After hearing Christopher defend himself, I couldn’t stay angry. Besides, he ended up being right. “You were right about Calloway. He’s the only person Hank seems to be afraid of.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hank tried to corner me outside the office today. Calloway was with me, and he scared him off with just a look. I’ve never seen Hank back down from a fight. Actually, he nearly ran. I don’t know if this means Hank is gone forever, but I think it’s a good sign.”
“Hell yeah.” Christopher clapped his hands together hard over the line. “Calloway is the fucking man. I told you. I told you that from the beginning, Rome. You’re staying there forever. Helps me sleep at night.”
“I don’t know about forever…” Now that I was living there again, I didn’t want to leave. I loved sharing Calloway’s bedroom with him. I loved sleeping in that enormous bed with him right beside me. We had a routine every morning before work and every night before bed. I treasured it.
“He told me he gave up everything for you, Rome. Yes, I think this is forever.”
“He told you…?”
“I called him the other day,” Christopher explained. “Just to check in.”
I thought Christopher was pissed at Calloway for lying to me. He obviously got over it. “He hasn’t told me he loves me.”
“Not with words, no. But he does.”
“Why do you think that?” My heart was racing in my chest, the adrenaline flooding my body. There was nothing I wanted more than to tell him I loved him and hear him say it back.
“Are we gossip girls again?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Because it’s obvious, Rome,” he snapped. “The guy is letting you live with him again. He watches every step you take. He’s given up Ruin for you. Do I really need to spell it out for you?”
“Then why won’t he just tell me?”
“Because words are stupid. They’re meaningless. They can be taken back with the snap of a finger. But his actions say everything that needs to be said, Rome. Maybe he’s just afraid of intimacy. Maybe he’s just afraid to say the words out loud. But he does love you. We both know it.”
When I’d told Calloway I loved him, his eyes softened in a way they never had before. Then he’d made sweet love to me on the couch, moving slow and taking his time so we could enjoy each other as much as the sex. I believed he did love me. He just wasn’t ready to say it.
Calloway came to my office at the end of the day right on time. “Ready to go, sweetheart?” He gave me an endearment right in the middle of the hallway where everyone could hear. But he clearly didn’t care.
Since everyone knew I was sleeping with him, I guess a nickname really didn’t make a difference at this point. I grabbed my stuff and met him at the door.
He looked down at me like he wanted to kiss me. He eyed my lips with his usual look of intensity, probably wanting to pin me against the wall and fuck me right then and there. I didn’t want him to kiss me because we were at work, but if he did, I wouldn’t stop him. He eventually pulled away, having made up his mind.
We left the building and took the car back to his place. When we sat in the back seat together, he grabbed my hand and brushed his thumb over my knuckles. His eyes were glued to the window, but he glanced at me from time to time.
We arrived at home then walked inside. The second we were alone together, the electricity filled the air between us. His desires were an open book. I could feel his arousal without even looking at him.
His hands went around my waist, and he moved me into the wall.
Before he could kiss me, I spoke my mind. “I want to please you.”
He eyed my lips, his hands still gripping my hips as he held me against the wall.
“You did something amazing for me today. So I want to do something for you.”
His hands tightened on my hips, and his look intensified. “You don’t owe me anything, sweetheart.” He pressed his face against mine then placed a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“But I want to…” I moved my hands up his chest and undid the buttons of his shirt, popping one by one. I loosened his tie and let it come apart over his chest. “Whatever you want, Calloway. I’ll do it this time.”
When his eyes darkened, I knew he understood exactly what I was offering.
He chased away my greatest nightmare and gave me back my freedom. He did so much for me without ever asking for anything in return. I knew he had his fantasies, and I could fulfill one—an innocent one.