It’s Like That (13 page)

Callie snickered, thinking they’d blown any time frame for a relationship all to hell. But curiosity compelled her to ask, “What’s the time frame?”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Three dates for a kiss. Ten dates before any kind of touching. No less than two months before nonpenetrative sex, and no less than six months for sex.”

Callie stared at him, her mouth open and her eyes wide. “You are fucking kidding, right? No man waits six months for sex!”

He gave a short bark of laughter and said, “Actually, you are the first woman in years I have had any type of sex with that I
haven’t
waited until at least the two-month mark. It just…wasn’t even
possible
to wait.” He pulled her head to his chest and rubbed his cheek against her hair. “I think my head would have exploded. Still might, in fact.”

She pulled away and looked at him, confused. “What do you mean, it still might?”

He sighed and tugged her head back to his chest. “Lie still, would you? I mean…” His brow furrowed in thought.

She poked him playfully and said, “You mean…what?”

“I’m thinking,” he said, capturing her hand and holding it still. “I mean that I really, really, I mean,
really
love oral sex. I love eating you out, and I love when you go down on me. But…I also love sex. I can wait as long as you need to, baby. Don’t let me push you into something you’re not ready for. But,” he looked down at her and waggled his eyebrows to make her giggle, “when you think you might be ready, go ahead and get on birth control. Because the way I want to fuck you…well, you’d be pregnant within a month, at most. And I don’t want to wear a condom with you. I want to feel everything.”

She nodded, glad he couldn’t see her face. She knew she was crimson. “Okay,” she said meekly.

He was silent for several minutes before saying quietly and seriously, “I want to ask you something, Callie. And before you answer, I need you to understand that it doesn’t matter what your answer is. I just want to know.”

Callie almost groaned. This didn’t sound good. “Okay, what is it?”

“How many…uh…how many men have you slept with?”

Callie bristled, irritated with the question. “If I ask you how many women you’ve slept with, would you tell me?”

“Yes,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her brow. “Do you want to know?”

She hesitated. Did she want to know? Probably not, but once again her mouth opened before her brain could get a message out, and she said, “Yes.”

He took a deep breath and said, “I have actually had sex with five women. I’ve had nonpenetrative sex with a few more than that.”

“How many?” There went her mouth again, asking things before her brain could stop her.

He sighed and said, “Seventeen. Counting the five I had sex with.”

Seventeen?
Her mind reeled at the number and she sat up, pulling herself out of his arms.

“Callie?” he whispered, reaching out to take her hand.

She stood and walked to the window, her arms crossed over her chest, refusing to look at him. She couldn’t, not right now. What he did before her was irrelevant, she knew that. But still…It kind of hurt.

She heard him sit up behind her and turned before he did something stupid like try to stand up. He watched her, frowning, and whispered, “Callie, say something.”

She gave a humorless laugh and said, “Seventeen. Jesus, Chris, that’s a lot.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and said, “Yeah, I know. It’s not something I’m proud of. I was a dog, I admit it. I joined the Navy, got a commission, got picked for SEALs…I had my pick of plenty of women only too happy to make a grab at a man in a uniform. I took advantage of it. But that was years ago. I haven’t had sex in over two years now. It had been more than a year since I met you. And that includes
all
kinds of sex. I grew up around number fifteen and have tried to use my dad’s timeline.” He blew out a harsh breath and rubbed his temples. “Except with you.”

She stared out the window, absently watching a car backing out of a space and another car taking it.

“Callie, most of those were when I was twenty-four or twenty-five. I was—”

“Stop,” she said softly, holding her hand up. “Stop. This was before you knew me. You don’t have to defend yourself to me. It just surprised me, that’s all.” She turned back to him and hesitated before asking the question that gnawed at her. “Did you include me in that number?”

His face turned red and his jaw tightened. She watched in fascination as a tic developed in his left cheek. Then his left eye twitched.

“You want to know what number you are? Is that it? Which notch on my bedpost is yours?” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, yanking his IV stand and cursing when he apparently remembered he couldn’t get up and come after her.

Realizing he may very well get up anyway, she moved away from the window and stood directly in front of him.

“Well, news flash, baby,” he said, pulling her down onto his lap and holding her head between his palms. “New fucking bedpost. Just one notch, and it’s you.”

She struggled, trying to pull away without hurting him and said, “Chris, your knee…”

“Fuck my knee,” he spat out. “Did you spend the whole time wondering if you were just a weekend lay?” He shook her shoulders and said, “You’re worth a hell of a lot more than that, and I
told
you that. Did you think I was feeding you a line?”

She finally managed to pull herself away and pushed at his shoulders until he reclined on the bed once more. She checked his IV and his knee brace, although she wasn’t entirely sure what she was checking for. She lay down beside him and placed her head back on his chest before answering.

“I didn’t think it was a line. It was the most wonderful…” Her voice broke on a sob before she could finish.

His arms wrapped around her and he whispered softly, “Shh, baby, I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “No, let me finish. It was the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me. I floated on a cloud for three weeks, because I finally found a man that saw me, actually
saw
me. And then I crashed to the ground because you were suddenly gone. And now I’m back on that cloud again, but I can’t forget that crash.” She lifted her head and looked at him, her heart in her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t go through that again. I wouldn’t survive it.”

He watched her for a minute, a thoughtful expression on his face. “You’ll never have to, baby. I promise.”

She didn’t respond, just nuzzled her head back into his shoulder.

He stroked her hair gently for long minutes before she remembered the question that had sparked their conversation.

“Just one,” she whispered.

“One what?” he asked, apparently having already forgotten his earlier question.

“I’ve only had sex with one man. Penetrative and non-penetrative, before you.”

He froze. “Just…one?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, “in college. He was a geek, and I was a geek, and we thought we could make something work. It didn’t, mainly because he was gay. I’ve dated, and I’ve had some make-out sessions. But it never went as far in six months with anyone as it did with you in three days.”

His arms tightened around her and he exhaled before pressing his lips to the top of her head. “Thank you,” he whispered. She wasn’t sure if he was thanking her or whispering a thank-you toward heaven. Either way, she whispered her own thanks as well.

Chris woke early, the dim light of the morning sun just bright enough to disturb him. Callie was curled up in the small chair that converted to a bed. She’d protested when he refused to let her sleep in the bed with him, but insisted on her sleeping in the fold-out bed instead of having the nurses bring in a cot. He hadn’t wanted to disturb her or hurt her in the middle of the night.

He had nightmares. Graphic ones that felt so real that when he awoke, he was never entirely certain where he was. If she was near him when he woke up…well, he wasn’t sure how he’d react in those scant seconds before reality. His training made him dangerous in a situation where his consciousness wasn’t completely in charge, and he didn’t want to hurt her. He didn’t think he’d actually cause her physical harm, but there were more kinds of pain than those you felt on your skin and in your bones. He knew that all too well.

He watched her silently, the dull light of the sunrise moving slowly across her closed eyelids. He loved the way she slept. Her chin was tucked into her chest and her hands were folded under her cheek. Her deep, even breathing was the only sound in the room, and he was content to watch her in silence.

Where would they be if he hadn’t been held hostage? He settled his head back on the pillow, continuing to watch her and wonder. He was going to marry her; there was no doubt about that. But he wanted to take his time, and move slowly. He smiled and resisted the urge to snort. They hadn’t exactly been moving slowly since the minute he slapped eyes on her. For the three days he’d known her, he’d been too wrapped up in her to think about his dad’s rules or how fast they were actually moving. Then, for nine months he’d refused to think of her at all.

Now, less than twenty-four hours with her, and she’d already crumpled his resolve to move slowly. His resolve on that score hadn’t been that hard to crumple, though. On one hand, he wanted to rush into things with her, sweep her off to Vegas and then work on the rest. On the other hand she deserved better than that. He wanted to sweep her off her feet, give her as long as she needed to fall in love with him. Then he wanted to propose to her on bended knee, help her plan her dream wedding, and stand in front of their family and friends and pledge himself to her.

He knew there was no need to rush. The likelihood that the Navy would
ever
send him back into the field with the SEALs was slim. He could relax and enjoy some desk time, and take his own sweet time wooing and seducing Callie. But still…he
wanted
to rush.

He sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair, making a mental note to ask for a barber and a dentist sometime today. Callie stirred, and he watched her eyes slowly open and hazily blink away the remnants of a dream.

“Good morning,” he whispered, his voice rougher than he meant for it to be.

She smiled and stretched lazily. “Good morning.”

One side of his mouth curled up in a smile as he watched her shirt tighten over her breasts as she stretched awake.

He also made a mental note to talk with a shrink about how to get rid of his nightmares. When he got home, he wanted to sleep with her and wake up to the feel of those beautiful, soft tits pressed against him when she stretched. Her nipples poked gently against the fabric of her shirt, and his mouth watered thinking about how they would taste.

“C’mere,” he said, reaching for her.

She smiled and sat up before saying, “Let me go brush my teeth and hair, and—”

“No,” he said, smiling. “Just…come over here.” When she hesitated he added, “Please?”

He sat his bed up and shifted so she would have room to sit. When she stood, he added, “Lock the door first.”

She looked at him and frowned, her curiosity piqued. Finally, she just shrugged and padded to the door to lock it. When she sat down he held her hands in his for a few moments before moving them to her side and lifting the hem of her shirt.

“Arms up,” he commanded softly.

She let him pull her shirt off, but said, “Chris, you promised you wouldn’t try to reciprocate.”

“Yeah,” he said, unfastening her bra. “But it was a promise made under duress.”

She narrowed her eyes and he grinned at her as he pulled her bra off. Then the smile faded slowly as her breasts came into full view.

He blew out a harsh breath and pulled her closer. “Let me just…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, his focus centered solely on the heavy breasts bobbing next to him. He lifted them reverently and brushed his thumbs over her nipples and then pinched lightly when they responded by puckering tightly.

He leaned forward and, with a tortured groan, took one in his mouth. She wrapped her arms around him and held his head tightly to her. He pinched and pulled the other nipple but focused his attention on the puckered bud between his lips. He flicked his tongue over the peak quickly then slowly, before finally sucking it deeply into his mouth. He pressed it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth, working it until he felt her nails dig into his scalp. With a gentle lick he released it and gave the same attention to the other one.

When he finally pulled away to look, both nipples were hard points glistening from his mouth.

“Stand up,” he said roughly.

Callie stood without protest and watched as he unfastened her jeans and pushed them below her hips along with her panties. He tugged her back down next to him and, pushing her legs apart, shoved his hand between her legs and fastened his mouth over a nipple.

She clutched his head and panted softly. Unable to bear the sweet torture any longer, he pushed the blanket below his hips and guided her hand to his throbbing member.

“Jerk me off,” he commanded, his voice gravelly with desire.

She complied, wrapping her hand around him and stroking. He shoved two fingers inside her and groaned at finding her so wet.

“Your pussy is so creamy, baby.” He found her clit with his thumb and rubbed gently while keeping two fingers inside her. When he felt the walls of her vagina clench around his fingers, he took that as his cue and thrust them in and out. He kept the pressure on her clit, and pulled her nipple back into his mouth.

Her hand stroked him, up and down, her fist tight and lubricated by the precum steadily dripping from his cock. He thrust his hips and pulled his lips from her breast. His teeth clenched against the pleasure, and he struggled to hold himself back. He needed to know he could last, and while this probably wasn’t a good time to test his limits, he was going to try anyway.

When he felt her lips searching for his, he met her and thrust his tongue deep in time with his plunging fingers. She gave a muffled cry into his mouth, and
finally
he felt the clenching of her deep inner muscles. Her hand tightened even more, and he tore his mouth from hers and buried his face in her neck to stifle his own harsh groans of release as he spurted into her hand.