“Is that for me?” I ask and sit up a bit. The blankets roll from my naked body and I pull them back up.
He pulls himself up to his full height and I resist the urge to drool as I take pleasure in the sight of him. This morning he’s dressed in a navy T-shirt and jeans that hang low on his hips. I used to notice Callan before, but he was taken, so I kept my eyes to myself. Now, though, he might not be looking for a relationship—neither am I—but I can look my fill, and look I will.
“Could be.”
I arch a brow and push my hair from my shoulders. “Could be?
“Depends on what you’d do for it.”
“Well, that sounds like a challenge to me.”
His sexy grin turns me inside out, and when I hear a noise from downstairs, I stiffen.
“Shoot, Kaitlyn will know I slept over.”
“It’s okay. I explained that it was late, and she’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve had a sleepover.”
I angle my head. Last night he told me he hasn’t been with anyone since Zoe. “Oh?”
“Yeah, sometimes the nanny stays when I work nights, and sometimes the other female firefighters and wives of the male ones stay over.”
“You have a whole harem.”
That pulls a laugh from him. He holds his empty hand up, palm out. “All platonic.”
He comes toward me and I stare at his hard body as mine quivers in awareness. God, what we did last night. It was so incredible. The way he made me feel, both physically and emotionally.
“It really is nice that you have such a great support system.”
“It is.”
He hands me the cup but before I can take it, he pulls it back. “Wait, what are you willing to do for this?
I crook my finger, and he leans into me. “Well, if we were alone, I’d be willing to go on my knees and take your cock into my mouth.” I love the tortured groan that follows. “But since we’re not, I guess all I can do is give you a thank you.”
“Great, now I have a hard-on,” he says, as he hands me the cup and I take a much-needed sip of coffee.
He sits beside me and the bed dips. I smile at him, and my heart is so damn full. He smiles back, and I love this. I love everything about this morning after. No awkwardness. No expectations. We both know where each other stands. I could get used to an arrangement like this.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, and like it’s the most natural thing in the world to do, he brushes my hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear. The tenderness in his caress is like a soft hug to all the hurts inside me.
“Amazing,” I say. “How about you. You good?”
He rakes his hands through his hair, and gives a low slow whistle. “Gemma, last night was everything I needed.”
“Good. It was what I needed too.” I steal a glance at the clock and my heart sinks. “And now I need to get going to the Cape.”
“Right. Do you mind coming with me to drop Kaitlyn off to her grandparents?”
“Actually, I haven’t seen your parents in years, Callan. I’d love to say hello.”
His smile is filled with warmth and appreciation. “They’d love that too.”
He leans into me, and places a soft kiss on my lips. From the look on his face when he pulls back, he’s as surprised by it as I am. He shakes his head. “You want to jump in the shower?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”
“Go for it. I’ll have breakfast ready for you.”
“That’s very nice, but you don’t have to go to the trouble.”
“After all the trouble you went through for me last night,” he teases. “It’s the least I could do.”
“It wasn’t a hardship, Callan,” I say, and tug the sheet from the bed to wrap around myself. “Where the heck are my clothes?” I scan the floor.
“On the dresser.” I follow the direction he’s pointing. “I picked them up earlier and folded them.”
“Such a domestic dad,” I say.
He slaps my ass. “So saucy. Now go.”
I snatch up my clothes and hurry to the shower. Since I have no supplies with me, I use his soap. As I lather, it brings a smile back to my face. For the rest of the day, I’m going to smell like him. Hey, maybe that will go a long way with Brad. If he smells another man’s soap on my skin, maybe it will prove to him that I’ve moved on and seriously have no intention of getting back together with him. I rinse off, and climb into yesterday’s clothes. A chuckle catches in my throat. Back in college I never once did the walk of shame, yet here I am doing it with Callan, no less.
I head downstairs, and Kaitlyn lifts her head from her coloring book. “Miss Davis,” she says. “Can we play the piano again?”
I relax. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be awkward or not. I’m about to answer, when Callan comes into the room, my coffee refreshed. “We don’t have time today, kiddo. We all have places to be,” he says. “But, if Miss Davis can fit you in to her schedule, we can set up some lessons over the summer.”
“Really, Daddy!” she squeals and jumps up and down. “Yay!”
“One thing,” I say. “How about when we’re at home you call me Gemma.”
She shrugs. “Okay. When can we start, Gemma?”
“I’m going to be away this weekend. How about I look at my schedule and we’ll plan for when you get back from your grandparents.”
“That’s when I’m getting Gilbert. Maybe you
