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Broken Bond 11
CALLUMMy heart’s pounding as I stick the key in the lock of my apartment door, twisting it to hear the heavy click of the deadbolt unlocking.What the fuck am I doing?This is my safe space; my sanctuary. It isn’t somewhere that I bring girls for hookups. Hell, I rarely even let my own friends come inside.We could’ve stayed at the packhouse. There are plenty of guest rooms to go around, and that’s where I usually crash after a party anyways. I bet I could’ve gotten Nessa to follow me into one of them, just like she followed me into my apartment building from the truck. The thought crossed my mind.Still, I invited her here. It didn’t feel right to ask her to steal away to a room in the packhouse with me like a cheap hookup. She deserves better. So, she’ll be the first woman to enter my space, and I’m choosing to ignore the significance of that right now because I’ve had a hard-on for this girl since the first time I laid eyes on her, and I’m pretty sure we’re about to seal the deal.
Broken Bond 12
VANESSAI was a lot like my little sister Mia when I was her age. I was obsessed with princess movies- the kind where a handsome prince or a white knight would rush in and sweep the princess off her feet, then they’d ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. As I got older, I recognized that life wasn’t a fairytale, but that didn’t stop me from daydreaming about falling madly in love someday and finding my own happy ending. My parents did. Their relationship is like a real-life fairytale, so it didn’t seem far-fetched to dream of one day having something like that for myself.Turns out, relationships are far more complicated than I imagined, especially with a dark knight bent on pushing away anyone who gets too close. I took a chance on Callum because he made me feel things that nobody else ever has. He ignited something in me that made me want to take a leap of faith and see where the spark between us could go. Mates or not, he’s the first man I’ve had real feeli
Broken Bond 13
CALLUM“Of course,” I mutter under my breath as I look up at the house in front of me, my navigation app confirming that I’ve reached my destination. I mean, it comes as no surprise that Nessa’s family home is picture perfect, but the literal white picket fence out front is a little over the top. Everything about the setting screams that a happy family resides here, and even from my spot at the curb, I feel uncomfortably out of place; like my mere presence will somehow darken the vibe. I curl my fingers around the leather steering wheel of Levi’s truck- my borrowed ride for the evening- and look expectantly toward the front door as it swings open and Nessa steps out. I swear, every time I see this fuckin’ girl, it’s like the first time. She’s effortlessly gorgeous, the wintry breeze catching strands of her glossy dark hair like she’s a model on a photoshoot. She smooths it away from her face with a hand and starts down the front walk, my eyes lingering on the exposed skin of her bro
Broken Bond 14
VANESSAThe ride home is tortuously void of conversation. As soon as we get in the truck, Cal cranks the stereo so loud that I can barely hear myself think. I elect to give him time to cool down, nibbling my lip nervously while I try to think of something, anything to say to alleviate the tension hanging thick in the cab of the truck. I come up empty, so I just stare out the windshield, sliding him occasional side-eyed glances.His clenched jaw twitches. His fingers flex and tighten around the steering wheel, his knuckles going white. His throat bobs with every hard swallow, and his posture is so rigid that his muscles must be aching. Still, he says nothing.My mind wanders, images of the gruesome scene in the band’s dressing room flashing through my brain.Was it my fault?Violence is never the answer, but then again, I was the first one to throw an elbow into someone’s gut. Maybe if I hadn’t, things wouldn’t have escalated the way they did. Maybe we could’ve laughed it off as a misu
Broken Bond 15
Callum“Do you have any coffee?” Nessa asks, her sweet voice pulling me from sleep.I peel my forearm away from my eyes, squinting them open to look up at her. She’s bouncing on the bed on her knees beside me, clad only in those little red panties and one of my old t-shirts. She looks sexy as sin with her bedraggled hair and sleepy eyes, the hem of my shirt sweeping the tops of her bronze thighs. How the fuck is it possible that she looks this good first thing in the morning?“Top shelf of the cabinet next to the fridge,” I grumble, licking my lips as my hungry gaze traverses her body.“Thanks!” she chirps, leaning in to give me a peck on the cheek before shuffling off the bed and padding out of the room. My eyes linger on her bare legs until she disappears through the doorway, heading down the hall and to the kitchen.I blow out a breath and tuck my arms behind my head, my mind conjuring up memories of last night as I hear the coffee start to brew. The little cries of pleasure that
Broken Bond 16
VANESSA“Just like that,” Callum murmurs, running his tongue over his teeth.“Like this?” I breathe.“Yeah.” His gaze is so intense that it feels like it’s searing my skin.My heart pounds.The corner of his mouth ticks up. “Fucking gorgeous.”My cheeks burn as Cal’s eyes drop back down to the page of his sketchbook, his pencil scratching against the page. A crease forms between his brows as he works, his gaze constantly flickering between me and the page in front of him.I can’t complain about the view. He’s seated in a chair at the end of the bed, clad only in his boxers with all that mouthwatering lean muscle on display. I drink him in, mapping out the tattoos on his thighs and forearms, wondering if I’ll inspire the next work of art he inks on his skin.“So am I your muse now?” I joke, still diligently holding my pose.His lips draw into another smile, his eyes returning to mine. “What makes you think you haven’t been for weeks?”My heart stutters in my chest, skipping a beat.He
Broken Bond 17
CALLUMMiles wasn’t kidding about holding up his end of our bargain. Even though I repeatedly told him the stupid bet over Nessa was off, I get an unexpected call from the garage in Goldenleaf on Monday morning. The owner, Brady, has been kind enough to allow me to store my Corvette there for the past several months in exchange for helping him out with simple mechanic jobs when I’ve got time. He doesn’t hold me to a schedule or anything, so when I see the incoming call from him on my screen, it catches me off guard- even more so when he tells me to come down because my car’s ready to be picked up.I catch a ride to the garage with Alec, not disclosing why I’m going. He doesn’t ask, either, because it’s not unusual for me to get a ride to the garage to work for an afternoon, either on my own car or on something for Brady. He pulls up to the garage, idling as I hop out of his truck and toss him a wave over my shoulder. Gravel crunches underneath his tires as he drives away, and I shove
Broken Bond 18
VANESSA“Where do you think you’re going?” Cal growls, rolling to his side and reaching out to grab for me.His fingertips brush my waist as I dart away, giggling as I scramble off his bed. I can feel his heavy stare burning into me as I search for my underwear on the floor, stepping into them once I find them and pulling them up my thighs. “I’m thirsty,” I explain, reaching down to scoop up his discarded t-shirt and pulling it on over my head. “Gonna grab a glass of water.”His shirt smells like him. I inhale deeply, breathing in the subtle notes of juniper, leather, smoke, and spice before tugging my long hair out of the collar, darting him a glance over my shoulder. “Think you’ll survive without me for two minutes?” I tease.Callum smirks, his eyes dropping to my bare legs and raking up my form slowly before meeting mine again. “I’ll try,” he rasps, running his tongue over his teeth with a devious grin.Christ, the man’s insatiable. He just had me naked and screaming beneath him, b
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