A Perfect Holiday Fling (10 page)

“Thanks for not making this awkward,” Callie said. She shrugged one shoulder as she idly pushed scrambled eggs around her plate. “You know, after last night. I was hoping we wouldn’t sink into some awkward morning-after routine.”

“I think it’s only awkward if you regret what you did the night before.” He set the fork down and reached for her hand. Taking it between his, he brought it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the smooth skin. “I don’t regret a second of last night… or this morning.”

Her entire body seemed to relax as a relived smile drew across her face.

“Neither do I,” she said, but then the light in her eyes dimmed. “I’m just not sure what it means.” She glanced briefly out the window before looking back at him. “Are we just having a good time until you leave town?”

“Or until
you
leave?” Stefan countered. “You did say just yesterday that you’re considering packing up your practice and moving, right?”

He tried to ignore the anxiety that clawed at his chest just at the thought of it. It was ridiculous. They’d just met a couple of weeks ago. He didn’t even live here.

But he could. Maybe.

“Considering. That’s the operative word there,” Callie said. “But you know that you’re leaving. Whether it’s in one month or six months, you’re still going to leave, right?”

Stefan ran a hand down his face. “There’s still a lot that’s up in the air for me, Callie. I can’t say for sure how long I’ll be in Maplesville.”

“What’s going to determine that?”

“The results I get back from the doctor tomorrow.” She sat up straight, blinking in rapid succession. “I had surgery to repair a nerve that was damaged in a blast during my last tour of duty,” Stefan explained. “It affected my depth perception, which I probably don’t have to tell you isn’t a good thing for a pilot. If it hasn’t improved enough, I’ve probably already flown my last aircraft.”

“So, what does it mean for your career? Will they put you out of the Navy?”

“They call it an honorable discharge, but that’s basically what it is.”

Her eyes softened with empathy and Stefan had to look away. He wasn’t even sure how to respond to such compassion.

Callie reached for his hand. “Have you thought about what you would do if that happens?”

He inhaled a deep breath. “I hadn’t allowed myself to consider it, not until last Tuesday.”

“What happened last Tuesday?”

“I met with a buddy of mine, an ex-pilot. He started his own company, transporting workers to remote locations in the field for the oil and gas industry. He’s moving his base of operations to Belle Chase and needs a flight instructor.”

She didn’t even try to mask her pleasure at the thought of him being just an hour away. Seeing her eyes light up with approval caused his blood to pump with satisfaction.

“It seems like the perfect opportunity at just the right time, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“Only if you didn’t have your heart set on returning to the air, and from the look on your face, I can tell that’s what you really want to do.”

Stefan wondered if he was really that transparent, or if she’d already learned to read him in this short amount of time.

“I’m not ready to give up flying,” he admitted. “But I should start preparing myself for the possibility that I may have to. If I continue to deny it, it will just hurt that much more if the doc comes back with not-so-good news.”

It suddenly struck him that the thought of receiving that not-so-good news didn’t snatch the breath from his lungs or send his head reeling the way it had when he’d allowed himself to think about it in the past. Dustin’s offer had started to appeal to him more and more, especially when he considered how close he would be to his sister and nephew. The starting salary Dustin had texted a couple of days ago didn’t hurt, either.

Belle Chase was a little over an hour away. He could even find himself a place in Maplesville. On his daily jogs he’d come upon a couple of nice houses that were on the market, all with reduced prices.

Stefan looked across the table at Callie and realized that he could easily see himself sitting here several mornings out of the week. Sure, all there was between them so far was one date and an amazing night of marathon sex, but it was something to build on.

Callie had provided something that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Comfort.

He felt comfortable here, with her. He’d felt comfortable in her bed, holding her close as they’d slept. The contentment he’d experienced lounging against her pillows, watching a morning news show while she’d showered, had felt amazing. It had been so long since he’d had that feeling, even while in his own home. He hadn’t realized what had been missing from his life.

Callie squeezed the hand she still held and leaned forward. “I have purely selfish reasons for wanting you to stay here, but I’m hoping you’ll get the results that will make you happy.”

Something pulled in his chest. Stefan didn’t want to put a name to it. He wasn’t sure if he even could. He just knew that the sweet ache grew with every second that he stared into her expressive brown eyes.

He leaned over and connected his lips to hers for a long, slow, deep kiss.

When he finally pulled away, Callie’s eyes remained closed and an impish grin drew across her lips. “You do that so well.”

“You’re welcome.”

Her eyes popped open and she shook her head at him. “Cocky,” she chastised, picking up their plates and carrying them to the dishwasher.

“Only because I can back it up,” Stefan replied, following her into the kitchen.

That smile turned wicked. “No argument here.” But then a forlorn look stole over her face, and with a heavy sigh, she said, “I hate to put you out of my house, but I have to get to work.”

Stefan hooked a finger in the collar of her sweatshirt and pulled her close. “So, is that how things work around here? You get your rocks off then throw me out to the curb?”

She hunched a shoulder in apology. “Thus is the life of a busy, small town veterinarian. I have to make sure I’m at the office in case a cat coughs up a hairball.”

He smacked her on the butt. “Not funny.”

“Terribly funny,” she laughed, slipping out of his hold.

“Hey.” He caught her wrist and tugged her back to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. Damn, he could get used to holding her like this. “Do you know where a guy can get a Christmas tree around here? I promised Jacob we’d go tree shopping today.”

“There’s a tree lot on the other side of town, not too far from the new outlet mall.”

Stefan hitched his chin toward her living room. “I noticed you don’t have one. Do you want to tag along?”

Her forehead creased in a frown. “I wasn’t going to put up a tree this year. It’s just me.”

“That’s no reason for you not to have a tree. And it’s not just you,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

God, he loved the way she smelled.

He nipped at her throat.

And the way she tasted
.

Callie’s head fell back, giving him better access to the smooth skin that sloped gently down the curve of her neck to her shoulder. Stefan walked them back until they came upon the kitchen cabinet. He curled both hands under her thighs and scooped her up, setting her on the counter and wedging himself between her spread knees.

“Stefan,” she murmured as her hands locked behind his neck.

He trailed his tongue from the base of her throat, up her jawline, to her ear. His palms slowly caressed her thighs, drawing circles along the smooth skin. One hand snaked inside her sweatshirt, finding her bare breasts and going from one nipple to the other, massaging them, plucking them, drawing them into tight peaks.

“God, Stefan,” she gasped, pulling his mouth to hers.

His tongue pushed inside her mouth, thrusting and tugging with hers in a fiery dance that had him gasping for air, even as his mouth continued to plunder hers. Stefan gripped her hips, his fingers playing along the edge of her skimpy lace panties.

He knew he shouldn’t go any further. He was out of condoms. He had to pick up his nephew. She had to go to work.

But then Callie let out a soft whimper, and Stefan lost it.

Hooking his thumbs on the rim of her panties, he pulled them down her legs, and then tugged her to the edge of the counter. He pulled his hard erection from his boxer briefs and entered her in one smooth motion.

Callie’s head fell back as she shouted toward the ceiling.

Stefan was unrelenting in his quest to take them both over the edge as quickly as possible. He pumped his hips, thrusting in and out, over and over, hooking her legs around him and going as far as he could go.

Callie shattered against him, her muscles clenching as the orgasm rolled through her, milking his erection, bringing him to the brink and then taking him over.

Stefan pulled out of her just in time, his body jerking with the force of his climax.

They both remained there in her kitchen in a daze, breathing heavily, unable to move. And not really wanting to.

***

Callie finished up her exam of Mrs. Celestine’s fourteen-year-old Himalayan, and wrote a prescription for the diabetes medicine that the cat would now have to take for the rest of his life. Mrs. Celestine joked about the cat living with her for so long that he’d developed their family’s medical history.

“Just make sure you take care of both you and Benji,” Callie ordered as she led the widow to the door.

Callie walked into the employee break room and found Angie rummaging in the refrigerator. She turned down her offer of spring rolls from the new Vietnamese restaurant that had recently opened in west Maplesville, holding up the sandwich and thermos of soup she’d brought with her. She’d packed her lunch right after she and Stefan had cleaned up her kitchen following their impromptu love fest on the counter.

An involuntary shiver rippled through her, causing her stomach to clench with need that should have been quenched after making love four times in a twenty-four hour period. Apparently, it took a lot to make up for a year-long celibacy.

Callie quickly made it to her office, and collapsed against the door.

What in the world was she doing? She’d known the man just over two weeks and had already welcomed him into her bed. God, she’d even cooked him breakfast.

Breakfast? You’re going Christmas tree shopping with him!

She pinched her eyes tight and blew out a weary breath.

The idea of it was too deliciously domestic not to spread a blanket of warmth over her heart, but Callie quickly reminded herself not to fall too deep into the fantasy. This was all in good fun; a brief indulgence that she’d rewarded herself with for making it through such an abominable year. As Angie had pointed out not too long ago, she was due.

A satisfied smile traveled across her lips.

If Stefan
was
just a passing holiday fling, he was the best Christmas present she’d ever given herself.

What started out as a typical morning at the clinic had turned into a chaotic afternoon. In addition to the routine check-ups and vaccinations she’d scheduled, she’d had to deal with two canines who’d eaten tinsel, a pot-bellied pig that ingested fake snow flock, and an emergency tooth extraction on a hamster.

By the time Callie left her office, she was tempted to call Stefan and cancel on tonight’s tree shopping, but the moment she pulled into the driveway of the charming creole cottage on Magnolia Drive, she was happy she hadn’t. Jacob was kneeling in a pile of leaves, dumping them over his uncle’s head. It was the most adorable sight she’d seen in years.

They both stopped and turned, and Callie instantly recanted her previous thought.

The smile on Stefan’s face was, by far, the most adorable thing she’d seen. Ever.

Just looking at him made her insides tremble, and it had nothing to do with the things he’d done to her body last night and this morning. She’d felt that tremble from the first time she’d locked eyes with him, when he’d brought a scraggly street cat into her clinic for the sake of his nephew.

Callie got out of the car and walked over to the pile of leaves.

“We were just raking the yard,” Stefan said, gesturing toward the abandoned rakes. He stood and held his giggling nephew up by his feet, while the little boy gingerly walked on his hands.

“I can see that,” Callie said. She bent over and tilted her head to the side. “How’s it going, Jacob?”

“Good,” he said. “Guess what? Sandy can jump from the floor to the stove!”

“I’ll bet. Cats can leap pretty high. Cool isn’t it? Just make sure the stove isn’t on before she jumps,” she said with a wink.

Stefan carefully released his feet and turned Jacob right side up, and they both dusted leaves from their heads and clothes.

“Are we ready to pick out a Christmas tree?” Stefan asked.

Jacob’s answer was to run to the Jeep’s back driver’s side door.