Page 33 of Hell's Claim

“Callie, I never meant to upset or hurt you. Don’t let one drunken idiot ruin it all for you,” Sunny said.

“I have trust issues. This just exacerbated them. I get it, okay, you’re not looking for anything, and neither am I. But that night went from a dream to a nightmare. And can we please finish with this conversation? It’s causing bad memories and making me feel hurt all over again. You forgot me, like everyone else in my life. The truth is, I’m so unforgettable than I should be used to it.”

“Don’t say that! You’re anything but forgettable, Callie!” Sunny exclaimed, leaning towards me.

Sadly, I got to my feet. “But I am… because even you, who I thought was a friend, forgot you slept with me.” I walked away asSunny called my name. “This is done. Let’s forget stuff happened and go our own ways.”

Sunny

He stared after her. If Callie thought he was going to let shit slide, she had another thing coming. Sunny didn’t know what to call his feelings towards her; it wasn’t love, but he liked her a fuck load. He was not prepared to walk away from her and let her hurt in silence. Nor was Sunny going to let her wallow in self-pity. Callie was a fighter, or she wouldn’t be where she was today.

Sunny had watched Callie grow and had enjoyed the experience. And now she’d admitted she was attracted to him despite their age difference? Yeah, she was in his crosshairs and was going down.

Chapter Eight.

Callie

That conversation had been so embarrassing. I wanted to crawl up my own ass and die. Sunny had been kind but to the point. I drove back to the house and allowed my angst to drain away. Keeping hold of negative feelings never worked, and all it caused was drama and grief. When I had been a child, I’d learned to let go of what most people held onto. Unwanted, I might have been, but I was a quick learner.

The truth was, deep down, I wanted to belong to someone or something. Ghost Seekers had filled a part of that longing, but being the centre of somebody’s world was a dream that wouldn’t come true for me. Hell, I wasn’t looking to be Sunny’s old lady, but I’d hoped he’d appreciated that night as much as me. And it turned out he didn’t remember it!

I shook myself. I had to stop harping on about it.

Reality was, I was not the only woman who’d slept with a man and then been forgotten. That shit hurt, but not as much as being lashed with chains or some of the other physical punishments I had received. Sunny had forgotten about our crazy sex, wit-woo,so be it. I’d move forward, being careful who I let into my life. Lesson learned.

Sunny

He sat on his bike, trying to drum up the courage to walk up the path and knock. Sunny had no idea how this would go down, but knowing Chance, it wouldn’t be easy. He scratched his stomach as he tried to figure out the right approach and jumped as the front door opened and Chance filled the entrance.

“You coming in or what?” Chance demanded.

“Yeah. I need to talk to you about something,” Sunny replied, swinging off his Harley.

“Kids are here, so we’ll speak outside. Won’t get any privacy if we go in,” Chance said and motioned towards some Adirondack chairs. Sunny took one as Chance disappeared and reappeared, holding two bottles of beer.

“How does it feel knowing you’re that much older than Clio?” Sunny asked as Chance sat and handed him a bottle.

Chance looked surprised, but considered his answer. “Truth is, it doesn’t matter. She’s Clio. My woman. I worship the ground she walks on, and it does not bother me who knows.”

“Did you have doubts?”

“Nope. Well, not at first, but sure, I did consider the gap. Especially when I realised I could die, and she might have twenty years left before she joins me. When Clio hits fifty, I’ll be seventy-five. That’s a scary thought. If I live to eighty, Clio will be fifty-five, young enough to get with someone else. Yes, sometimes the age gap does a number on me, but then I remember the love Clio brought me, and I’d not swap that for nothing.”

“I see.” Sunny turned Chance’s words over in his head as Chance gave him space. “I like Callie,” Sunny blurted.

“Callie?” Chance asked, surprised.

“Yeah. We’ve gotten close over the last few years and developed a friendship. But I want more, and I believe Callie does as well. I’m here to ask permission to date her.”

Chance chewed his lip as his gaze raked Sunny’s face. Sunny tried to hide the guilt but knew he was failing.

“You slept with her?” Chance growled.

“A one-night stand eight months ago. I want more.”

“Is that why Callie hasn’t been around?”

“No. She genuinely overbooked her schedule,” Sunny replied confidently, even though he wasn’t sure. Had Callie done that to escape the embarrassment she’d felt and to avoid facing him?

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