Page 45 of Bonded By Christmas
It feels like my brain has been stuffed with cotton. I’m overly tired and cranky, but I’m not sure extra sleep would fix this unsettled feeling. Being away from Grim so soon after bonding is hard.
I would’ve been happier if all four of us could have stayed home today.
Wilder has some important deal to negotiate, and I get that.
My instincts do not, and I’m feeling vulnerable and rejected for no good reason.
“Almost there, baby girl.” Callum squeezes my knee, tugging his hand away to shift gears. “Ready to shop ’til you drop?”
I snort. “I bet you’ll tap out before I do.” At least when it comes to shopping, I know I can hold my own. My mom and I used to spend hours exploring thrift stores and clearance sales.
Wilder’s car is fancy to the point I’m surprised he let Cal drive it, but damn does Callum look good behind the wheel.
His wavy blond hair falls over his forehead as he grins dangerously and winks. He’s all stretched out in the seat with his right hand on the gearshift and his left hand on the wheel.
It makes my thighs clench.
There’s just something sexy about how confident he is whipping the car around each curve.
His hand comes to rest on my thigh once more, and I relish in the momentary warmth, but he has to tug it away again to downshift as he pulls into a parking lot. The way he perfectly maneuvers the car into a parking spot is unnaturally hot.
Why is competence so sexy?
Once the car is turned off, he unbuckles, swipes a hand through his hair, which immediately falls back over his forehead, and turns to me.
“I’m going to come around and help you out of the vehicle.” Cal slides his hand up the back of my neck and uses his fingers on my jaw to tilt my face toward him. “You’re going to be a sweet little omega and wait for me to open your door. Right, Lace?”
“Yeah,” I agree, staring into his deep blue-green eyes.
Honestly, I don’t know what we’re even shopping for, but I think I’d follow Cal into the pits of Hell.
Well, shit.
That’s not healthy.
My damn hormones are out of control all of a sudden. A flush starts in my cheeks and seems to spread down my neck.
“You’re so fucking cute,” he murmurs, pecking a quick kiss on my nose. “I’d eat you alive if Wilder and Grim weren’t around to stop me.” With that, he turns and tosses the door open while I squint, trying to figure out what that means.
It’s not a long walk from the parking lot up to the building. I’m in one of the outfits Wilder bought. It’s a simple dress with leggings and a coat, but it’s not warm enough to keep me from shivering.
“Shit, maybe I should have taken you by your apartment first,” Cal says, tossing his arm around my shoulder. He pulls me close to his chest, and my nose twitches with his smoky, campfire scent. “I’d offer you my jacket, but that would leave me with nothing to conceal my holster. I’m sure they’ll have something we can snag, even if it’s a blanket to wrap around you to keep you warm during the walk back to the car.”
Knowing he’s wearing at least one gun is kinda unreal. When he was just my neighbor, I thought of Callum as someone who was likely a bartender or maybe a musician. He was always vague when I asked him about his life, but his energy didn’t scream organized crime to me. Even after seeing how efficient he was when he helped move those dead bodies, it’s still hard to think of him as anything other than Cal, my sexy neighbor who likes Chinese food and cheesy horror movies.
Wilder called Callum a loose cannon. He also mentioned that anyone who’s anyone owes Cal a favor. It’s strange to think of this funny, sweet guy as dangerous and calculating.
The boutique is cute and trendy with a variety of clothing and styles. It’s a battle not to check each price tag.
I looked at a few when we first came in, and it was a bad idea. Two or three outfits could pay my rent.
I’ve never shopped in a store like this.
The only thing that stops me from feeling horribly out of place is knowing Wilder’s personal shopper picked out this dress. I’m sure she didn’t head to a thrift store or even any of the shops in the mall that I would frequent.
Come to think of it, all the prices were removed from everything Wilder gifted me, which leads me to believe it was all exorbitantly priced.
“You’re doing a whole lot of browsing, but you’re not doing a whole lot of actually picking anything up.” Callum slides up behind me. His tattooed hand curls around my middle as he uses the other to pull the hair away from my neck on the opposite side from Grim’s bite. “Want me to start selecting things for you?” His warm breath radiates down my throat, and my knees clench.
