Chapter 33

Chapter 3333
VANESSA
When Vienna brought me out here today, I underestimated her commitment to making sure I let loose
and have fun. She pulled me into a game of beer pong against Fallon and Serena, talked me into
partnering up with Alec for chicken fights in the water against her and Chase, and has replenished my
beer every time it started to get low. I’m not a big drinker but I’m rolling on a solid buzz at this point, and
I can tell that my girl Vee is past her threshold by the way she’s glassy- eyed and hanging off Chase.
Having endured more than enough of their PDA, I announce that I’m going swimming, kicking off my
flip-flops and shorts and heading for the water’s edge. This place is a complete contrast to the hot
springs by the lodge- while that water is always piping hot, this water seems to be perpetually cold. It
stings my skin like tiny needle points as I wade into the pool, my breath catching from the shock in
temperature change. I flop backwards once I’m waist-deep, spreading my arms and legs and floating
on top of the water, releasing a breathy sigh of satisfaction.
This is the life. The sun is hot, the water’s cold, and my body’s relaxed from the copious amount of
alcohol running through my bloodstream. My eyes slide closed as I float, losing myself in the moment
and allowing my sluggish mind to go blank.
My peaceful relaxation doesn’t last long. I’m floating along, minding my own business, when I suddenly
feel an arm wind around my waist, pulling my body down into the water. My eyes snap open, limbs
thrashing as my mind struggles to catch up to what’s happening. My head stays above water, but my
body’s yanked backwards against a hard chest.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” a low voice rumbles in my ear, eliciting a tingle of excitement at the
realization of who it is that has ahold of me. Callum’s strong, tattooed forearm tightens around mymiddle, the hard ridge of his erection riding against the crack of my ass. Either that whole cold water
causing shrinkage thing is a lie, or it’s bigger than I remember. 2
Great, now I’m thinking about his dick.
Cal’s lips tickle my ear as he speaks again in a throaty murmur. “Remember the last time we went
swimming?”
A shiver runs through me, and I’m not sure if it’s from the cold water or the memory that question
ignites. How could I forget the first time he brought me to a toe-curling orgasm without even taking my
underwear off?
I don’t need a mirror to know my face is crimson. I wriggle free from his grip, feet finding the rocky
bottom of the swimming hole. Water splashes as I spin around to face him.
Callum’s turquoise eyes are glassy, a lazy grin spread across his lips. He looks… different. More
relaxed than usual. “You’ve been drinking,” I think aloud.
He runs his tongue over his teeth, nodding in affirmation.
I arch a brow. “What happened to always keeping a clear head?”
Callum’s hands land on my waist, fingers tightening and tugging me closer. Cool water sloshes
between our upper bodies from the force of the movement. “Like that’s possible around you these
days,” he growls, his carefree smile dissolving into a tight frown. “You and Miles…”
“Are over,” I supply.
His eyes spark in delight, lips tipping into a smug smirk. Cal always keeps his emotions. so buttoned
up- it’s strange to see them play out on his face so plainly. Hell, if I knew booze was all it took for him to
wear his emotions on his sleeve, I probably would’ve encouraged him to drink more often.Another shiver runs through me as Callum’s hands slide down to my hips. His devious gaze and the
flex of his fingertips against my flesh are more than enough to convey his wicked intentions. “So…” he
drawls suggestively.
This man’s touch is doing crazy things to me right now, but somehow, even through the fog of my beer
buzz, I find the wherewithal to press my palms against his chest and push back to maintain some
semblance of distance between us. “We still have things to figure out.”
Even as I say it, I know I don’t want to talk about all that right now. It’s not the time or place. I just want
to enjoy feeling of being close to someone else- to be touched by the only person who can do it without
giving me the overwhelming urge to squirm away.
I shut down after Callum left, but now that he’s back, it’s like parts of me are slowly coming back online.
Like I’m finally remembering how to be myself again.
He narrows his eyes on me, a dangerous smirk still dancing across his lips. “Vee said you’re going to
make me work for it.
I can’t help but crack a smile of my own in return. Of course my bestie has already delivered a warning.
If I know her, and I do, I’ll bet it also came with a threat to cause bodily harm if he screws up again.
“Damn right I am,” I reply, wetting my lips with my tongue.
His eyes track the movement, a hungry spark flaring in them. He suddenly spins me around by the
hips, locking an arm around my waist and yanking me back into his chest again. I shudder a gasp at
the sudden movement, the warmth of his firm chest leeching into my back.
“I like a challenge,” Cal rasps, his other hand landing flat on my belly. “Maybe I should start making it
up to you right now …” His hand glides down my stomach beneath the surface of the water, my breath
hitching.“Callum!” I hiss, squirming in his grasp. He’s got me locked in tightly, though, and my fight is futile. His
fingertips brush the top edge of my bikini bottoms, my eyes flying wide as they wriggle beneath the
fabric. I’m suddenly all too aware of the number of people in the water around us, my throat tightening
in a strange mixture of panic and excitement.
“Shhh,” he whispers in my ear, walking us backwards through the water until his back collides with the
rock face on the rear edge of the pool.
The water laps against our shoulders, our bodies hidden beneath the surface, but I still feel like I’m on
full display right now. If I
wasn’t a little buzzed, I would’ve put a stop to this as soon as he grabbed for me. If he wasn’t a little
drunk, I doubt he would be this bold, especially given everything we’ve gone through lately. We’ve been
walking on eggshells around one another, but the alcohol has lowered our inhibitions just enough to
have us both making questionable decisions.
“Do you want me to stop?” Callum rumbles in my ear, his fingers delving further into my bikini bottoms.
They’re so close to my clit that I’m suddenly panting with need.
Logically, I should say yes. I should tell him to stop. I should say we need to have a real conversation
and figure our shit out before this goes any farther. I should point out the number of people around, and
how it’s entirely inappropriate for him to have his hand down my pants in front of an audience. But I
haven’t been touched like this in months, and every ‘should’ dies on my tongue before it can even form.
I’m hot and bothered, wound up in a way that can only be relieved by the man at my back. I squirm
against him as he awaits my response, seeking friction that he’s refusing to give me until I answer.
My cheeks grow hotter as I whisper, “No.”
It’s all the invitation he needs. He sinks his hand fully into my bikini bottoms, fingers. immediately
finding my clit, and I have to bite down on my lower lip to stop from screaming out at the sudden jolt ofpleasure. All my nerves fire to life, desire coiling tightly in my belly and aching for release.
“Can you be quiet, baby?” Callum asks, his voice gravelly as he continues torturing me with the
methodic strumming of his fingers. “Or are you gonna let everyone hear how you scream for me?” 4
Goddamnit, he knows what effect his dirty talk has on me. Heat floods between my legs, and I’m
already so close to coming undone that I can barely think, barely breathe.
He rocks his hips against me slowly, grinding his throbbing hard-on against my ass more insistently as
he reaches down lower to sink a thick digit inside my pussy. I gasp at the intrusion, clamping my mouth
shut hastily and darting my gaze around in alarm. Somehow, nobody seems to have noticed us tucked
away at the edge of the swimming hole, pressed together so closely that not even the water can slip
between our bodies.
He begins thrusting his finger inside me with the same rhythm of his hips punching against my
backside, my breath hissing out between my teeth in short, frantic bursts. I’m biting my lip so hard to
hold back my moans that tears spring to my eyes, the metallic tinge of blood coating my tongue.
Four months. That’s how long it’s been since someone has touched me like this. I wish I could savor it,
make it last to make up for all those lonely nights, but four months without it has my body on a hair
trigger, ready to combust.
He knows my body better than anyone else, just like I know his. We spent weeks exploring and
memorizing each other, tangled up in and consumed by one another. He knows my tells, knows how
close I am. He can feel it.
“Go on,” Cal coaxes, pushing another finger inside to stretch me wider while the pad of his thumb rubs
my clit relentlessly. Let go, babe. I wanna feel you shatter.” 4
Yup, that’ll do it. 1Maybe it’s because it has been so long, or maybe it’s just because it’s him. Either way, the coil in my
belly snaps, my body jerking
as an intense orgasm washes over ing like a tsunami. Callum holds my hips tightly in place as they
buck, my body jerking, ripples forming around us in the water. It takes everything in me to hold back my
scream, only a small whimper escaping as I squeeze my eyes closed and ride out the waves of my
climax.
“Good girl,” he rumbles in my ear, and I never thought I had a praise kink, but damnit if that doesn’t
spark something in me that sends another wave of pleasure crashing through my
I’m breathless when I finally come back down, blinking my eyes open to the harsh afternoon sunlight.
Callum’s arms are still wound securely around me as I go boneless in his grasp, dragging gulps of
fresh air into my lungs.
“Fucking beautiful,” he murmurs, nipping my earlobe with his teeth.
Holy crap.
I can’t believe I just did that.
Reality comes crashing back in, and my head jerks from side to side as I look around
wildly, panicked that someone could’ve just watched me come undone beneath Cal’s fingers.
I can’t even describe the relief that washes through me at the realization that nobody’s looking this way.
We haven’t drawn any attention to ourselves. Maybe we were really that discreet, or maybe everyone’s
just too lost in their own conversations and games. Either way, they’re all oblivious to the fact that I just
got off right in front of them.My cheeks burn with embarrassment as that sinks in and I twist around in Callum’s arms until I’m
facing him, resting my hands on his broad shoulders. I’m still buzzy and a little lightheaded, a nervous
giggle bubbling up my throat and escaping through my lips.
In stark contrast, Cal’s gaze is scorching and intense, transfixed on my mouth. “I want to kiss you so
fucking bad right now,” he
murmurs.
Well, if we just did all that, what’s a sneaky little kiss? I dive forward, slamming my lips against his.
And that’s when I feel it.
The jolt.
The flare.
The spark.
It’s just like it was yesterday, lasting a fraction of a second, a flutter of a heartbeat.
Like a filament igniting in the dark space inside that was left when the bond was ripped away, only for
the briefest instant.
If I doubted it before, I can’t deny it this time – nor can I ignore the way he flinches back, his blue-green
eyes widening.
Maybe it’s an echo of what used to be there between us. An aftershock. Or maybe it’s something else.
… something more.