Surrender to Desire (9 page)

Blade sucked in his breath as her hard, little nipples raked
mercilessly against him. When her hands fell to his belt buckle he gently took
hold of her hands. “Let’s get you into bed before you fall.”

Callie didn’t protest when he got her settled and covered
her up. In fact, it looked like she’d fallen instantly asleep. Grinning, Blade
finished undressing. He hadn’t planned on staying, but looking down at Callie,
she was just too tempting to ignore. Crawling in next to her, he accepted her
against him when she rolled his way. She was warm and soft, and her curves did
nothing to calm his aching cock.

As far as Blade was concerned, that was the least of his
problems. Loving Callie was a complication that was going to cost him.

Chapter 9

The sun was streaming through the windows and French doors
to Callie’s room when she roused for the first time the next morning. In spite
of that she sensed, it was still early. She stretched against Blade’s warm
body, thrusting her bottom against the cradle of his hips. They’d slept most of
the night together in spoon-like fashion, content just to be near each other.
The drugging effects of the wine she’d consumed the night before had worked
like a sleeping aid, letting Callie totally relax and dream deep.

She closed her eyes again, and then sighed with pleasure
when she felt Blade’s lips against the back of her shoulder, teasing her with
his light kisses. His hand seared a path down her abdomen and onto her thigh.
She held her breath and waited.
Please, touch
me! I want you so much.
And she knew he wanted her because his cock was
hard against her bottom. She thrust into it with silent invitation, relishing
in his low groan.

When his fingers began to explore her pussy a scorching
current surged through her blood. “Good morning, beautiful.” His tone was
raspy, his breath warm and sending a shiver down her spine.

“Good morning.” Callie began to squirm from Blade’s teasing.
His exploring finger was making feather light circles against her flesh, moving
over her pussy lips but not dipping inside, where she wanted him. She lay there
panting, wondering how she got to be so lucky to find a man like Blade.

“Ask me,” Blade whispered against her ear, his rotating
finger finally dipping into her pussy but avoided her throbbing clit. “Ask me
to fuck you, Callie.”

He thrust against her, pushing his hard-on between the crack
of her ass. The thought of him there, being so close to that particular
forbidden spot, made her crazy. She’d never let Donald take her in the rear.
The thought had never appealed to her. But with Blade, the image of his
monstrous cock sliding in and out of her anus made her pussy leak with intense
excitement.

She whimpered and lost control, pushing her butt against his
cock and balls. Blade groaned low, dipping his finger deep inside her pussy and
manipulating her clit with his thumb at the same time.

“You’re already wet for me,” he groaned hungrily. “You’re
little clit is as hard and smooth as a pearl.”

Blade’s words drew the excitement from Callie’s body. Her
hips began to thrust against his sweet invasion. She wanted him to fuck her,
long and hard. She wanted his cock inside her now.

“Fuck me, Blade, please!” she whispered, with a mix of pain
and pleasure in her tone. “I need you inside me. I want your hands on me, your
mouth.”

Callie suddenly found herself flipped onto her back. Blade
climbed on top of her and kissed her roughly. Passionately. Holding nothing
back. And as their mouths worked against each other, their hands explored,
discovered, and gave pleasure. By the time he entered her body Callie was
consumed with lust. She bowed wildly and clenched her muscles, holding his cock
tightly.

But she couldn’t hold him for long. He was too strong for
her. He withdrew from her body, only to slam forward again. Blade did this over
and over, kissing her, touching her, possessing her body as well as her soul.
Callie opened herself up and gave him everything she had to give, until their
breaths mingled and their heartbeats became one, as they strained to reach the
vital consummation of gratification.

“I love you!” she cried, as waves of ecstasy throbbed
through her and she was tumbling over the edge. Her body jerked with her
release, convulsing beneath Blade uncontrollably. It wasn’t until the tremors
calmed that Callie realized she’d spoken the words out loud. Her eyes flew
open.

Blade had stopped moving, and was holding himself taut above
her, barely breathing. There was a spark of some indefinable emotion in his
eyes as he stared down at her. Shock, disbelief? It was hard to tell. Was it
too late to take back what she’d said? Or pass it off as a joke?

Then he began to move again, harder and faster. Their gazes
clinging when he reached orgasm. He slammed his mouth down onto Callie’s,
filling her body with his seed. She closed her eyes, unable to meet his gaze
any longer. It was just three little words, said in the heat of the moment,
maybe he hadn’t heard her. But when Blade quietly moved off her body she bit
her bottom lip to hold back the tears of hurt.

He settled next to her, releasing a heavy sigh.
What a mess! Why did I have to go and fall
in love with him? And then tell him?
Deciding to let him off the hook of
having to address an awkward comment, Callie took the coward’s way out and
pretended to fall back to sleep.

****

It was much later, after Callie had made her bed and
showered, when she worked up the nerve to venture into the kitchen. Thankfully,
she found it empty and a note next to the coffee pot that said Chaz and Blade
had gone riding. She breathed a sigh of relief and helped herself to some
coffee. Finding it cold, she nuked it in the microwave. They must have left a
while ago. As the coffee warmed she glanced at the clock, surprised to find it
would soon be lunch time.

Would they return for lunch? She took her cup and went out
onto the porch through the front door. There were several Adirondack chairs and
she sank down into the first one nearest the door.
What am I going to do?
Should she just pretend the whole thing had
never happened? And while she was at it she’d pretend her heart wasn’t breaking
because Blade didn’t love her.

She took a careful sip of coffee, hearing the kitchen door
open and close. They did come back for lunch. Blade said they took Sundays off,
but the least she could do was offer to make them some sandwiches. Callie
placed her cup on the floor next to her chair and got up to go back inside.
From her viewpoint she couldn’t see anyone, but she heard movement. Maybe they
were making their own lunch.

“If you boys will just wait I’ll be glad
to…fix…you…a…sandwich.” She came to a shocked halt, her jaw dropping. “Donald!
What are you doing here?”

He looked a little disheveled, as though he’d been roughing
it for a while. His blond hair needed cutting. His clothes were wrinkled. And
there was a glaze in his brown eyes that indicated he’d either been drinking or
wasn’t getting enough sleep.

“Looking for you. Did you think I was just gonna let you
walk away from us?” He started toward her. “You look damned good, baby.” His
gaze moved down and up her body. “This vacation has done you some good.”

Vacation? Callie frowned. “Donald, you’ve got to stop this.
It’s over between us. I’ve started a new life.” She was more annoyed than
afraid of him. “Please don’t touch me.” Callie scooted away from him just as he
reached out for her.

There was a look of confusion on his face. “You used to like
my touching you.”

A long, long time ago,
Callie thought to herself.
“Donald, you’ve got to get it through your head
that I’m not going back to you. Stop stalking me or I’ll have to get the police
involved.” Callie made sure she kept the kitchen table between them. “How did
you find me this time?”

He grinned, pleased with himself. “The mail man.”

Callie thought about it for a moment. Oh hell! She’d never
given Carl, the mail man, a second thought. He, Donald, and some others played
poker on Saturday nights. And she’d left a change of address with him. “He’s
not supposed to do that,” she said lamely.

Donald shrugged. “Get your things. You’re coming home with
me.”

“No, I’m not. I live here now. This is where I work.”

“Work?”
 
For the
second time his gaze moved over Callie. “Dressed like that? What kind of work
do you? It looks like you’re playing house with someone.” As the thought
entered his mind she could see his expression harden.

Callie opened her mouth to explain why she was wearing a
tee-shirt and pair of shorts, but caught herself. She didn’t owe Donald
anything. “Please just leave.”

“Not without you, Callie. You’re mine. I’ll find you
wherever you go.”

With a sinking feeling, she started to believe him. So far
she’d moved three times and he’d managed to hunt her down every time. “I’m not
running away this time, Donald. I’m going to do what I should have done the
first time you tracked me down. Get a restraining order against you.” Callie
felt panic swelling up. “Now get out!”

She watched an array of emotions cross his face, and Callie
recognized them all. After a few minutes Donald shrugged. “I thought by coming
after you that you’d realize how much I love you,” he said more to himself than
to her. His gaze was fixed on something he couldn’t see. “I’m really
disappointed, Callie.” He looked her. “But if you’re sure that’s what you
want.”

She couldn’t believe it was going to be this easy. Her
threat of getting the police involved must have done the trick. “It is, Donald,”
she said firmly.

He sighed with resignation. “Well then, I guess there’s
nothing more to say.” He gave her a long last look and then turned to leave.

Callie released a sigh of relief and waited until the
kitchen door slammed behind him before moving. Thank God that was over. She
went to the door to lock it, when it was jerked open and Donald reached inside
for her arm. Caught by complete surprise, she screamed and tried to pull away
from him.

“What are you doing?”

He pulled her down the steps roughly. “Taking you home with
me! Where you belong, Callie.”

Callie let out another scream, glancing around and seeing no
one. Then she remembered what day it was. She cried out for Blade anyway,
hoping he might be in the barn. “Blade!” She dug in her heels but Donald
wrapped his arms around her waist and began dragging her toward his car.
“Donald, don’t do this!” She twisted and kicked and dug her nails into his
arms, anything to make him let her go. “Help!” Callie let herself go limp.

She slipped out of Donald’s grasp and hit the ground hard.
He swore and reached for her, pulling her up by her hair. Callie screamed as
loud as she could and began to pound at him with her fists.

“Donald, this is crazy!”

He backhanded her and she spun around, slamming into his car.
She hit it so hard that she bounced off and hit the ground a second time. Her
face smarted where he’d hit her, and her side hurt where she’d been slammed
into the car, but still she fought him to get away.

Neither was aware of Blade and Chaz riding up on them until
their horses slid to a halt and they were sliding out of their saddles. Blade
descended upon Donald like an enraged warrior, his expression fierce. Once
Donald realized help had arrived he released Callie and opened his car door to
make his own escape.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Blade said menacingly, jerking Donald
back by his collar.

Chaz’s concerned gaze shot to Callie. “Inside the house,
Callie, now!”

She didn’t question him, and she was too afraid to look at
Blade, afraid of what he was going to do to Donald. She rushed into the house,
and took a seat at the table, shaking like a leaf. She could hear the scuffle
going on outside. Fists against flesh, grunts, and then finally, a groan. The
quiet told her someone should be coming through the door at any minute and she
wondered which Evans brother it would be. One thing was certain, it wouldn’t be
Donald.

The door was jerked open and she glanced up. Tears gathered
in her eyes immediately upon meeting Blade’s eyes. Other than being dusty, it
didn’t appear that he was hurt anywhere. His burning gaze went to her cheek,
which Callie knew was probably showing signs of a bruise. There was a wild look
on his face, and a muscle working in his lean jaw. It was obvious he was still
worked up over the fight.

Callie couldn’t hold the tears at bay any longer, or her raw
emotions. She left her chair to rush to Blade, and at the same time he took a
step toward her. The next thing she knew he was wrapping her in his strong arms
and crushing her to him like he was never going to let her go. Callie could
hear his fast heart beat beneath her ear. He tenderly ran his hand down her
hair.

Was his hand shaking? As the tears slipped down her face she
clung to his powerful frame. “I’m sorry, Blade.”

“No!” He pulled her back so their gazes could meet. “There’s
nothing to be sorry about.”

She sniffled. “Wherever I go he tracks me down.”

“I promise you he won’t be doing that again.” His tone was
hard and uncompromising.

Oh god! “You…you didn’t kill him did you?”

She felt his chest rumble with a silent chuckle. “No, honey.
But when I saw him hit you that’s all I could think about doing. Luckily Chaz
was around to stop me. He’s calling the sheriff and your ex will be hauled in
to jail for battery.”

Callie sighed with relief that it was finally over. “Do you
want me to leave?” Her tone was barely audible. “I’ll understand if you do.”

A frown appeared between his brows as his eyes narrowed down
at her. “Why would I want you to leave?”

“Why would you want me to stay?” she countered softly. After
telling Blade that she loved him that morning, and not getting anything back in
return, she could only assume he didn’t feel the same way.

Blade sighed heavily. “I want you, honey.”
 

Callie was painfully aware that want wasn’t the same thing
as love. Still, she managed a watery smile.

“I love you,” Blade added after a moment of silence. “I
never thought I’d find love. Never thought I’d find a woman like you.”

What? He loves me?
Callie’s
heart swelled with emotion. “Really?” She felt a fresh onset of tears gathering
in her eyes. “But this morning…”

“You caught me by surprise, honey. I wasn’t sure if you
meant it, or if you just got caught up in the moment. I was afraid to open
myself up like that.”