Page 144 of Your Place or Mine

Callum crossed his arms slowly, like he had all the time in the world to stare Trevor into submission.

Trevor got the hint.

“Okay then. I’ll, uh… get going.”

We stood in silence as his engine roared back to life and his ridiculous car peeled off like it had something to prove.

When the sound faded, I let out a breath.

Callum turned to me, brows lowered. “You alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m good. Thanks.”

Melanie looked between the two of us and let out a long, satisfied sigh. “Well. That was hot.”

Callum gave her a wary look, and I laughed, nerves still buzzing through me.

“I didn’t think you’d be—” I started.

“Walking by?” he finished. “Yeah. Lucky timing, I guess.”

Our eyes locked.

And something clicked.

Or maybe justsimmered.

Because whatever had been building between us was still there. Still thrumming beneath the surface like electricity waiting for permission to spark.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Callum

I didn’t look back until I heard his tires fade into the hills.

If I had, I might’ve done something stupid like deck the guy.

Lydia had said she was fine. And maybe she was. But I’d seen the way she stiffened when that jackass touched her arm.

I’d seen the forced calm in her voice, the way her shoulders tensed even while she tried to play it cool. She might’ve told me it was nothing, but I’ve been around long enough to recognize the kind of nothing that leaves bruises on the inside.

That wasn’t nothing.

That was a ghost showing up where it didn’t belong.

And I wasn’t going to let it happen again.

My boots hit the pavement harder than usual as I turned and started walking. I didn’t have a destination. I just needed to move. Burn some of the heat off before it turned into something else.

Hell, I hadn’t felt this worked up since… I didn’t even know. Probably not since Lucy.

And that was a whole different kind of pain.

This?

This was fire under the ribs.

That bastard had rolled into town like some discount movie villain, thinking he could just claim Lydia like she was something to possess. He didn’t know her. Not anymore. And the fact that he thought she’d welcome him back with open arms told me everything I needed to know about how little he’d seen her in the first place.

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