Steal My Breath (Elixir #1) (18 page)

“
I
’m so
sorry about today,” Paris says as she grabs her bag and keys off the kitchen counter.

I wave her away. “It’s no worries. Work’s gotta come first. Besides, I think Luke’s gonna spend some time in the garden and I’m all for sweaty, hot men. I’ll hang out with Sean and then after lunch, we might get lucky if he goes down for a nap. However today pans out will be fun.”

And I might still get to bring out my A-game.

“I think they might let me finish around midafternoon, so hopefully, you two can catch some time together then.”

“Honestly, Paris, I’m just happy to be here with Luke and Sean. We don’t need alone time to be happy.”

She pauses and gives me a smile. “I love that about you, Callie. I always thought it might be hard for Luke to find a woman willing to take Sean on too, but he scored gold with you.”

Luke wanders into the kitchen wearing only shorts and catches my complete attention, effectively ending our conversation.

“Put your tongue in, Callie,” Paris says before she leaves.

I ignore her and track Luke’s movements. He pours himself a drink before finding my gaze. “You sure you’re good with this?”

“With this no shirt activity?”

I am more than okay with this.

There should be more of this in my life.

We could even go so far as no shorts, too.

His lips twitch. “Yeah. That and you watching Sean while I mow.”

I move to where he stands, unable to resist. Placing my hand on his abs, I trail my fingers over the ridges of his muscles. “Any day you wanna mow, you just call me. I’m all over this.”

He drinks some of his water before placing the glass on the counter and taking hold of my face with both hands. Bending his face to mine, he kisses me. I lean into him and slide my hands up his body to loop around his neck.

There should definitely be more of this in my life.

When his lips finally leave mine, he says, “Fuck, I was looking forward to your A-game. I’ll take a raincheck on that.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll manage a quick game later.”

He smirks. “I like the way you think.”

I move out of his embrace. “I’m going to check on Sean. You should go mow before I rip those shorts off you.”

“Come see me later,” he demands with one final kiss before leaving me.

I find Sean playing in his bedroom. “What you up to, mate?” I ask as I sit on his bed.

He only gives me a quick glance. His attention is firmly on the toy cars he’s playing with. “Police chase,” he says.

Upon closer inspection, I see the police car he has. “Do you want me to play with you?”

He shakes his head but doesn’t answer me. I figure there’s no time to answer when you’re busy chasing baddies.

I stand and move to the doorway. “I’ll be in the lounge room if you change your mind, okay?”

Again, no words, just a quick nod.

I end up on the couch with the notebook and pen I always carry in my bag. I’ve been writing more the last week than I have been for a long time. Curling up with some words today sounds like my version of heaven. Well, besides playing with Luke.

I lose myself for what must be an hour or so. Sean is awfully quiet so I make a quick visit to check on him. I find him still playing quietly—this time with his blocks and puzzles. Being so engrossed in his toys, he doesn’t notice me, so I quietly leave him be.

I’ve just settled myself back on the couch with a cup of coffee and my notebook when a knock on the front door demands my attention.

Glenda’s bitchy face stares back at me when I answer the door. “Oh. You’re here again,” she mutters, bustling past me without waiting to be asked in.

I close the door. “Yeah, me again.”

She walks past the kitchen after noting there’s no one there, to the lounge room. Stopping, she turns to face me. “Where’s Luke?”

The mower has stopped so there’s no way for her to know he’s outside. I briefly consider telling her he’s not home, but I can’t bring myself to lie. “He’s outside, gardening.”

“So why are you here, then?”

What the fuck?

I settle in for a bitch fight because that seems to be all this woman wants. “Well, I came over so Luke could spend some time with my mouth… you know, he seems to like that part of me on a certain part of him, but Paris couldn’t look after Sean, so I’m doing that while he does his gardening.” My gaze zeroes in on her shock, and I push the point a little further. Leaning closer, I whisper, “Later on, I’ll suck him so good he’ll never forget my lips.”

“Glenda,” Luke’s voice sounds from the hallway.

Her eyes are wide with distaste from what I’ve just said and she takes a moment to look away from me. Turning to Luke, she says, “Callie was just telling me that Paris couldn’t look after Sean. You should have called. I would have been happy to take him for the day. Save you looking elsewhere for help.” I don’t miss the nasty way she says that last bit.

He frowns and takes a moment to reply. “There was no need. We’re both here.” I don’t miss the way Luke says “we”. It makes putting up with Glenda worth every second.

She appears a little flustered and unsure of herself. Clearly she also noticed the way Luke phrased his reply. Smoothing her dress, she says, “Well, I just came over to talk to you about Sean’s birthday. I’ve had some ideas for a party and wanted to run them by you.”

The lines on Luke’s forehead deepen. “I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet. His birthday is more than three months away.” He seems confused as to why she’s thinking about it so soon. I’m confused as to why she’s even thinking about planning his party at all.

“These things take time to plan, Luke. And I want to make his party really special this year.”

“Okay.” He nods. “Can we talk about this another day? I’m in the middle of trying to fix the mower and tidying up the yard.”

Her face falls, but she quickly recovers with what I presume is a fake smile. “Certainly. I’ll arrange a day for you and me to get together to go over it.”

“Great. Line it up with Callie and Paris, too. We’ll need to make it a weekend.” With that, he leaves and heads towards the kitchen.

I do my best not to laugh. The look of fury on her face tells me Glenda didn’t achieve what she set out to here. It amuses me that an adult can engage in such childish behaviour.

“Does Luke know he’s picked up trash?” she asks. “I hardly think he’d like to hear the way you talk about sex in public.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, go fuck yourself, Glenda. And take a course in men. They love that kind of dirty talk; maybe you should try it one day.” When she doesn’t move, I add, “You can see yourself out.”

I settle on the couch and pull my notebook out to begin writing again. No way am I going to allow her to rain on my parade. Luke wants me in his life. Glenda can’t ruin that.

I
kiss
Sean’s forehead and tiptoe out of his bedroom. He’s finally asleep after a whiney time at lunch fighting me about eating the sandwich I made him. He also didn’t want anything to do with the apple I cut up. I’m getting better at this, though. I stood my ground and he ate most of it. This gig is the hardest one I’ve ever had in my life. But I wouldn’t give it up for the world. The way his little arms clung to my neck when I carried him to bed and the way he showered kisses over my cheeks before he let me go wiped away the mental exhaustion I felt after lunch.

After I retrieve the sandwich and drink I made Luke, I make my way downstairs to find him. I slow when I catch a glimpse of him. So does my breathing. He’s finished the mowing and is currently cutting branches from a tree down the back of the yard. His back and arm muscles flexing with each movement hypnotise me. I realise where Luke gets his muscles from—hard work in his garden rather than in the gym. That and the daily workouts he does at home.

He finishes with the branches and stops to wipe his brow. As he does this, he turns and our eyes meet. Only for a moment, though, because I can’t help but drop my gaze to take in everything on display. I continue staring as he comes towards me.

“Is Sean asleep?” he asks when he reaches me.

I lift my gaze and nod. “Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are when you’re a sweaty mess?”

“Only you, baby.”

Butterflies.

Whoosh.

I take a deep breath and shove the sandwich and drink at him. “Some days I think I’d be much safer if you just didn’t speak.”

He guzzles the water. “Why?”

I stare at his chest. “Because I can barely cope with everything else you have—your muscles, your smile, your eyes—but when you speak, your voice does crazy things to me.” I look back up into his eyes. “And those words that come out of your mouth… I’m like a dazed teenager around you.”

He places the plate and glass down on the steps before pulling me close. His lips crash down onto mine and he muddles my mind even more with a kiss that sweeps me off my feet. When he finally comes up for air, he growls, “And I’m like a fucking horny teenager when I’m around you, Callie.” His gaze drops to my mouth and he nips at it with his teeth. “These lips…” His mouth dips to my throat. “This hollow…” Further down to my breasts. “This perfection…” His hands slide down over my breasts and keep going until he hits the bottom of my top.

Reaching under, his fingers meet my skin and I sway a little at his touch. He pushes my top up so he can taste my skin. His tongue licks a line between my breasts as he pushes my bra to the side. And then my nipple is in his mouth and my legs sway some more.

My arms move around him and my fingers tangle in his hair while his mouth and hands take charge of me. I just want to hold him close forever. Luke makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. All the searching I’ve been doing has led me to him and I know I never need to search another day in my life. I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for.

Luke.

Passion.

Love.

He spends a long time with my breasts before finally bringing his face back to mine. “We need to move this upstairs,” he rasps as he begins to back me up.

I take the stairs slowly, one at a time while he continues to drive me wild. I’m so crazed I need to steady myself on the railing. One hand grips it hard while I hold Luke with my other arm. His hands are all over me. His mouth is on my neck and I’m not sure that we’re actually going to make it to the top of the stairs before we decide to hell with it and do this right here, right now.

Halfway up, Luke rips my top off and drops it on the stairs. I’m vaguely aware that his neighbours can see everything, but I don’t even care. I’m so ready for him that I’d have sex on these stairs and not blink twice.

“Jesus, Callie,” he growls as he slides both my bra cups to the side, exposing my breasts. “So beautiful.” His voice drifts off as he sucks one of my breasts into his mouth.

I drop my head back and close my eyes. We’ve stopped moving and I cling to him and the railing as he devours me.

He devotes time to both my breasts before moving his mouth to my stomach. His hands cup my ass before shifting to the button on my jeans. A moment later, he undoes the button and slides my zip down.

Then his mouth is on my panties.

And my hand is on his head.

Pushing him down.

Please.

“Fuck.” He groans as he tears his mouth from me.

No, no, no.

Resting his head against my stomach, he exhales loudly. He retrieves my top from the stair then stands and meets my gaze. I’m panting, unable to catch my breath. We were so close.
So close.

Fixing my bra so my breasts are covered, he orders, “My bedroom. Now. And just so you know, I’m ready for your A-game.”

Hell. Yes.

I am so ready for this.

And then my phone rings.

I’m ignoring it.

He diverts his attention to my jeans where the sound is coming from.

I reach for his face and drag his attention back up to mine. Shaking my head, I say, “I’m not answering it.”

The phone stops ringing.

Thank fuck.

But then it starts again.

Jesus. Can’t a girl get an orgasm around here?

He reaches into my back pocket and retrieves the phone. Glancing at it, he says, “It’s Avery. Take it. I’ll have a shower.”

I watch his ass until I can’t see it anymore.

“Avery, this better be good. I was about to be fucked in ways I can’t even begin to imagine.”

“Shit, sorry. I’ll be quick—”

“No, it’s good. Luke’s gone to have a shower, so tell me whatever it is.”

“I just wanted to tell you that this dude came into the bar last night and I got chatting with him. Turns out he’s a writer for a TV show in Hollywood, out here on holiday. He seemed into me, so I took the opportunity to show him your book that I had on my phone, the one you never submitted. At first, he wasn’t really interested in looking at it, but I begged him to just read one chapter at least.” She pauses for a moment and when she speaks again, I hear the excitement in her voice. “Babe, he read
five
chapters and then gave me his email for you to contact him. He loved it.”

I reach for the railing again as the world spins around me. My heart picks up its pace. “Really?” It’s a dumb question, but my self-doubt takes over and I can’t bring myself to believe this.

“Yes, really! I’m going to text you his details. You need to promise me you’ll email him.”

I’ve never heard back from any of the submissions I’ve made so far, so I have no experience with this kind of excitement, but I feel like I might explode out of my skin. At the same time, I try like hell to keep calm. This may lead nowhere, so I need to keep my hope in check. “I will. I promise. Thank you so much for doing that.”

“Callie! Why the fuck aren’t you screaming right now?”

“Trust me, I want to. But there’s no point getting excited over something that may never eventuate into anything.”

“You kill me sometimes, babe. I’m taking you out to celebrate, because even if this lead goes nowhere, it’s an acknowledgement. And it means something. I’ve got tomorrow night off, and I’m not accepting no for an answer.”