Page 20 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1

Lily

“I’m going away with Callum on Friday.”

“You’re what? ” Daisy demands.

“It’s only a business trip to Houston. With Miller Corp,” I say, tucking the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I pour myself a glass of wine.

“Oh, fuck,” she mutters.

“My thoughts exactly. Which is why I ended up telling Callum everything,” I reply, sinking onto the sofa and resting my feet on the coffee table in front of me.

I tell Daisy about our conversation, leaving out the whole knee-trembling, panty-melting orgasm part. I’m not ready to share that yet, even with my best friend.

“Are you sure you want to face him, Lils?” Daisy asks in concern when I’ve finished telling her about our plans.

“I wasn’t, but Callum made a lot of sense. I’ve allowed the whole situation to dictate my happiness. I don’t want to give Miller Cooper that power anymore. I’m not doing it to prove anything to him. I’m doing to for me.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Daisy says, sniffing loudly.

“Are you crying?”

“Of course, I’m crying. I wish I were there with you. I bet you’re sitting on the sofa now with a glass of wine, right?”

“Right. And I wish you were here, too,” I sigh wistfully. We could get drunk and put the world to rights like old times.”

“Pretty sure we never got drunk. We’re both lightweights. Two glasses of wine is our limit,” Daisy reminds me.

“True,” I chuckle. “How are things with you?”

“Everything is good here. Apart from the local sheriff, who seems to think I’m a thief,” Daisy says with uncharacteristic venom.

“ What? ”

“Doesn’t matter,” she grumbles. “I’ll fill you in another time.”

“Daisy—"

“Listen, Lils, I gotta go,” she says suddenly. “Call me when you get back, okay? You’ve got this. Love you.”

With that, she’s gone, and I’m left staring at my phone in my hand. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out there’s something more to this situation with the sheriff. I make a mental note to tackle her about it next time we talk.

I take a sip of wine, running my fingers through Groot’s smooth coat as he jumps up on my lap. My mind is all over the place, remembering what happened between Callum and me earlier. My cheeks burn again with remembered desire and embarrassment.

Callum said he wants me. That he’s wanted me from the moment I walked into his office. And not for one night— he wants me for keeps.

I can’t deny I have feelings for him— strong feelings. He may be my boss, but I still want to lick his nipples and ride him like a rodeo champ.

But what happens if I give in to my feelings and things don’t work out?

I’ll be looking for another job. My confidence took a nosedive after what happened with Miller, but I know that will pale compared to the pain of not having Callum in my life.

The thought of not seeing him every day has my stomach twisting into knots.

Something tells me this business trip is going to change everything.

Callum is either in meetings or out of the office over the next few days, so I barely see him.

When I arrive at the office at 9 AM on Friday, my nerves are shot, and I’m tired and grumpy from lack of sleep.

Callum and I have only shared half a dozen words since I wriggled my way to orgasm on his lap, and I’ve spent the last three days overthinking the whole situation.

Is he having second thoughts? Regretting words spoken and promises made in the heat of the moment?

I wish I had more experience to draw on .

“Punctual, as always," Callum smiles, quirking a dark eyebrow as I enter his office.

“You said nine. Here I am,” I reply with a bright smile that belies the butterfly farm swarming in my stomach.

“Yes, here you are,” he murmurs, prowling toward me. His eyes travel over me leisurely, taking in my black pants and light-blue sweater, topped off with my waterproof jacket, my small suitcase dangling from my hand. He reaches out, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear. “How are you doing, Angel?”

And that’s all it takes for my heart and panties to melt.

"Nervous,” I admit.

“I’m sorry we haven’t had time to talk over the last few days, but in case you were wondering, everything we talked about on Monday stands,” he reassures me.

“It’s fine. I know how busy you’ve been,” I reply with a wry smile. “Are we ready to go, or…?" I let the question trail off as he weaves his fingers into my hair to cup my head, tugging me closer.

“I need a kiss first,” he says, his voice a deep rumble that sends chills skittering over my skin.

Every argument I have about why getting involved with my boss is a bad idea goes sailing out the window the second his mouth touches mine. It’s not a gentle kiss—he dives right in, pressing my lips open and licking inside my mouth like he’s starving for a taste of me.

My small case hits the floor as I lift my arms to fist my hands in his hair, holding him to me.

He smells fantastic, a purely masculine mixture of aftershave and something I can't quite put my finger on, something intrinsic to him.

Maybe he's got a shit-ton of those pheromone thingies. Yeah, that would probably explain why I’m a puddle of hormones every time he touches me.

Callum’s hands drop to my ass, cupping it and tugging me into his hips.

We both moan as our bodies mold together, his erection stabbing me in the stomach.

The kiss goes on for several long moments, my hands gripping his hair, his hands squeezing my ass.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing heavily, and I’m shaking so hard I’m worried my knees will give way.

“Holy shit,” I pant, my breath fanning his lips.

“We’re explosive together, Angel,” he mutters, resting his forehead against mine.

“The last three days have been hell, remembering how you came apart in my arms. Now I know what you look like when you come. All I can think about is feeling you come around my mouth as I eat you, watching you come on my cock while I’m buried deep inside you. ”

“Callum,” I moan, squeezing my legs together as my pussy clenches with desire.

“You want it too, don’t you?” he asks, sliding his mouth along my cheek and gently biting my earlobe. “Want my mouth on your nipples, my tongue between your legs, licking that tight, hot little cunt?”

Dear God, he has a dirty mouth. And I love it.

“Yes,” I choke, caught up in the hot images his words have evoked.

“Fuck.” He closes his eyes briefly. “You have no fucking idea how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”

I jump as Callum’s phone sings to life on his desk. He growls with impatience as he moves away to answer it, and I take a moment to smooth down my rumpled clothing and regain some composure.

“Thanks, Brian, we’ll be right down,” he says, quickly ending the call. He turns to face me, his hair ruffled, his mouth swollen from our kisses. He’s absolutely gorgeous. “Our ride awaits, ma’am,” he says with a flourish, scooping my small case from the floor.

I follow Callum from the office, smiling at a few work colleagues as we pass and hoping I don’t look like my boss has ravished me.

Most of them give us curious looks, no doubt wondering where we're going. There’s nothing like a business trip with the boss to get office tongues wagging—only this time, those wagging tongues might be right.

We take the elevator down to the parking lot, and Brian, the smartly dressed driver, greets us at the bottom with a charming smile. He places my suitcase alongside Callum's, already in the trunk.

“Thanks, Brian,” I say with a smile as he opens the door for me.

Callum slides into the backseat beside me, his thigh brushing mine as he settles himself in his seat. A quiver works through my body at the contact, and I take a shaky breath, ignoring his knowing smile. I’m so hyper-aware of him that the most innocent touch sets my body on fire.

“Did you have to rearrange any plans this weekend?” I ask conversationally, trying to ease the tension between us as Brian steers the car into the busy morning traffic.

Callum chuckles. “No. My weekends are pretty boring and usually involve research or going over business specs.”

I frown. “Don’t you ever take time off to relax?”

“Not if I can help it,” he says wryly.

“Well, you should. You need to look after yourself,” I say worriedly.

“I’m hoping you might consider doing that, Angel,” he says softly, his mouth pulling up in a sexy smile.

His mercury gaze holds me captive, sending a jolt of awareness from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

It’s so powerful that I almost lift my hand to my hair to see if it’s standing on end.

My lips part involuntarily on a rush of air, and I briefly consider crawling into his lap again so I can rub myself against his hard. ..

The bleep of Callum’s cell phone interrupts us again, and he tears his eyes away to pull it from his pocket. Hitting the answer button, he snaps it to his ear. “Rogen.”

I listen to his deep voice, letting it wash over me as he talks business to the person on the other end of the line. Some people might take offense at the interruption, but it’s par for the course with Callum .

I turn my head to look out the window, watching the scenery fly past as we travel down the highway. The smooth motion of the car lulls me, and I lean my head back against the seat. My lack of sleep catches up with me, and I allow my eyes to drift closed for a few minutes…