Page 23 of Edinburgh Escape (Brotherhood Protectors International #5)

The longer she moved over him, the tenser his body grew until he dug his fingers into her hair and pulled free of her mouth.

She frowned, reaching for him.

Callum shook his head. “I want to be inside you.”

She smiled her agreement. Before she knew his intentions, he flipped her onto her back, ripped open the condom and rolled it over his cock.

He came to her, settling between her legs, his staff pausing at her entrance.

“Are you still with me? Do you want this?” he asked, his voice strained.

“Yes!” she cried, grabbed his ass and brought him home.

Callum entered her slowly, carefully, allowing her channel to adjust to his girth.

She didn’t want slow . Her body was on fire with her need. With her fingers digging into his buttocks, she urged him to fill her completely.

Once he was fully seated, he gave her a moment to ensure she could handle his thickness.

Her desire mounting, Maggie pushed him away until only the tip of his cock remained inside. As quickly as she’d pushed him away, she pulled him back.

Callum took control from there, gliding in and out, slowly at first, then faster.

Maggie wanted him to go deeper, harder and faster.

She dug her heels into the mattress and met him thrust for thrust, laughing over the slapping sound their bodies made as they came together.

Her laughter caught in her throat as his body tensed and hers reached that incredible peak all over again.

She pitched over the edge, the electric current of her orgasm ripping through her body all the way out to her fingers and toes.

Her hips rose and fell, milking every last wave of sensation until she collapsed against the bed, breathing hard.

Callum continued pumping in and out. One final thrust buried him deep inside her, his release pulsing against her channel. For a long moment, he leaned over her, his face tight, his breathing ragged, his gaze meeting hers. He collapsed on top of her, crushing the air from her lungs.

Maggie didn’t care if she ever breathed again. She could die in that moment with no regrets. “That was incredible,” she whispered.

He chuckled and rolled onto his side, taking her with him. “Better than incredible. It was brilliant.”

“Can we do it again?” she asked, “Although I’ll need a minute. My body is as limp as a noodle.”

“We surely can do that again, but like you, I require time to recover.” He smiled into her eyes and brushed a curl back from her cheek. “You’re an amazing woman, Maggie McKendrick.”

“I can say the same about you,” she said, trailing a finger across his shoulder and down his arm. “I’m ready for round two whenever you are.”

“Amazing and a demanding wench,” Callum said and brushed a kiss across her cheek.

“I don’t want his night to end,” she said. “For now, I want to forget the fact that my new family is in danger. I want to live in the moment, make love to you for as long as you’ll have me and worry about tomorrow when it’s today.”

Callum kissed her lips. “I thought you were tired.”

She smiled. “I am. But I can sleep when I return to Montana. I’m here for such a short time, I want to experience as much as I can.”

He gathered her into his arms, his lips crushing hers.

Maggie’s heart swelled with feelings she’d never felt before meeting Callum. In a few short days, she’d be back in Montana, and he’d be on to his next assignment as a Brotherhood Protector. Most likely, they’d never see each other again. If she let herself dwell on that, she’d be sad.

It was hard to be sad when wrapped in that moment in Callum’s arms.

They made love through the night, even moving to the bathtub after warming the water. It was everything she’d imagined and more. Afterward, they’d dried each other off and continued exploration of each other’s bodies in the bed.

Sometime in the early, dark hours of morning, she drifted off, her body spooned against his, replete in their lovemaking and satisfied for the moment. In the back of her mind, she knew she could never get enough of Callum McCall. Leaving would be harder than anything she’d done before.

The cool light of day came too soon; muted sunlight filtered through the French doors into the room.

Maggie stretched, feeling deliciously wicked as the sheets slid over her naked skin. When she rolled over to kiss Callum awake, she was shocked and disappointed to find the space beside her empty. She sat up, pulling the sheet up over her breasts and glanced around the room.

At first, she thought she was alone in the bedroom. A movement made her direct her search to the corner of the room where a sitting area had been fashioned out of a settee and a small coffee table.

Callum lay fully clothed on his back, his legs draped over the arm of the settee, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. Why hadn’t he slept in the bed with her? The settee couldn’t be comfortable for someone as tall as Callum.

Maggie rose from the bed and padded naked across the floor to where he lay. For a long moment, she stared down at him. She didn’t want to disturb his sleep, but he wouldn’t be well-rested if he stayed draped over the settee.

Callum moaned and rocked side to side, his arms tight against his body. “No,” he murmured. “Don’t.” His words, though murmured, were spoken in fear and pain. The more he rocked, the more distressed he became.

Maggie’s heart squeezed hard in her chest. She couldn’t let him suffer in his dreams. She had to wake him to end the nightmare and show him it was all a bad dream.

She reached out and touched his shoulder. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a punishing grip. His eyes were open, but it was as if he didn’t see her.

“Don’t hurt him. If you do, I’ll kill you and everyone in this building,” Callum said, his voice ragged, guttural and fierce.

His hand on her wrist was so tight that Maggie feared he’d snap the bone. “Callum, wake up. It’s just a dream.” The pain was excruciating. He’d cut off the circulation to that hand. “Callum, you’re hurting my wrist. Please, let go.”

“You touch him, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” he growled, pulling Maggie close, his nose practically touching hers.

“Callum, honey, it’s me, Maggie. You’re dreaming,” she said. “Wake up,”

For a moment, he stared at her, his lips peeling back in an angry sneer. “You killed the others; I won’t let you kill Smudge. He doesn’t deserve to die, but you do.” He yanked her off her feet and threw her onto the settee.

Maggie landed hard, half the breath knocked from her lungs. “Callum!” she said more forcefully. “Wake up. You’re dreaming.”

Suddenly, he released her hand.

For a split second, Maggie felt relief.

That relief turned to terror when his hands gripped her neck.

She fought, kicking and squirming in an attempt to free herself.

Her attempts only seemed to enrage him further, causing his hands to tighten.

Maggie’s vision grayed around the edges, the room growing darker with each passing second.

For a second, he loosened his grip.

She coughed. “Callum, I’m Maggie. Please?—”

As he wrapped his hands around her throat again, he gazed down at her, his brow knitting. “Maggie?” he said.

She tried to talk but couldn’t. Instead, she did her best to nod and raised her hand to cup his face.

Callum’s eyes widened, the shadows clearing.

He glanced down at his hands around her throat.

Immediately, he jerked them back and leaped to his feet, backing several feet away.

“Oh, dear God. What have I done?” His gaze went from his hands to her throat.

“Oh, Maggie. Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay.

Did I hurt you?” He dropped to his knees beside the settee and reached for her.

Maggie shrank back, instinctively.

Callum’s hands fell to his sides, balling into fists. “I should’ve left. I never meant to hurt you. I should’ve left.”

Maggie sat up, rubbing the soreness around her neck. She reached out and tentatively touched his shoulder. “I’m—” her voice squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m all right,” she said, her voice sounding like she was gargling gravel.

Callum pushed to his feet and moved away, the distance between them more than several feet. It felt more like a chasm.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll call Ace and have him send someone else. I can’t trust myself.” He spun away. “You shouldn’t trust me.”

Maggie rose from the settee and crossed to stand behind him. “I don’t want someone else. I want you.”

His gaze swept her naked length before he closed his eyes. “I can’t do this.”

Maggie wrapped her arms around her middle. “I didn’t understand. Now, I do. I don’t want someone else,” she repeated.

He spun, started to reach for her, caught himself and let his arms fall to his sides. “Go back to bed, Maggie. What we did was a mistake. I should never?—”

“It wasn’t a mistake.” She took a step toward him. “You didn’t hurt me.”

He backed away, shaking his head. “I did hurt you. I could’ve killed you. I can’t let that happen again.”

The defeat in his eyes gutted her. She knew nothing she could say would make him feel better. Not at that moment. “Okay. I’ll step back now. But Callum, you might have given up on yourself, but I haven’t.”

“I need some air.” Callum pulled on his shoes and strode across the room. “I’ll be back.” He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Maggie gathered her night clothes, slipped into them and climbed back into the bed.

She’d gone from the best sex she’d ever experienced, to almost being choked to death by the man she might be falling in love with, to sitting in the very bed where they’d made love. Alone.

Add to that the threat of Russian loan sharks coming after her and her newfound family, the last twenty-four hours had been unforgettable.

Maggie’s eyes filled with tears.

She blinked them away, squared her shoulders and tightened her resolve. Her mother hadn’t raised a quitter. She sure as hell wasn’t quitting now.