Page 21 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1

Callum

I switch my phone off, my eyes drawn to Lily as she sleeps peacefully. Her mouth is tipped up in a small smile, and I wonder what she's dreaming about.

My cock swells, straining against the seam of my pants, reminding me he's had no action from anyone other than Mrs. Hand and her five lovely daughters for longer than I care to remember. But my self-inflicted celibacy is about to end because I’ve waited long enough to claim the fresh-faced beauty sleeping inches from me.

She’s it for me. I just need to convince her that I’m it for her, too. If our kiss earlier is any indication, she’s close to giving in to the feelings between us, but I need to tip her over the edge .

“What’s up, Brian?” I call softly to the driver, noticing we’ve slowed to a crawl.

Brian grimaces in the rear-view mirror. “The weather’s taking a turn for the worse, and there’s been an accident up ahead, so we've hit some unexpected traffic."

I nod, running a hand over my face. This is torture.

My eyes are drawn to Lily repeatedly, like a moth to a flame.

I should've driven us myself—at least then, I would've had something to keep my hands busy.

As it is, they're itching to pull her into my arms again and wrap her up against me while she sleeps.

Instead, I content myself with gazing at her, watching her long eyelashes flutter against her flushed cheeks as she dreams. Her complexion is flawless, her plump, pink lips slightly open.

Images of them stretched around my cock, her hair feathered across my thighs, slam into me, and I almost groan aloud.

I slump back in my seat, gazing out the window as the scenery rolls past, trying to distract myself from my throbbing cock and the curvy creature causing it.

The wind has picked up, and the rain slams against the windows, but I’m relieved to see we’ve cleared the congestion and the Mercedes is now smoothly eating up the miles.

Lily moans softly in her sleep and turns to snuggle into my shoulder. Her womanly scent teases my nostrils, and I grit my teeth as her hand comes to rest on my thigh, inches from my lengthening cock.

Holy shit.

Instinctively, my hand moves to her hair, stroking through it and teasing the strands with my fingers. I can’t stop touching her. It's addictive. Resting my head against the window, I close my eyes, and a sense of peace and contentment washes over me, the likes of which I've never felt before.

I’m attracted to Lily on so many levels. Physically, of course, but it’s so much more than that. I like sex as much as the next guy, but I want it to mean something more than satisfying a physical need. I want a woman I can make love and memories with.

Which is where the woman nestled against me so trustingly comes in. Once again, I wonder at the spell she seems to have cast over me. One thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt—Lily is my match in this life and the next.

Two hours later, we arrive at The Royal Oak Hotel in uptown Houston. My muscles are stiff and cramped from sitting in one position but fucked if I was going to disturb Lily curled up against me.

“Lily.”

I shake her shoulder gently, not wanting to startle her.

“Go away,” she mumbles, pressing her face further into my chest while her hand tightens on my thigh.

“Lily, we’re here,” I say gruffly.

Her eyes snap open, focusing on my chest. “This isn’t my pillow.

” She frowns, then her eyes widen in realization.

“Oh, shit. Sorry!” she squeaks, jerking into a sitting position so quickly she almost gives herself whiplash.

She looks around, slightly bewildered, seeing we’ve reached the hotel. “We’re here? How long was I asleep?”

“Couple of hours,” I reply.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologizes again. “I haven’t slept well the last few nights. I guess the motion of the car lulled me off to sleep.”

“It’s fine,” I wave it off. “Although, you do snore.”

Her mouth drops open, and she shoots me an indignant look. “Do not!”

I give a careless shrug. “Guess we’ll know for sure after we’ve spent the night together.”

Her cheeks bloom with color. Her mouth drops open and then snaps closed, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Come on. Let’s get you inside,” I chuckle, tipping my head toward the hotel.

She reaches for the door handle, almost falling over herself as she stumbles into the blustery November afternoon.

“There’s a storm coming,” I say, steering her inside with a hand on her elbow while Brian follows behind with our cases.

I watch Lily’s head swinging from side to side in awe as we walk through the atrium lobby with its Swarovski crystal chandelier, extravagant artwork, and cascading fountains.

The immaculately dressed young man at the reception desk looks up with a welcoming smile as we approach. “Good afternoon. Welcome to The Royal Oak Hotel. How can I help you?”

“We have reservations. Callum Rogen and Lily Olsen,” I inform him.

The young man taps away on the computer in front of him. “Ah, yes. Here we go. You both have a luxury guest room. If you’d like to follow my colleague here, he’ll show you to your rooms,” he says, pointing to another immaculately dressed man hovering behind us.

The man—Danny, according to the name badge pinned to his lapel—takes our cases from Brian, who leaves us with a courteous nod. We ride the elevator to the twentieth floor, following Danny along the corridor until he comes to a halt outside a door.

“This is your room, Mr. Rogen,” he says, opening the door with the keycard and handing it to me with a flourish.

“And this is your room, Miss. Olsen,” he adds, moving along to the next door.

“We’ve prepared the Brunel suite for your meeting later, Mr. Rogen.

It’s clearly signed, so you shouldn’t have trouble locating it.

I hope you enjoy your stay, and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need anything,” he finishes with a warm smile.

I murmur my thanks, handing Danny a hundred-dollar bill as he takes his leave and heads back down to the reception desk.

“Well, I should go and freshen up,” Lily says, tipping her head toward her room.

“I’ll give you a knock at two. Give us time to grab a drink before they arrive,” I say softly, my eyes lingering on hers.

She manages a jerky nod before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

I feel like my feet are glued to the floor as I stare at her closed door.

She’s going to “freshen up.” My mind runs away with the idea, and images of her soaping her naked body in the shower, her skin supple and slippery, have me clenching my hands into fists at my sides.

Without realizing it, I’ve taken a step closer to her door, my needy cock pointing firmly at where he wants to go.

She’s fighting the connection between us, considering all the reasons she thinks we can’t be together. Looks like I’m going to have to give her a giant push in the right direction.

Inside my room, I pace the floor, oblivious to my luxurious surroundings. Sweat beads on my forehead even though the room is cool. My rational mind is at war with the desires of my body.

Take it slow. Don’t freak her out. Let her come to you.

No. You’ve waited long enough. Take her. She’s yours. Mark her so every other man knows who she belongs to.

I shake my head as I pace, trying to use up the adrenaline speeding through my veins, making my cock as hard as a rock.

My body shakes with the need for release.

The car journey has rubbed my already frayed nerves raw.

I close my eyes, remembering how she snuggled into me so trustingly, her womanly scent and warm curves melting into me.

I kick off my shoes, strip out of my clothes, and head for the bathroom.

Standing in front of the vanity mirror, I take my rigid cock in hand, angling the mirror down so I can watch as I work it up and down my shaft.

I imagine Lily on her knees before me, pleasuring herself as she takes me in her mouth.

It only takes seconds before I climax. My cum shoots from me in thick ropes into the basin while I grunt Lily’s name…

A few hours later, I’m knocking on Lily’s door. I wait impatiently for a few seconds before knocking again.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!” Lily calls from inside before the door opens.

Her sweater is gone, replaced by a short-sleeved silky blouse that clings to her ripe tits. She smiles at me, her hazel eyes alight with life, and the rest of the world fades away. Right then, I vow there’s nothing I won’t do to see that smile every day for the rest of my life.

“You ready?” I ask, my voice harsher than I intended as my cock springs to life again. Swear to God, it’s hard enough to drill for oil despite jacking off in the bathroom a few hours ago. I turn away before she sees and head down the hallway.

“Hold your horses, grumpy pants!” she calls after me.

I hear the door closing and her footsteps rushing to catch up. I come to an abrupt halt, and she barrels into me. Her palms flatten against my chest as I reach out instinctively to steady her. I suck in a breath at the heat of her touch, even through a layer of fabric.

“Not grumpy. Frustrated,” I correct her, smoothing my hands up and down the soft skin of her arms. “Once this thing with Cooper is done, I’m taking you to my bed, Angel.”

“’ Kay,” she whispers, her hazel eyes soft on my face. “Are you going to kiss me now?”

I grit my teeth. “Not unless you want our first time together to be up against the wall behind you because the next time I kiss you, you’re going to be splayed out on those silk sheets,” I growl, pointing toward my room.

She trembles against me, but I force myself to take a step back. I lace her fingers with mine and tug her toward the elevator that will take us to our meeting with Miller Cooper.