“The security system is in place now.” She hugged her brother, then kissed each of her nieces. “Thanks for helping today.”
“Any time,” Ben added and took a sleepy child from Bella.
They watched them drive away, then he shut and locked the door and walked over to the security panel.
He showed her the system. “Here’s the code.” He punched it in, and the system turned green. It showed all the windows and doors in the house as green dots on a flat screen. “We can go over it in more detail tomorrow, but for now…” He turned to her and took her mouth. He’d been starved for the taste of her again.
“Do you have a full week off from work?” she asked with a sigh.
“Yes.” He smiled down at her.
“Good.” She sidestepped him and walked over to the countertop. “Then you can go with me to LA on Friday.”
His steps faltered as he made his way towards her. “Friday?” he asked, suddenly remembering that she’d mentioned she had commitments at the end of the week.
“Yes, I have this gala I’m…” she started to say, moving around the island as he stalked her. He laughed and half chased her as she tried to finish talking. “I’m supposed to…” She raced out of his hold with a giggle. “Black tie…”
He wasn’t paying much attention, and when he finally caught her, he pulled her up to sit on the edge of the counter and he kissed her. Her legs wrapped around him as his hands traveled up her silky-smooth legs to find her wet under her panties.
“My god,” he groaned, needing to feel more of her. “I don’t think I can wait,” he said against her neck.
“No, don’t.” She urged him on.
He bent down as pulled the skirt up high over her thighs. He had a moment to register soft white lace before he pulled it aside and laid his mouth over her pussy, licking and kissing her until her knees tightened on his shoulders. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as he slid a finger into her heat.
“Calvin,” she cried out as she arched for him.
She tasted so good that he didn’t think he could ever get his fill of her.
“That’s it, come for me, Bella,” he urged her as his hand traveled higher under the dress and gripped her hips.
“Calvin, I can’t… please…” she begged him.
She tugged and pulled him until he stood between her legs, using his thighs to spread her legs wider. He pulled on a condom and slid slowly into her.
“I love you, Bella,” he said as he kissed her.
She smiled at him and then held on as he showed her exactly what she did to him.
When he carried her upstairs a few minutes later, she was lax in his arms and humming a song.
“That’s nice,” he said as he laid her on the bed and helped her out of the dress. “What’s it called?”
She stilled and then laughed. “Leave it to me to date a man who doesn’t know my number-one hit.”
He flushed and avoided her eyes. “I…” he started to say, but she stopped him.
“No, don’t. It’s okay.” She smiled. “I don’t expect everyone to listen to my songs.” She pulled off the dress and tossed it aside.
He picked it off the floor and hung it in the closet, then double-checked the sliding doors. He pulled the blinds shut as she pulled on one of his T-shirts and her sleeping shorts, the really small ones he liked with the hearts and flowers. His eyes moved back up to hers when he realized she’d been saying something.
“Sorry, what?” He shook his head clear of the image of him taking her again. Peeling off those shorts and…
“Earth to Calvin.” She snapped her fingers and laughed.
“Sorry, I just have to…” He picked her up and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and held on as he pressed his hard-on against her core. God, he wanted her again. He would always want her again.
He laid her down on the edge of the bed, and she began to move under him, and he knew that there wouldn’t be a time he didn’t want her as much as he did now.
When he pulled the comforter over them both, they were both still naked.
“Is that how you’re going to distract me from talking about my work each time?” She giggled against his chest.
He sighed. “Sorry, you were just very distracting in that dress today. Then it was those shorts…” He closed his eyes, trying to will his body to shut down instead of heat up for her again.
He felt her sigh as she ran her fingertips over his chest in little patterns.
“So, you’ll go with me to LA on Friday?” she asked.
He thought about it, then nodded. “What kind of gala did you say this was?”
“Black tie.” She leaned up and looked down at him. “You’ll need a tux,” she said with a frown.
“I’ve got one. I need it sometimes for work.”
“Right.” She rested her chin on her fist, which rested in the middle of his chest. “Good.”
“How long do we have to be out there?”
“You? As long as you want before you have to go back to work. Me?” She frowned. “Maggie texted me that my last commitment will end in September.” She frowned. “Which means, I won’t be able to move out here until fall.”
He sat up a little, pulling her with him. “September?” He frowned.
She nodded and laid her head against his chest. “You won’t change your mind about this, about us, if I’m away for two months, will you?”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I’m worried about,” he explained, thinking about the crazy person or persons that had it out for her.
She glanced up at him. “If Michael and everyone in Hollywood sees you and I together…”
“You think he’ll stop?” he asked. He doubted it but didn’t want to keep her up all night. Instead, he pulled her back down and held her against his chest.
“I can only hope,” she said with a yawn.
“I’ll arrange our flights tomorrow,” he replied and listened as she fell asleep. Nothing would change his mind about wanting her right where she was. He was a better person with her around. A complete person. She was the only family he needed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Calvin filled the following day with fun things and some local events. They went blueberry picking in the morning across the county line at a farm they purchased local produce from. Then he took her to a small winery for lunch and a wine tasting event.
Then he took her out in the sailboat again. This time, he opened the sail while she stood at the helm and steered into the sunset. She realized once he threw the anchor down in the middle of a small inlet that she hadn’t gotten woozy even once.
He’d packed snacks. Not as elaborate as the ones Adam had brought that first trip, but still, the cheese and crackers with fresh fruit were perfect with the bottle of wine he’d purchased from the winery earlier.
As they started heading back to the docks around sunset, she realized that she could get used to being spoiled by him.
She helped him secure the sailboat and even helped him clean it before heading into town for dinner.