all I wanted.”
“I wanted you to have this.” She pushed the box toward me, and I sat up, accepting the gift. I opened the box and took out what looked like a small alarm clock. I glanced at her, my brow furrowed in confusion.
“It emits a soft blue light and various sounds—like waves on the ocean or the wind in the trees,” she explained. “You told me you had trouble sleeping at times—that you couldn’t turn your mind off after a long shift. This will help you to relax.”