Page 34 of Playboy Husband
Harrison could represent the Westwoods for the rest of the night.
I’d caught a brief glimpse of Jameson earlier, but he’d been gone before I could even reach him.
When I led her out into the cool air outside, away from the noise and the madness, I suddenly understood why he’d left so fast. Why Sterling had, too.
This felt like the best decision of the night, and there wasn’t even any tequila or karaoke involved. I glanced at Maisie, nowhere near ready to take her home yet, though. “Do you want to go grab a drink at my apartment?”
“I’d like that,” she said quietly, still smiling. “You know, I always imagined the Westwood parties to be a lot more civilized than that.”
“They usually are,” I said, more than happy to finally have her to myself as we strolled the short distance to my place. “Halloween is the exception to the rule.”
“Isn’t it always?” She chuckled, twining her fingers around my elbow again and leaning her head against my bicep as we walked, all without hesitating at all. I liked that this kind of thing was becoming natural for her. It felt good. “Hey, Callum?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you really ready to get married?”
I would’ve tripped over my own feet if she hadn’t been holding on to me the way she was. “You know, even just six months ago, I probably would’ve given you a different answer, but I am.”
“You’re not sorry to be leaving the party and all the slutty nurses behind?” she asked, half like she was joking, half like she was genuinely curious. “Back in the day, you used to be the life of the party.”
I let out a short laugh. “Yeah, I was and I loved it, but every child has to grow up at some point, right? If even Peter Pan did it, I guess I have to, too.”
She glanced up at me but didn’t stop walking. “Is it what you want, though? Or is it only because of the pressure you’re under?”
“It’s what I want, Mais,” I said honestly, leading her into my building when we reached it and pressing the button to call the elevator.
“I’ve lived every phase of my life to the fullest, you know?
When I started playing hockey, I went at it hard and I didn’t stop until I could say that I’d played D1, even though I knew I wouldn’t go pro.
When I partied, I partied hard, but I’ve been there. I’ve done that.”
“So you’re ready for the next phase?” she concluded for me as we climbed out on my floor.
“Yep.” We paused at my door and I unlocked it, looking down into her eyes before I pushed it open. “I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got now.”
Her cheeks flushed and she smiled but ducked her head to hide it again. I waved her in ahead of me. When the door clicked shut behind us, I found the lack of music, lights, shrieking, and laughter such a relief that I immediately sank down on the couch.
“Thank God,” I groaned. “I’ll get you a drink in a minute. I just need to decompress for a second.”
“I know what you mean.” She slipped off her heels and pressed her toes into the rug like she needed to feel the solid ground.
For a moment, we were both quiet, me just sitting there appreciating the lack of any stimulation and her taking a look around. Her gaze lingered on the sparsely decorated walls and the bare spots on the floors. I hadn’t really bothered decorating the place, and she was clearly noticing.
“This is very you,” she said finally, a smile tugging at her lips.
“What does that mean?” I asked, shrugging out of my jacket and kicking off my shoes. “Clean, but empty?”
She shot me an amused smile. “No, actually. Modern. Masculine. Maybe a little lonely.”
“You should’ve seen it before I bought furniture,” I joked to deflect from how badly her words had stung. Maybe because they’d been so accurate.
Maisie laughed, the sound soft and real in a way that went straight to my chest. She walked over to the couch and sank down beside me, close enough that I caught a whiff of her perfume and nearly moaned out loud. She leaned back, her head tipping against the cushion.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Her eyes opened and she gave me a tired but genuine smile. “Yeah. I just can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”
I bumped my shoulder into hers. “Good. I wanted you to. Prepare to be bored at Westwood parties until next Halloween, though, if that one was your speed.”
She chuckled. “I’ll just have to find a way to survive, but seriously, thank you. That was a good night.”
I shook my head. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like I’ve done you some huge favor. I like having you with me. I like being with you. With Brody.”
She studied me like she was trying to figure out if I meant it. “You make it sound so simple.”
“That’s because it is.” I gave her a smile that I could feel was soft. “Our situation is complicated. Life is complicated, but me wanting you? That part is easy, Mais. It always has been.”
Her breath caught and the space between us suddenly felt charged. For a second, it looked like she might argue again, but instead she shifted closer, her fingers brushing mine.
“You always know what to say, don’t you?” she murmured, turning her head to look directly into my eyes.
“Only with you.” I couldn’t hold back anymore, and without even thinking about it, I found myself leaning in, slow enough to give her time to pull away, but when she didn’t, I pressed my mouth to hers, soft but sure.
She kissed me back with zero hesitation this time, one of her hands coming up to wrap around the nape of my neck as she leaned into me. My heart started pounding. My cock got all sorts of ideas about what we could do with her.
This wasn’t our first kiss, far from it, but it was the first one during which I actually felt like she was mine, and that? That changed everything.