Page 58 of Backed By You
I approach cautiously. Unzipping the first bag reveals a tuxedo that probably costs more than my mountainside property. I check the label:Armani. There’s another bag with what looks like a more casual suit, and a third with various shirts and pants.
“How much did all of this cost?” I ask, unable to keep the edge from my voice.Too fuckin’ much for clothes, is what I’m guessing.
She wraps her arms around my waist from behind. “It’s part of the deal. The designers loan clothes in exchange for the publicity of having someone wear them on the red carpet.”
“But I’m just security.”
She rests her cheek against my back. “You’re with me. That’s enough for them.”
I turn in her arms, studying her face. There’s a tension around her eyes that wasn’t there on the way here. “You doing okay?”
“Tired,” she says. “And missing Hulk already.”
“He’s probably getting spoiled by my niece as we speak.”
Her smile is small but genuine. “I hope so.”
I brush a strand of hair from her face and lean in for a kiss. Her lips part under mine, soft and yielding. The familiar taste of her grounds me, reminding me that despite the unfamiliar surroundings, some things remain constant—the way she sighs into my mouth, the gentle press of her body against mine.Her.
She steps back, glancing toward an open door leading to what appears to be the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower, wash off the travel.”
I nod, letting her slip out of my arms and stare uncomfortably at the items before me. Not sure what to do with myself. Behind me, the bathroom door closes, then opens again.
“Beau?”
I glance over my shoulder. Callie’s standing in the doorway, an invitation in her eyes. “This shower is pretty big,” she says. A smile plays on her fuck-me lips. “I might need someone to watch my back…”
My cock thickens at the very thought of her asking me—wantingme. Three weeks we’ve been together, and my desire for her hasn’t diminished at all. If anything, it’s grown stronger with every second I’m with her.
I cross the room in a few strides, following her into a bathroom that’s as big as her living room in Whitetail. White marbleeverywhere, a shower enclosure to fit five people with two showerheads, and a tub that could classify as a small pool.
She’s already turning on the shower, steam beginning to rise. She turns to me, fingers slipping under the straps of her dress and shimmying it down her chest, waist, hips, thighs—before pooling at her feet. She steps out of it, wearing only a thin scrap of fabric between her thighs.Fuck.
My mouth goes dry at the sight of her naked, surrounded by this amount of luxury. The late afternoon California sun streams through frosted windows and catches her hair in a honey glow.
“You’re overdressed,” she points out with a smile, sliding her panties down her legs.
My cock weeps as she steps backward into the shower and the water that falls over her breasts, causing her nipples to perk.
I don’t need to be told twice. I strip quickly, my clothes falling to the floor as I follow her under the spray. The water pressure is perfect, hot streams hitting my shoulders and easing the tension in my knee from the flight.
Callie presses against me, her skin slick and warm. “Hi,” she says, looking up at me with those eyes that see right through me.
“Hi yourself,” I murmur, before capturing her mouth with mine.
The kiss deepens immediately, urgent and hungry. She slides her hands up my chest and into my hair, pulling me closer. I press her against the cool tile wall, one hand braced above her head, the other trailing down her side to grip her hip.
“I missed you,” she whispers against my lips.
“I haven’t gone anywhere.”
“No, but since we landed, you’ve been…” She looks away briefly, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. “Present but distant. Like you’re on duty.”
She’s not wrong. I’ve been in assessment mode since we touched down. Knowing she wants me here as a means ofprotection—backup, as she calls it—has me scanning for threats, cataloging exits. She may have invited me to keep her safe, but every bone in me would have told me to do so regardless. “I’m right here, sweetheart,” I say, pressing my forehead to hers. “I’m with you.”
Her fingers trace the scar on my shoulder, then lower to wrap around my already hard cock. “I can tell,” she says with a wicked smile.
My breath catches when she strokes me, her grip firm and sure. Then she sinks to her knees on the tile floor, looking up at me through wet lashes. “Callie—” I start, but the words die in my throat as her tongue laps at the head of my cock and her lips close around me.
