Page 19 of Pucking Possessive (Kings of Castlebrook #2)

LILAC

T he moment we pull into the circular drive of my parents’ house, I feel my stomach twist into knots. I honestly would rather be on campus with a serial killer than here with the two people who raised me and their golden boy.

It’s too quiet. Too perfect. White fairy lights line the hedges, and a new luxury car I don’t recognize is parked beside my mom’s Range Rover.

The porch swing on the side patio is still there.

Callum and I used to sit there and swing for hours in every season of the year.

I think out of anything on this property, it’s the one thing that means something to me.

Callum doesn’t say anything as he throws his truck in park, but I feel the tension rolling off him.

He doesn’t want to be here anymore than I do, which is such a shame because Callum loved this place more than anyone.

We talked the whole way here, reminiscing about anything and everything we could think of to keep our minds off of things.

I’ve been researching the old Whittaker mansion whenever I can’t sleep, and I filled him in on everything that I learned.

It wasn’t as much as I’d like, but from what I could dig up, it sounds like Professor Whittaker moved there a few years ago and then no one heard anything from him again.

I tried to look up any relatives of his, but there was nothing.

I don’t see how it would be possible that anyone was living there just from the little bit we saw.

Clearly, someone was using it as a haven to murder girls.

I stare out the window for a moment, swallowing hard as I shake the thoughts of the Whittakers out of my mind and focus on the task ahead

This is going to be a shitshow, and I’m trying to mentally prepare myself. Every part of this house is tied to a version of me I don’t want Callum to see. The perfect daughter. The obedient girl. The one who learned to shove every emotion and smile sweetly so no one knows what’s bothering me.

Callum glances over, his hand tightening briefly on the gearshift. "You okay?"

I nod, though it feels like a lie.

His voice is lower than usual when he says, "We don’t have to do this tonight. Say the word, and I’ll drive you anywhere you want to go."

I shake my head. "They’ll just make it worse if we don’t show up."

His jaw ticks, but he doesn't argue with me because he knows I’m right. I reach for the door handle, but before I open it, he touches my arm.

“Don’t you dare, bambi,” Callum says playfully, but there’s something stern in his voice.

“Someone’s feeling bossy,” I say as he gets out of the truck and walks around to open my door for me.

He helps me out of the truck and brings my hand up to brush his lips across my knuckles.

I get instant butterflies and by the way he winks at me with a smirk tells me that he knows exactly what he’s doing.

We walk slowly up to the front of the house and dread fills me from the inside out.

Callum lets his palm drop, brushing the small of my back in a way that feels protective and possessive all at once.

When we reach the front door, my mother opens it before I can knock, so I’m sure she just watched us getting out of the car, so I’m glad that he made a spectacle of helping me out of the truck.

“Lilac,” my mother says with a tight smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Her gaze flicks to Callum and cools even more. “Callum.”

“Mrs. Fairbanks,” he says, voice polite but clipped.

Dinner is already on the table when we get inside the house.

It feels formal, and truly uncomfortable.

My father is on his third glass of wine, red-faced and smug, cutting into his steak like it insulted him personally.

My mother picks at her salad and comments on my posture.

Callum doesn’t eat much, but he watches everything, every glance, every shift of tone. He’s waiting for them to bring it up.

“So,” my mother starts, turning her wineglass by the stem, “when exactly did you decide to make this... engagement official?”

I tense. “It was recent. We just wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while and enjoy it, and then suddenly it just felt too big to keep a secret.”

“And sudden, Lilac. How long could you have possibly been dating?” she replies, eyebrows raised. “You didn’t think we deserved to know before your entire school?” She likes to twist words. It wasn’t the entire school. But now is not the time to point that out.

“We didn’t think we needed your blessing,” I say quietly. I don’t know what else to say. I just need them to see how Callum and I are together, so they’ll stop hassling me about Vincent.

“Of course you didn’t,” my father mutters, more to his glass than to us. “Kids today would rather cause scenes than follow expectations.”

“I’m not trying to cause a scene,” I say.

“You never are,” he says with a pointed look. “But you always do.”

Callum reaches under the table and brushes his knee against mine and he stretches his long arm out and wraps his big hand around my shoulder.

He pulls my chair close to his, and at first I think it’s because he’s trying to show my parents how close we are, but the way his fingers flex tells me that he’s comforting himself… with me.

My brother strolls in, a drink already in his hand. His shirt is unbuttoned too far and his smirk is instant. He looks like absolute shit.

“Didn’t realize this was a family reunion,” he mutters, sinking into a chair across from me.

Callum’s jaw clenches, and I can tell that it’s not going to take much to get him to snap.

“Don’t start, Adam,” I warn under my breath.

But he’s already started well before he entered this house. Drunk and smug is an annoying combination and I know this is only the beginning. I just hope that Callum and I have convinced my parents we’re in love because I think our stay here is going to be rather short.

“So, did you decide to settle for Callum because no one else wants to date you?” Adam slurs. I’ve seen him drunk at parties before. Lord knows he’s called me a million times to drive him back to the football house. I can honestly say though, I’ve never seen him this bad before.

Callum shifts, but doesn’t speak, and that’s never a good sign. Callum is only quiet when he’s ready to strike. Adam is no match for him stone cold sober, but now? He’ll kill him with little resistance.

My brother leans back in his chair and looks me over with a sneer. “Of course you’d go for someone like him. You always were a spoiled little brat who couldn’t follow directions even if her life depended on it.”

I don’t have time to react, but I do notice the horrified looks on my parents’ faces and I know that it’s not because of what their favorite child just said to me.

I didn’t feel Callum get out of his chair, and all I can hear is the gruesome crack of wood on bone that takes over all of my senses. That is until my mother rivals it with her screams.

My brother’s face slams for a second time against the old oak table, silverware clattering as wine spills everywhere

“Callum!” I shout, jumping to my feet.

Callum has my brother’s head pinned down, one hand fisted in his hair.

“This is your warning. If you speak about her like that again, I’ll make sure you swallow your own teeth,” Callum practically growls the words. I knew this meeting wasn’t going to go well, but I didn’t anticipate that it would turn this bad this quickly.

“Get off of him!” my dad yells, rising suddenly, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor.

Callum doesn’t move because he’s not afraid of anyone in this house.

“Callum,” I whisper, stepping between them. “Please.”

His nostrils flare, and for a second, I think he might ignore me. But then he lets go, righting his posture slowly, his hands shaking with rage. My brother gasps, clutching his nose.

“Get out!,” my father snaps.

“Gladly,” Callum mutters, grabbing my hand, but it’s Adam who stops us.

“No, don’t go. I was out of line. I deserved that,” Adam says, still holding his face that’s still dripping blood.

Out of every reaction I was expecting right now, I wasn’t anticipating Adam asking us to stay after he just had his face bashed in.

Dad shakes his head at Adam, and for the first time I’m not the only child he’s disappointed in.

He leaves the room only for mom to say, “Don’t leave.

Just go outside and cool off before bed.

We’ll talk in the morning.” She doesn’t leave room for discussion because she’s leaving the room to run after my father.

Adam is groaning, the pain probably charging through his drunk stupor, and he wanders away from us toward the kitchen.

Callum leads me outside and around to the side patio. I know where he’s taking me without him having to say a word. Before I know it, I’m curled into Callum’s side on the porch swing, both of us swaying as we look up at the night clouds.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he says quietly. I note that he doesn’t say he’s sorry that he did it, just that I had to see it.

“He deserved it,” I murmur, leaning up to kiss his cheek. I know there’s no visibility from the house to this patio, so the kiss wasn’t for show. It was just for the two of us.

Before he can agree with me, my phone buzzes. I check the screen and frown. It’s Danny. He’s never called me before, but I don’t think it would be hard for him to get ahold of my phone number. I hesitate, but answer.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Lilac,” Danny says, and it’s like I can sense that he’s shaking even though I can’t see him. “Are you okay? I just heard about Tara. She’s…dead.”

I already knew, but my stomach still drops at hearing it verbalized again.

Before I can respond, Callum swipes the phone from my hand.

“She’s fine,” Callum growls. “Don’t call again.”

Then he hangs up.

“Callum!” I snap. “You can’t just?—”

“He doesn’t get to check on you,” he says, jaw hard. “You’re not his to check on. You’re mine. And he freaks me the fuck out. There’s something genuinely creepy about him.”

“Am I yours?” I ask, voice rising. “You’re my fake fiancé, Callum. You can’t be mean to every man who?—”

He pulls me onto his lap before I can finish.

“I absolutely can and will be mean to every guy who thinks they have a right to be around you.” Callum glowers at me for only a moment before he must realize just how good it feels that I’m sitting on his lap.

Instantly, his lips brush my neck, soft but desperate, and I suck in a breath as I slide down, settling fully onto his lap. His hardness pressing against me makes my thighs clench.

He groans, his hands moving to my hips, pushing my dress up slightly. He grips hard, grinding my panties on his jeans.

“You saw what I did to your brother for speaking to you in a way I didn’t like. Imagine what I’d do to someone who hasn’t been my best friend for a decade.”

I cup his face, tilting it so I can study him.

“What are you looking for, bambi?” he whispers.

“Any trace that will tell me this is fake.” I swallow. “I don’t see it. All I see is a guy who has always been around to protect me when no one else has. And I want to know why. You’ve never made a move on me, but you’ve always been there when I?—”

His dick jerks under me, and a soft sound escapes me when his fingers tighten, digging into my hips.

Because he doesn’t answer me, I continue, “Even if my car broke down, you were always there to pick me up or fix my flat tire.”

He looks away, and I gently guide his face back.

“Is any of this real for you?”

He nods slowly and bites his lip, exhaling hard. “It’s always been real, Lilac. No one is good enough for you. Especially not some guy your parents took in because I killed my own?—”

I kiss him before he can finish.

“He wasn’t a father to you,” I whisper. “He was horrendous. And you did what you had to do. If you hadn’t killed him, he would have killed you.” I rub my thumb along the scar that runs along his neck. “He tried to kill you.”

Callum is quiet, rubbing his hands through my hair like he’s trying to hold himself back from doing whatever is bouncing around through his brain. “What changed?” I ask. “Why now?”

He exhales, voice hoarse. “You needed me. I need you. And I’m not strong enough to keep my hands off you any longer.”

I pull the top of my dress down over my breasts, acknowledging that he told me it’s something he likes doing to me.

“Then don’t,” I whisper. “I want your hands on me, Callum.”

He stares at me like I’ve knocked the breath from his lungs. Then he shakes his head once, firm. “Not like this.”

I take his hand and place it on my bare breasts, feeling the tremble in his fingers as his palm meets my skin. “Show me how long you’ve wanted me, Callum. I want to know every thought you’ve ever had about us.”

“I can show you,” Callum says, his lips brushing my shoulder. Then he moves lower to the dip beneath my collarbone, to the curve of my breast without touching it, to the edge of my ribs. Each kiss feels like a vow.

“You don’t know what you do to me, bambi,” he murmurs. “You changed everything. And now I don’t care if it ruins me.”

I shift on his lap and feel the way he jerks beneath me. His jaw tightens like he’s ashamed of it, like he’s trying to hide how easily I undo him.

“I didn’t know I could affect you like this,” I breathe. “I love it.”

“You destroy me,” he corrects, his hands tightening just slightly at my waist. “You always have.”