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CALLUM

C aroline tastes as sweet as I remember. Perhaps even more so right now. And for all the attitude she’s shown me earlier, she does melt in my arms, and it doesn’t take long before her arms snake around my neck, and she’s kissing me with the same fervor as that other night.

My hands wrap around her tiny waist as I deposit her on the marble countertop. The silk dress feels cool under my fingertips, and I tug them up her soft thighs. If it were up to me, I would’ve taken it off and discarded it, but part of my brain understands we could get caught anytime, and I wouldn’t want to put her in that awkward position of having to put her dress back on.

I break the kiss to stare at her. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

She takes a few seconds to respond, her eyes searching my face for answers before it hardens. “No.”

I can’t stop myself from laughing softly, my thumb running along her arm, goosebumps trailing in their wake. “Needy little thing, aren’t you? Missed how my cock stretched your tight pussy? Missed the feeling of me pumping you full of my come, the warm liquid dripping down your hole?”

This dirty talk apparently turns her on because her pupils lose their focus, and she purses her lips. “That doesn’t mean we should keep doing this.”

“Why not?”

“Like I said before, you’re my stepbrother.”

I slide a finger under one strap and let it fall down her shoulder. “Like I said before, we’re not related by blood.”

“Callum…”

My cock twitches in my pants at the sound of my name on her lips. “Goddamn, I’d like it better when you scream my name.”

She doesn’t get to say more as I grab the back of her neck again—something I apparently like doing—and kiss her hard enough to make her moan into my mouth. Without breaking the kiss, I use my other hand to explore her crotch, surprised but not really to find her lacy panties soaking wet. “Oh fuck, baby girl. You’re already ready for me.”

Caroline throws her head back and whimpers as I run my finger along her slit before teasing her clit. “Callum…”

“That’s it, baby girl. Say my name. Say who you belong to.” I end the sentence by dipping my middle finger inside her, burying it to the knuckle, while my palm rests on her sensitive button. “Wet and needy and ready. This pussy belongs to me, you hear? YOU belong to me.”

She’s already unable to form a coherent sentence. Instead, halting whimpers and heavy breathing fill the small space.

“Say yes, Caroline. Say you belong to me.”

When she still doesn’t say anything, I pull out my finger and watch in satisfaction as her beautiful face crumples in disappointment. “Please, Callum. I need this.”

“Are you mine, Caroline? I won’t touch you again unless you give yourself to me—heart, body, and soul.”

“A little dramatic, don’t you think?” The side of her full lips lifts in a mocking grin, reminding me of the girl from the club.

So this is how she wants to play. Without another word, I step back and take a handkerchief from my breast pocket. Her eyes immediately snap into focus, losing their glazed look. “What the hell are you doing?”

It’s my turn to give her a lopsided grin as I wipe my hand. “I’m very particular about answers, Caroline. When I ask, I expect an answer. You didn’t give me one. So if you can’t be mine, then what’s the point of this?”

She huffs, her eyes full of fire. Her cheeks redden, and her nostrils flare. “How about a simple fuck like last time?”

I wag a finger at her. “No can do, baby girl. I realized I wanted more from you than a quick fuck.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then it’s a no, and I’ll leave now, and you can go back to dancing with that loser on the dance floor.” I’m bluffing, but she doesn’t know that. After learning more about her and watching how easily her body responds to my touch, there’s absolutely no way I’m letting her within a foot of that guy she danced with. Any guy, actually. Just the closeness of their bodies made me see red, and I was one second away from committing a serious crime in the middle of the dance floor and a room full of potential witnesses.

“What about your mom?”

“What about her?”

“She’ll be furious.”

I bark out a laugh. “Do I strike you as someone who cares what she thinks?”

“But what happens if…” Caroline bites her lip, squirming uneasily while she lowers her dress. “What happens if you get tired of me? Are you going to discard me and move on to someone else?”

This makes me stop. “Why did your mind go there, Caroline?”

“I … We met at a club and fucked barely an hour after meeting each other. You can’t convince me you don’t do that often.”

Ah, so that’s the issue. She thinks I’m a certified fuckboy who’ll bed anyone who wears a skirt. She couldn’t have been further from the truth. My behavior that night surprised me as well. “I don’t usually do that, you know. I go to clubs to get drunk with my friends, not find women to fuck in the VIP booth.”

She turns to look away and absently rubs her arms. “I don’t usually do that, either.”

That confession constricts my chest. So I guess I’m not the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about her. “Then, be mine, Caroline.”

It’s at this moment when I realize that this gorgeous woman is an open book. She can’t hide her emotions if her life depends on it. In the span of a few minutes, I’ve seen her annoyed, angry, turned on, desperate, disappointed, and hesitant. A faint crease forms between her brows, her eyes flicking to the floor and then up at me.

And then, her face shifts. Her jaw is set, the curve of her lips pressing into a firm line. The hesitation disappears and is replaced by a resolute lift of her chin. Color flushes her cheeks, and she crosses her arms over her chest. “Fine, then. I’m yours.”

Words that will forever be seared into my brain. It’s all the permission I need.

I fully intend to fuck her and make her come right here and right now, but just when I pull her in for another kiss, a knock breaks through our little bubble.

With a groan, I yell sharply, “Occupied. Go away.”

The footsteps retreat, and we both exhale in unison. I’ve barely brushed my lips along hers when a second knock comes, heavier and more insistent. I rest my forehead against Caroline’s and take a deep breath.

“There are other bathrooms,” I snap. “Use one of those!”

“Now, where were we?” Caroline asks, clutching my collar and pulling me into her.

“Well, we can always—” The third knock is enough to make me grip the edge of the countertops tightly, trying to rein in my mounting anger and frustration. I let out a long, resigned sigh. “I swear to God, I’m going to drag that person to the next bathroom myself. You’d think everyone wants to pee at the same time.”

Caroline laughs softly and watches her reflection over her shoulder before fixing her hair and pressing a soft kiss on my lips. “We can mess around some other time.”

I want to protest and insist we finish what we started, but she’s right. The last thing I want is to leave her hanging because some asshole can’t walk a few steps more and find another bathroom. That doesn’t mean I can’t steal one more kiss before saying, “You get to walk away now, but I will stake my claim next time, Caroline.”