Page 18

Callum stood frozen, his heart pounding as he faced Sloane in the dimly lit room. Her cheeks were still flushed from the kiss, her eyes searching his face for an answer. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms again, to give her what she was asking for—what they both wanted. But he hesitated, the war raging within him.

She took a step closer, her voice steady yet vulnerable as she repeated her request. “I want you, Callum. I’m asking you to take me to bed.”

A surge of longing shot through him at her words, so strong it nearly knocked the breath from his lungs.

“Sloane, we can’t…I can’t do this.” His voice was strained, tinged with both restrained passion and regret.

Confusion flickered across her delicate features. “Why not? I thought you wanted me too.”

Callum ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “It’s not that simple. You’ve been through hell these past few days. You’re still recovering from trauma. I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re in such a vulnerable state.”

“But…”

He took a deep breath, holding her gaze intently. “Sloane, you have to know I want you. Probably more than I should. But your first time should be special, with someone you truly care about. Not a heat-of-the-moment decision.”

Sloane lifted her chin, a spark of defiance entering her eyes. “Callum, I understand you’re trying to protect me. But I know my own mind.”

She stepped closer, her voice growing more impassioned. “If you respect me, then you have to trust me to make my own choices about my body and my heart. I’m choosing you. Not because of trauma or impulse, but because of how I feel when I’m with you.”

Callum’s breath caught at her words, his objections crumbling. She was right—if he respected her autonomy, he had to trust her to know her own desires.

“You’ve shown me more care and kindness these past few days than I’ve experienced in years,” she continued softly. “I want you to be my first. Not in spite of what I’ve endured, but because of the safety I feel with you.”

Callum studied her upturned face, so open and vulnerable in this moment. He saw the quiet strength that had gotten her through hell. Sloane knew her own mind. If this was truly her choice, he wanted to honor it.

But still…

“Angel, I just think…”

“Do you want me, Callum? That’s all I really want to know right now. If you don’t want me, if I don’t… do it for you, then that’s fine. I would never want you to do something you don’t want to?—”

Not do it for him?

Not wanting her was the polar opposite of the truth.

Wordlessly, he stepped forward, closing the small distance between them. He cupped her cheek as he claimed her lips in a searing kiss, filled with promise and passion. She melted against him, her fingers threading through his hair, holding him close. In that moment, the last of his doubts burned away.

He deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist as her body pressed closely to his. He knew she could feel his erection, her hips wiggling against his.

He also knew if she kept doing that, this was going to be over way too fast. He wanted her first time to be as special as possible.

He trailed kisses from her lips down her neck to her collarbone. He was particularly gentle as he grazed the bruises dotting her chest, making sure he didn’t hurt her. She threaded her fingers through his hair gently at first, as if pulling him to her to continue. The lower his lips got, the tighter her pull became.

Good.

He made quick work of removing her stolen dress and bra, then laid her on the bed, a groan escaping the back of his throat as his lips finally met her breast.

Each part of her was so soft, so perfect, despite the bruises. His fists clenched into the sheets as he thought about the men who’d kidnapped her. Who’d hurt her. He’d do anything in his power to make sure they never hurt her again.

But those bastards, particularly Nikola, had no place in this bed. Not in his mind or hers. Callum listened for Sloane’s sighs, felt for when her fingers clutched. He wanted to make sure she was just as enthralled with what was going on as he was.

And he was so enthralled with her soft skin and the sound of her sexy moans as he focused on her breasts that he could barely remember his own name.

He trailed his tongue down her stomach until he came to her plain cotton underwear. “Is it okay to take these off?”

“Yes,” she managed to breathe out, her voice coming out in a hoarse pant.

Slowly, he pulled them down as if they were delicate tissue paper instead of the clearance garments provided by the safe house.

She froze as he sat there just staring at her once she was completely bare in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong. You’re beautiful.” That was the fucking truth. “Don’t move.”

He could hardly tear his eyes away from her as he made quick work of his own clothes until he was down to nothing but his underwear. He rushed into the bathroom and grabbed condoms from the drawer, sending out a silent thought of thanks to Lincoln for getting them a fully stocked safe house.

“Is…is everything okay?” she asked as he came back into the bedroom.

“Yes.” He dropped the condoms on the small bedside table. “Condoms. But first, I want to taste you.” He moved down to her feet and began kissing up her leg. “Is that okay?”

She propped up on her elbows and looked down at him, those big blue eyes wider than he’d ever seen them. “I’ve never done that either. Is that okay?”

“More than okay.” He trailed kisses up her calf. “You don’t need to do anything but feel , okay? There’s nothing you could possibly do that would be wrong.”

By the time he made it up to her knees, she’d collapsed back against the pillows. At her inner thighs, her fingers found their way into his hair again, clenching with each gentle nip his teeth made toward more sensitive flesh.

Good. He wanted to give her something much more pleasurable to remember than the bruises that marred her soft skin.

She whispered his name as he eased her thighs farther apart and licked her from top to bottom. God, she tasted as sweet as he’d known she would.

He slid his arms under her thighs and wrapped them back around to grip her hips, holding her exactly where he wanted her so he could do exactly what he wanted to.

Feast on her.

He used his tongue and fingers to coax pleasure out of her, listening to the sexy moans she made and when her breath hitched to know what she liked.

Long and slow, he devoured her, taking his time, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his hair, dragging his mouth closer and wordlessly asking for more.

And he loved the sound of his name on her lips as her orgasm crashed over her.

He kissed his way up her body, her dazed eyes staring at him. “That was amazing.”

He smiled. “It’s okay if you want to stop there.” It was probably better, honestly, if they didn’t cross that final line.

But Sloane was having none of it. “No. I want you inside me. Please, Callum.”

He had no strength to resist as she reached up to kiss across his chest to his neck then his lips.

Breaking the kiss, he grabbed one of the condoms from the side table and then met Sloane’s heated gaze.

“Are you sure?” He had to ask one last time. Wanted to make sure she knew he wouldn’t be mad, even at the last second. “It’s okay to slow down or to change your mind. You’re in charge here.”

But she didn’t hesitate. “I’m sure.” He saw no shadows in those blue eyes whatsoever.

He opened the foil packet and slid the condom on, then climbed back up her body. He kissed her, tongue dipping deep into her mouth. Slowly thrusting in then retreating, then thrusting again.

His actions were a very not-subtle simulation of what was to come, and it wasn’t long until her hips were rocking against his thigh in the same rhythm.

He shifted his weight onto one arm and slid the other hand between their bodies, between her legs, playing her with his fingers, while his tongue continued to thrust inside her mouth.

He loved hearing the sounds of her pants as the pressure built back up inside her. “Please, Callum.”

He shifted, guiding himself to her opening. And slowly—God, so slowly—he began to work himself inside her, a little at a time, before easing back out and starting the process again.

The rocking of her hips against his became his whole world. The feel of her surrounding him, her tight, wet heat stretching to accommodate him the tiniest bit at a time, was all he could discern.

It took everything he had not to slam into her. To keep things slow, let the tension build up steadily without rush.

“Callum.” His name was almost a sob against his lips. “I need more.”

Sweat broke out on his forehead, but he didn’t stop kissing her, didn’t stop his agonizingly slow pace. “I don’t want to hurt you. Let’s take it?—”

But she spread her legs wider, causing both of them to gasp as she hooked them around his hips and urged him closer. “Now.”

He closed his eyes and yielded to her demand, thrusting all the way in until he was buried to the hilt.

Sloane let out a gasp, and he forced himself to stop moving. “You okay?”

“Is there more?”

A slow smile covered his face. “There’s not more of me, but there’s definitely more to feel .” He reached down between their bodies and began to build that pressure up inside her once again with his fingers.

He knew when her body had adjusted to this new invasion when her hips began to move again. Soon, her leg hitched higher on his hip, giving him further access, and he groaned deeply, picking up the pace of his thrusts.

“Yes. Yes, this.” Her head tilted back. “Callum. Yes.”

He could barely keep from snarling at how good this felt. How right. He forced himself to keep his orgasm at bay until she fell back over that edge, clutching him to her as she went.

Feeling her body clench against him was all it took.

The orgasm ripped through him, and he thrust repeatedly, calling her name like it was a prayer.

It shouldn’t surprise him because she was definitely an angel.