Page 40 of Tone Deaf
“Please call me, Callum, when you arrive safe,” Lyric says as he gets out and then closes the door.
“Why in the hell does he want a call when he wants no part of what’s happening?” Dom scoffs, then adds, “Anyone want coffee while we’re here?”
We go through the drive-through and then get back onto the highway. I call Dante, letting them know of Lyric’s decision tonot go with us. The air in the SUV becomes heavy as the band manager swears up and down, then hangs up.
“I never heard Dante swear before.” There’s a note of humor in Callum’s voice.
“I’m sure this won’t be the last time,” Dom says.
Callum yawns and I notice his eyes are glazed over.
“Why don’t you lean back and get some sleep,” I suggest over my shoulder.
I can see he wants to protest, but Dom jumps in, agreeing with me.
“Fine,” Callum says, as he hits the button on the side of his captain’s chair, reclines the seat back, and gets comfortable.
Dom and I don’t bring up the argument we had on the driveway, which I’m glad for, since I don’t want Callum involved.
It’s the next morning before our little caravan finally arrives at the entrance to Tobias’s place in Bear Lake. Dom stops and enters the code for the gate—after everything Danny went through with his stalker, Tobias fortified the grounds, including perimeter fencing and coded entry gate. Once through, we drive a quarter mile until we pull up to the cabin where the security team will be staying. The trip took nearly twenty hours. Aside from a few pitstops for bathroom breaks, and to get gas and food, we drove through the night, straight to the property.
Everyone stretches and groans as we get out of the cars and Dom gives assignments to Fig, Jordan, Joel and to the rest of Dean’s men. Once that’s settled, Dom drives Callum and me a little bit farther down the road until we pull up next to a quaint house with a lake behind it.
As Dom and I haul our bags from the trunk of the SUV, Callum ambles his way around to the back of the house.
Dom gives me a simple head tilt to tail Callum. I follow him until we are standing on the deck, looking out toward the water.With a cool breeze sweeping in, he shivers. I take off my thin jacket and wrap it around Callum.
“Better?” I ask, hoping for a little smile out of the man. He’s been quiet nearly the entire ride here.
“Thanks, yes.” He glances at me and I get my wish. Then he turns back to gaze at the lake and takes a deep inhale. “I truly love this place. It’s peaceful and I think I can definitely write some great songs while I’m here.”
“I’m sure you can. Dom and I won’t bother you, promise.” I lean in and kiss his temple and then step back, so he can have more breathing room.
With his back to me, I admire Callum’s tight muscular body. He’s bent slightly, leaning on the railing as he looks out at the water, and it accentuates his rounded butt.
Memories from our night together crash down on me and I ache to show him how much I care. Yes, the sex was some of the best I’ve had—his sweet, tight hole sliding up and down my cock, his salacious moans as he choked on Dom’s dick. But that’s nothing compared to how this man’s dry humor and earnest demeanor make me smile. There’s so much more to us than sex.
“Pen,” Dom calls to me, and I quickly clear my mind.
“Need anything?” I ask Callum, but he shakes his head without looking my way. I walk back around to the front of the house, and see Dom scanning the ground like he’s dropped something. “What are you looking for?”
“A fake rock. Tobias didn’t give me the key to this house,” he says, his eyes trained to the brown mulch around the yew bushes.
“What does it look like?” I ask, joining his search.
“Brown and black. That’s all Danny said.” He looks at me and rolls his eyes.
“Is that it?” I point to a medium-size rock that is brown and black with white speckles.
Dom lifts the rock up and, sure enough, it’s fake. He turns it over and there’s a black rectangular box inside. With a gentle push of the lid, it slides open, exposing a silver key.
“Grab the bags,” Dom says. I get what I can as he opens the front door. He comes back and grabs the rest of the luggage.
After we look at the two rooms, I agree with Dom that we should give Callum the master bedroom, with a separate bathroom attached to it. The master will give him privacy to compose his music without anyone intruding.
Reluctantly, I also agree that Dom and I will share the smaller room and its queen-size bed. I hesitate not because of the bed size, but because of what is still festering between us.
I go out to the deck to let Callum know his bags are in his room, and he follows me back in and starts unpacking. I head into the room I’ll be sharing with Dom to do the same. Dom’s just finishing, but instead of leaving the room, he sits on the bed.