Page 60 of What Hurts Us

We moved with the enthusiasm of third graders getting seated boy-girl-boy-girl. Cal let out a string of curses under his breath but reluctantly slid his hands down the small of my back, right onto my ass cheeks.

“You look like you’re about to vomit,” I hissed as his nose nudged mine. The click of the camera shutter melted into the rustle of the forest. The trees were lit up in oranges, reds, and yellows. “Is touching me really that repulsive?”

He exhaled through his nose. If sarcastic breathing was a skill, Callum Fletcher had honed it to perfection. His fingers flexed inside my back pockets. “Do you think I was repulsed this morning?”

Ashley shouted for Cal to tip my chin up and give me a kiss.

“I’m far from repulsed, honey,” he said as he guided my head up with a crooked finger and grazed my lips with his. The simple touch of his lips to mine made his cock throb between us. The skin-tight leather pants I'd shrink-wrapped myself into amplified the sensation.

“Layla, put your foot up on the peg and rest your knee against Callum’s side,” Ashley hollered as she snapped away. “Cal, play with her hair a little.”

He helped me find the foot peg to put the sole of my boot on and took the opening to rest his hand on the outside of my thigh. With the other hand, he sifted his fingers through the tresses on the side of my head. This time, he didn’t need to be told to kiss me. It was soft and tender but packed the punch of a shot of whiskey without a chaser. My bent leg hid the fact that Callum had an erection the size of a Pringles can.

Ashley shouted a pose command, but it sounded like she was a million miles away. Cal brushed my hair off my left side and hooked his finger in the neckline of my loose-fitting t-shirt. He tugged, pulling it to the side and exposing the slope of my shoulder. His lips were warm against the top of my collarbone. I tipped my head back, hair spilling down behind me as his tongue darted out and teased a small circle on my skin.

I couldn’t keep my eyes open for another second. Ashley moved to the other side of the bike, chasing the sunlight. “Layla, put your hand on his shoulder so I can see the ring. Callum, whisper something in her ear.”

Daintily, I laid my hand on his chiseled arm, the ornate engagement ring on full display. Cal nipped at my earlobe, his stubbled jaw scraping against my smooth skin. His faint growl rattled my bones. “If you were mine, we wouldn’t be leaving this park until I had my cock inside of you.”

The expression on my face must have been exactly what Ashley wanted for the photo because she shrieked like a banshee and squealed, “Oh my god, yes!Ugh! You two are so perfect it makes me want to barf! Keep talking to her, Cal!”

Callum licked his lips, the intensity in his gaze making me feel as though I was about to be devoured. “I’d find a hidden spot and strip you out of these goddamn pants. I’d make you stand. Make you straddle the bike and hold on to the handlebars while I punish your ass with my hand. I’d turn it bright red and have you begging before I fucked you.” His breath danced down my neck in warm tendrils.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I whispered. “This is…”

“If you say ‘pretend’ one more time…” His gray eyes turned midnight black as he pinched my cheeks between one hand and forced me to look at him. “You don’t kiss me like this is fake.”

“I could say the same about you.”

The tic in his jaw as he gritted his teeth was a tale-tell sign that his self-control was hanging by a thread. Part of me—a rather large part, uncontrolled by the rational side of my brain—wanted to be alone with him when that thread finally snapped.

“You deserve more than a dirty fuck with a bastard like me.” His thumb brushed across the pout of my lower lip. “The things I’d do to your mouth… Your lips are like pillows. Sometimes I lay awake at night, thinking about what it would be like to squeeze your cheeks until you open your mouth, then rest my dick on those lips.”

“I, uh…” My brain turned to alphabet soup.

The moment shattered when Ashley hurried over, turning her camera to show us the raw photos on the tiny screen. There was no denying the chemistry or the sexual tension that pulsed between us. On the screen, we looked as though we were almost mauling each other.

“Y’all are naturals,” Ashley gushed as she moved us into a different set of poses beside the bike. They were the stereotypical couple poses—hugging, kissing, holding hands, and looking off into the distance. “When some couples get in front of the camera, they act like they’ve never touched each other before. You two are so comfortable with each other.” She chattered on as we stood and posed silently.

When Ashley was satisfied with the shots she got of us beside Cal’s bike, we headed deeper into the park.

“You were joking back there,” I said quietly as Callum and I posed on the footbridge. Wood slats wobbled beneath our feet, and the suspension cables bowed.

“Why would I joke about that?” he clipped.

“Because…”

“Because what?” His brow furrowed, and he stared at me with questioning intensity.

“Because,” I said with a sigh. “We’re on borrowed time. This has an end date. I’ve done the ‘benefits’ things before, and no matter how amicably it ends, it always hurts.”

“Cal,” Ashley shouted from the other side of the bridge. “Take your jacket off and drape it around her shoulders. Layla, just hold the front of his flannel with both hands. Don’t put your arms through the jacket.”

Cal shrugged out of his leather jacket and did as he was told. The same warm weight I felt before the engagement party rested on my shoulders. Our shuffling feet rocked the bridge. I squeaked as I teetered backward, but two strapping arms caught me around my waist.

Cal pulled me into his chest. “I’ve got you, honey.” His hand came up and cradled the back of my head. “I’ve got you.”

My heart ricocheted against my rib cage, and I wished I had fallen off the bridge. It would have hurt less than falling for him.

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