Page 118 of Stolen Voices

“You have?” My gaze bounces between Dez and Hudson. “You knew?” Their returning smiles have my shoulders falling in relief as I run my hands through my hair.

“A hell of a lot sooner than you did.” Dez pats my shoulder. “We’ve just been waiting for you to catch up.”

“How?” I grumble, shocked at what I’m hearing.

Hudson scoffs. “Dude. You acted like such an asshole to her, and only her. You should have just worn a neon sign around your neck that read:I like Callie.Touch her and die.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Ian West,” Dez states.

I can’t stop the growl that rumbles in my chest. Hearing that name brings back a wave of searing anger that boils the blood in my veins. Callie dated that pretty boy for a month, and I wanted nothing more than to rip his arm off and beat him with it every time I saw a picture of his hand on the small of Callie’s back.

Hudson barks a laugh. “You should see your face right now. It’s all red and Hulk-looking. Dez, please tell me you see his eye twitching too.”

“Oh, it’s twitching.”

“Fuck off, it’s not,” I grunt, flipping them off, which sends both my friends into a fit of laughter.

“No joke. I think you made Ian piss himself at the premiere of his show. The warning you gave him almost had me running for the hills. ‘Keep your fucking hands where I can see them, or I’ll have them removed.’ I’m impressed he stuck around as long as he did after that,” Hudson reminds me, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Skinny prick,” I sneer.

That guy and his wandering hands. He’s lucky I didn’t call in a favor to really have them removed from his body. I was more than happy when he and Callie broke up two weeks later.

“Eli.” Dez squeezes my shoulder and forces me to look him in the eyes. “This day was bound to happen. I was there when you met Callie for the first time. You remember how you met? She tripped and was falling to the ground but never hit it because you were there. Like a superhero, you popped up and caught her. The way you two looked at each other…” He shakes his head in disbelief. “I’ve never seen a connection like that. So instant.”

Remember? It feels like yesterday. I can still feel the electricity beneath my fingers from gripping her hip in my palm. I’d never before experienced that kind of bodily reaction when meeting a woman. It was deep and chemical.

I turn to Hudson. “I never meant for this to happen. I’m not that guy. It’s just… It’s Callie. I don’t know how or why, but she’s … special. I don’t want to let you down, but if I don’t do this and go after her, I don’t know if I’ll be able to live with myself.”

“I know you would never do anything creepy. You’re not him, E. You’re not taking advantage of her. This is different because you love her.” Hudson scrubs his hands over his face. “Since we’re being honest, I have a confession.”

“Well, this just got more interesting.” Dez sits back in his seat, a wicked smile plastered on his face, as I wait with bated breath for my best friend to come clean.

Hudson clears his throat. “I knew putting you with Callie while I was gone would bring you two closer together. I kind of hoped for it.”

My eyes pop out of my head in shock. “Wait? You wanted us together?”

Hudson shrugs. “Together, bang one out… Whatever.”

A guttural growl rumbles in my chest. Hudson is my best friend and business partner, but I may rip his head off for disrespecting Callie.

Hudson holds his hands up in surrender. “Relax. I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted you to face your shit, E. We all know you’ve had a thing for Callie from the start. By pushing you two closer, I figured you would finally get your shit together and act on your feelings. Then maybe you’d stop being a grumpy jackass.”

“He’s only grumpy when Callie is around,” Dez amends.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. After everything Harold had put him through, Hudson still wanted me to go for it. Without reservation, he encouraged it. Even Dez isn’t surprised.

How is this possible? Shouldn’t they be freaking out about the ramifications? What will people say? The comparisons?

“B-but…” I stutter, unable to get my head around everything. “Aren’t you guys worried about what people will think? What if I’m just like—”

Hudson cuts me off. “No. This is nothing like what happened in the past, so stop. And if you mention my piece-of-shit father again, I’m going to punch you in the dick.”

My hands switch into defense mode, covering my cock.

The three of us dissolve into laughter, and the weight I’ve been carrying on my shoulders falls away. If I had known my friends would be this accepting, I might have saved myself from a lot of pining. Then again, maybe this was always the way it was supposed to happen. Over the last few weeks, Callie and I have gotten to know each other on a whole other level, and it has only made my feelings for her stronger.