Chapter 36: Chapter 36

CALLUM It’s going to storm.

I can smell it in the air even before I hear the faint echo of thunder in the distance, a warning of what’s coming.

We need the rain. The blistering summer sun has made the grass brittle, the forest foliage withering with thirst. Even the river is lower than I’ve seen it in years, in desperate need of a top-up. Sitting outside on the patio behind the packhouse, there’s an unmistakable energy in the air, almost like the parched landscape is quivering in anticipation for the storm to roll in.

Within myself, the storm is already raging. It has been for a long time, born in a dark room in a basement, fed by anger and resentment. Until I found the one person who could calm it: Vanessa Diaz, my muse, my light.

“You good?” Chase asks, his eyes still bloodshot from the joint we smoked.

I grunt in affirmation, nodding. My own high is already gone, but the weed calmed me down as it worked its way through my system, tempering my agitation. Pulling the skeletons out of my closet over the last week has taken its toll. Rehashing things with Rob didn’t particularly bother me; it was the reason behind it that struck a nerve. I was fine right up until I saw that hopeful look in Nessa’s eyes, like she was searching for some way to excuse my past indiscretions. Like she needed some sort of validation that I’m not a cold -blooded killer.

I’d give anything to go back and change that night, but I can’t. What’s done is done, and it’s a stain I’ll bear on my soul for the rest of my life. There’s no excuse or hidden explanation, it just is what it is; I am what I am. I thought she’d come to terms with it, but seeing that look on her face tonight, I realized that sweet, virtuous Nessa may not ever be able to reconcile the man with the monster. 3 That’s what made me break.

Chase leans forward in the wrought iron patio chair, fixing me with a solemn stare. “Ready to go back in?”

I nod again, thankful that he sat out here with me until I got my head on straight but recognizing that this isn’t really his battle. It’s up to me and Ness to figure out our shit; whether we’ll be able to make this work now that all the cards are on the table. I was hopeful until I saw that look. Now, I’m not so sure. 2 Chase pushes up from his seat first, leading the way back inside. The girls are still on the couch, both of them craning their necks to look over the back of it with wide, curious eyes as we enter. Nessa’s gaze collides with mine and she immediately hops up, not breaking eye contact as I stride over to her.

“Can we talk?” I ask as I reach out to take her hand, my thumb gliding over her knuckles.

“Yeah,” she breathes, almost in relief. She threads her fingers with mine, stepping out from around the coffee table and tugging on my hand. “C’mon.”

I’m glad she wants to have this conversation in private. Not that I have anything to hide anymore, but it seems like Vienna is always glaring daggers at me these days. I suppose I understand. I can’t fault her for wanting to protect her friend, and truthfully, I appreciate the fact that Nessa has someone like Vee in her corner.

I nod to Chase and Vienna as we leave the room, the latter giving me a hard look, as if to say ‘don’t fuck it up’.

Yeah, I’ll try not to.

We’re both quiet as I follow Nessa down the hallway that houses the guest roo our feet treading softly against the hardwood floor. When we arrive at the last door on the left, she turns the knob to open it, dropping my hand as she strides inside and flips on the light.

I’m immediately greeted by her scent- even if she hadn’t led me to this room, I’d know it was hers by the sweet smell of cherries that hangs in the air. And if that failed me, then I’d definitely know it by a single glance inside. It’s feminine and romantic and so perfectly her, exactly how I’ve always imagined her space would look if I was invited in.

Nessa strides over to the bed, breathing a heavy sigh as she sinks down onto the edge, coasting her fingertips over the fluffy pale pink comforter. She kicks off her shoes as she crosses one long tan leg over the other, then plants her palms behind her, leaning back and beckoning me with a flick of her head. She’s the picture of a sweet girl nextdoor fantasy, my pulse racing as I stand frozen in the doorway, practically drooling.

We need to have a conversation, but those legs, those eyes, that coy smile tugging at the corners of her mouth…

It takes me a second to snap out of it and push those nefarious thoughts aside. I stride further into the room, moving closer but keeping enough distance so I’ll still be able to think straight. I stop in front of the dresser positioned across from the bed, folding my arms over my chest and leaning back against it, gazing at Nessa as I draw a slow breath.

“You were hoping Rob would have more to say,” I murmur, not as a question, but as a statement. When we sat outside, Chase disclosed that Nessa had come to him to express her doubts as to what really happened last year. She’d told him that she didn’t believe I killed that woman, despite the fact that I’d already told her exactly how it happened.

Nessa sits up, folding her hands in her lap. “Well yeah, but I think he gave us enough to go on for now,”

she replies, a determined glint in her eye. “If Troy was involved, if it was a setup, then maybe we can find a way to get to the truth of it and make him answer for what he did. Maybe })

“Is this about justice, or is it about trying to clear my name?” I interrupt, pushing off the dresser and taking a step toward her. “Because I was there, Ness. Whether it was a setup or not, I still killed her.”

I don’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it does. She stills, her throat bobbing with a hard swallow as she peers up at me.

“I’ve had to live with that,” I rasp, staring into her wide brown doe-eyes. The question is, can you?”

Nessa doesn’t break eye contact, but for once, I can’t read her expression. She worries her lower lip between her teeth, wringing her hands in her lap.

I step closer, bridging the last bit of distance between us. Reaching down, I slide a finger under her chin, tipping it up. My throat tightens at the sight of the raw vulnerability in her gaze. “If there’s nothing else to the story, if it happened exactly how I say it did, is there still a chance for us?” I ask, terrified of her answer but needing to hear it.

It’s so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. My heart pounds wildly against my ((

ribs, and I know that this is it. The moment of truth. The one that’ll change everything.

Her eyes dart away, giving me my answer.

My chest deflates, shoulders sagging as I drop her chin and take a jerky step back. It was too much to hope for a second chance. Maybe if I’d me to her with everything before, when things were good between us, she could’ve accepted my past. I fucked it all to hell when I left her. There’s too much pain between us now, too much distrust, and it’s my own damn fault. I never should’ve doubted her. Never should’ve left.

“I’ll never stop loving you, Ness,” I mutter. Her eyes snap back up to meet mine, and my chest squeezes painfully at the connection. “I know I can’t change my past or the pain I caused you, and I’ll regret the way I left every day for the rest of my fucking life. But I’ll never regret what we had. I wouldn’t change that for a thing.” 5 My throat burns as I turn away, my feet heavy as I start Ward the door.

“Wait.”

My muscles lock up and I freeze in my tracks. Her approaching footsteps are almost silent, and suddenly she’s right in front of me, staring up into my eyes as she presses her palm to my chest, over my heart. “I can,” she says resolutely, nodding.

“I can live with it.”

My pulse races, my throat tightening.

((

“I love you, Callum,” Nessa breathes, lifting her other hand to cup my jaw, warmth blooming beneath her touch.

Even after you left, I never stopped. So yes, I can live with your past. As long as you can promise me a future.”

My heart trips over its valves. One second I’m frozen, and the next, I’m lunging for her, grabbing her by the hips and yanking her body into mine. I slam my lips down over hers, swallowing her little gasp of surprise as I claim her mouth in a desperate, filthy kiss. She reacts with equal urgency, clutching my face and tugging me impossibly closer, parting her lips to let me in and hiking a leg up over my hip.

It’s messy. Sloppy. Uncoordinated. I nip her lips and lick her teeth and tangle my hands in her hair.

She’s pressing against me so hard that I stumble backwards, knocking into the dresser and sending things crashing to the floor, but we continue to devour one another, everything else fading into the background. Every encounter since I came back home has been building up to this, the tension between us finally snapping as we give in.

“You can’t leave me again,” Nessa gasps against my lips, fingernails digging into my shoulder blades like she’s trying to anchor me.

She doesn’t have anywhere.

I’m not going “Never,” I growl in response, kissing my way to her jaw. I lick a path down the column of her neck, sucking marks into her silky skin. “I promise.

A soft moan escapes her lips as I palm her ass, lifting her to wrap her thighs around my waist. I twist around to position her on top of the dresser and something else falls off with a clatter in the process. Neither of us pay any mind to the havoc we’re wreaking around us, though, because then she’s tugging the hem of my shirt up my torso, fighting to get it past my shoulders. I stumble back a half step to assist her, yanking my shirt off overhead while she tears off her own. My gaze immediately drops to her flushed chest, her round, perky tits barely contained in a white cotton bralette. I sink my teeth into my lip, stifling a groan.

Everything about this girl is fucking perfect.

My eyes slowly climb back up to Nessa’s face. Her cheeks are rosy, her lips puffy, her hair mussed. “So fucking beautiful,” I think aloud, tucking my fingertips underneath the band of her bralette and yanking it up, her tits spilling out gloriously. I dive forward to capture her mouth again, kissing her hungrily as I palm her gorgeous tits in both hands, kneading the supple flesh and pinching her stiff nipples. She squirms and pants as I trail kisses down her neck, along her collarbone, over the swell of her breasts. Her fingers tangle in my hair as I bite and suck her nipples, the sweetest little mewls and cries falling from her lips.

“The door,” Nessa whines, pinpricks of pain spreading over my scalp as she yanks on my hair. “Callum, the door…”

I release her nipple with a loud pop, stumbling back when she shoves at my chest. Even then, her words haven’t quite registered, my mind in a complete fog of lust and obsessive want.

Nessa shimmies off the edge of the dresser, covering her tits with an arm and shouldering past me to make a beeline for the bedroom door. That’s when it clicks- the damn thing is still open. She pulls it closed and engages the lock, and by the time she turns back to face me, I’m stalking toward her like a predator, the painful strain of my hard-on against my zipper making every step agony.

Desire flares in Nessa’s eyes as she watches my approach intently, pressing back against the door and drawing heavy breaths. As soon as I reach her, I drop to my knees, yanking her shorts down her legs with my descent. Her panties come off with them, and she gasps as I wrench her thighs apart, diving right in to lick a hot path up her center. 2 Nessa cries out, her legs “Callum trembling against my ear as she buries her hands in my hair. I press a forearm against her belly to pin her securely against the door, lapping up her sweet nectar like a man starved. I growl against her folds and the vibration makes her shiver, her hands fisting my hair tighter.

I could die between this woman’s thighs with no regrets. Every pant, every mewl, every breathy whisper of my name on her lips drives me fucking wild. I circle her clit with my tongue, flicking the sensitive bud until she’s grinding down, riding my face, coming undone.

She throws her head back against the door with a loud bang when she reaches. her climax, gasping and screaming as it rocks through her. I don’t let up, licking and sucking her clit while fumbling with the button on my jeans, scrambling to shove them down and release my throbbing cock from their confines. Nessa’s legs are still trembling when I shoot to my feet, throwing one of her thighs over my hip and sinking the head of my cock inside her, her inner walls still quivering from her release.

“Fuck,” I groan, squeezing her hips tightly as I inch deeper inside. It’s been a while, so I’m trying to hold back from pounding into her the way I want to, but damnit if it’s not taking every ounce of my self-

control right now.

“More,” Nessa moans, rocking against 1.

I don’t deny her. I punch my hips forward, gliding into her tight channel easily since she’s so damn wet for me. Wrapping my arms around her thighs, I pin her against the door with my chest and spread her wide, sinking in to the hilt on a guttural moan.

Her fingernails dig into the backs of my shoulders as I pull out halfway and slam back home again and again, the door rattling on its hinges with every forceful thrust. A loud rumble of thunder sounds outside, a bolt of lightning punctuating a hard snap of my hips.

Nessa’s thighs strain against my hold on them, and I finally relent, wrapping them around my waist instead as I continue to fuck into her with reckless abandon. She starts to buck against me and I get thrown off balance, my feet tangling in my jeans pooled at my feet. I stumble and try to right myself, but suddenly I’m pitched backwards, going down fast.

I somehow manage to catch myself on one arm to help break my fall while cradling Nessa against me with the other, a laugh spilling from her lips as she lands on top of me.

“Fuck,” I mutter, wincing at the pain shooting up my back. It’s quickly forgotten, though, because then Nessa’s shoving my shoulders down, positioning herself on top of me and sinking down on my cock. I groan as she starts riding me, my hands latching onto her bouncing tits, my gaze transfixed on the fire in her eyes and her swollen, parted lips.

She’s a vision, a goddess in the flesh, and my brain can hardly catch up to the fact that this is finally happening; that I’m making her mine again. Something primal takes over and I yank her down, rolling us over on the floor and mounting her with a savage snarl.

“Did this pussy miss me, baby?” I growl out, hovering over her and snapping my hips forward with a brutal thrust.

“Yes!” she gasps. Her hands scrabble at my biceps, fingernails digging in.

I punch in deeper, hard but not fast, dropping my thumb to rub against her clit. “Who does it belong to?”

Her pussy tightens around my cock, practically strangling it. “You!”

“That’s right,” I rasp, rubbing her clit harder, bringing her to the brink. When she’s right on the edge, I withdraw my touch, a frustrated moan escaping her throat.

“Callum, please,” Nessa cries, her own.

hand reaching between her legs.

I grab her by the wrist, scooping my other arm around her waist to yank her upright in my arms. “Not yet, baby,” I murmur, her arms and legs wrapping around me to hold on. I thrust up into her, liquid fire coursing through my veins.

That’s when I feel it again- the flare of connection that feels so much like the mate bond. There’s some sort of residual echo of its existence within us, and we both tense as it jolts through our bodies, bringing with it a wave of rapture. It’s there and gone in an instant, but its potency lingers, driving both of us to new heights.

Nessa clutches my shoulders, using them for leverage as she moves with me, meeting every hard thrust. 2 “I fucking love you,” I growl against her neck, nipping her skin as I continue rutting up into her.

“I love you too,” she whines, taking everything I’m giving her like a goddamn ((

champ. Like she can’t get enough.

Callum, oh god, I think I’m gonna…

})

I bury myself deep, grinding my pelvis against hers. “Let go, baby.”

Her inner walls clamp down on my dick as she comes, fingernails clawing my skin so hard that I swear I feel a dribble of blood run down my back. I fuck her through it, harder, deeper, prolonging her orgasm until she’s a shaking mess in my arms, tears of rapture running down her cheeks. The base of my spine tingles, my balls tightening, and the next thing I know, I’m thrusting as deep as I can, shoving her hips down and shuddering against her as I pump her full of my own release. 2 It’s the most intense orgasm of my life, bar none. Fireworks explode behind my eyelids and an incoherent string of expletives spill from my lips. With another loud crack of thunder from the storm raging outside, I swear it’s like the heavens are opening up, bathing me in euphoria.

It’s possible that I black out for a second, because when I come to, Nessa is boneless in my arms, her own dangling limply around my neck while her heavy breaths fan my skin. It takes me a second to catch my breath and attempt to struggle to my feet, but I don’t let her go. I lift her with me, stumbling to the bed, laying her down gently and crawling in next to her.

Nessa’s head lolls to the side, her eyes meeting mine. “That was…” Another crash of thunder sounds before she can finish, and a giddy laugh bubbles up from her throat as she gestures wildly toward the window.

“Exactly.”

I laugh, too- an honest, genuine laugh. Because fuck, I can’t remember the last time I was this happy. Probably the last time I was with her and things were good. I roll onto my side, reaching out to palm one of her tits as I stare into her eyes.

་་

We’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

She arches a brow, parting her thighs teasingly. “Ready for round two?”

For as sweet and virginal as Nessa seems, she’s a fucking minx. It drives me crazy.

I shove up from the bed with a growl, crawling on top of her and positioning myself between her legs.

I’m still fucking hard as stone thanks to that shifter stamina, and she reaches between our bodies to grip my cock, my own shuddering as she gives it a languid stroke.

“Hope you didn’t plan on sleeping tonight,” I murmur as she guides the tip of my cock to her entrance.

She moans in response as I push inside, and I swear to fuck that every time with this girl feels like the first. Her pussy’s tight, her body soft and pliant, moving with mine as I set a slow rhythm.

“Gonna do this all fucking night, babe” I promise, sinking in deep and circling my hips, grinding against her. “And maybe all day tomorrow, too. Fuck, I’ll never get enough of you.” (1 I dip my head down, crushing my lips against hers. She returns the kiss with equal fervor, moaning into my mouth as I continue working my hips in a slow grind.

I mean every word, too. Now that I have Nessa back, there’s no way in hell I’m ever letting her go. If I have to spend all night, all day, the rest of my goddamn life proving that to her, I will. Because she’s mine, and I’m not leaving this bed until I’m satisfied that she knows it.