Take Me Home Tonight (22 page)

He made a sound at the back of his throat that voiced his displeasure, and then he licked inside her. Long, sensuous caresses that made her burn. When his tongue swirled around her clit, she grabbed his head to keep him
right there
. “God, oh, God.”

Fire lashed through her core. She grabbed fistfuls of his hair as his tongue flicked faster and harder over her nub. “Calix, I—” And then it hit. Sensation whisked her right out of her mind, sent her spinning and tumbling, and God, it just kept rolling through her in waves.

As her senses slowly returned, she relaxed her fingers and
let out a rush of breath. Her entire body quaked. “That was . . . God.”

He let go of her legs, rising over her, and she reached for his cock.

His eyes closed, and his head tipped back, the corded muscles in his neck straining. She gave him a few pumps. “Okay. Fuck. Jesus.” He grabbed the base of his dick. “Condom.”

Funny how she felt so close to this man, their intimacy so intense, she'd forgotten they hadn't been together in this way before. She leaned toward the nightstand, but it was just out of her reach.

“Top drawer?” He yanked it open and pulled one out. Tearing it open with his teeth, he quickly sheathed himself. His fingers went between her legs, stroking her overly sensitive flesh. “You're so fucking wet.” Again, he gripped his cock, found her throbbing center, and then gently eased himself in. A rush of color spread across his cheeks, and his biceps strained with his effort to go slowly. “You on birth control?”

She nodded. With each gentle thrust, he eased deeper and deeper inside. She loved that he was letting her body adjust to him, even when she knew how desperate he was for relief.

“Yes.” He was so close to bottoming out, and she was so wet for him. “Do it.” She lifted her hips, grabbed his ass, and pulled him hard against her.

His eyes closed, and he made a growl of deep satisfaction as he pushed all the way in. “You good?”

“So good.”

“Can't hold back anymore.”

“Don't hold back. Never hold back.”

“Love when you say that, Meems.” He dropped his head into the curve of her neck and started thrusting. Hard, fast. His hand shifted under her ass, lifting her, and she wrapped her legs around him. “Wanna watch you come.” His elbows locked as he powered into her, eyes glazed with lust. “Fantasy number one.” His words came out rough, gravelly. “Looking at you like this. Under me. Your hair on the pillow.” He squeezed his eyes shut, lust seizing his features. And then
they slowly opened, and he gazed at her with pure, unabashed desire. “Fantasy number two, that fucking mouth.” He lowered for a kiss, claiming his prize with a brutal hunger. His thrusts turned more desperate, and he tore his mouth away.

When he got up on his knees, he grabbed her hips, dragging her toward him and spreading her thighs wide. He eased back in—slowly, lusciously—watching her expression, and when her eyelids lowered and her back arched, he slammed back into her. Each deep thrust stroked over the sensitive spot of her inner wall, sparking pleasure, driving her higher, closer, to a deliciously unbearable pressure. Again and again he pounded into her, leaning forward so his pelvis scraped against her clit. A flash flood of desire engulfed her, and she came with a gasp as she planted her feet on the mattress and slammed her hips up to meet his thrusts.

“Gonna come now, Meems. Gonna come so fucking hard.” He lost his rhythm, slamming into her with quick, hard punches of his hips. And then his head snapped back. “Fuck.” His eyes closed, jaw tightened, as he came long and hard.

And then he collapsed on top of her, his face in her neck. “Beautiful.”

Holy shit. That had been the most intense sex she'd ever had. And not only did she love the way he handled her body—considerate but aggressive—but she'd never felt more cherished.

He rolled off her, falling onto his side, one arm cinching around her waist, as his breathing slowed.

She couldn't believe it. Calix Bourbon in her bed. Hottest sex of her life.

And
feelings
. Oh, the feelings.

Please, please, please, don't bail on me again.

She turned to look at him, a fervent wish taking hold of her.

Please be mine.

The smell of Chinese food lingered in the apartment. Maybe it was the roller coaster of emotions—or maybe it was Calix's sexy bare chest beside her in bed—but Mimi just couldn't seem to muster up an appetite.

“You okay?” Using chopsticks, he picked up a piece of his kung pao chicken.

“Sure, why?”

“You're not eating.”

“I'm not all that hungry.” She jammed the chopsticks into the rice.

“Your dad?”

“Yeah. Now you see why I've kept my distance.”

“I do.”

“I can't believe you got him to come to the competition. You never said a word.”

He shrugged. “Wasn't sure if he'd show.”

“That was incredibly sweet of you. Seriously, Calix, thank you.”

“Kind of wish I hadn't. I didn't think . . . I don't know why he had to bring up Miami.”

A hint of color seeped into his cheeks, and he focused intensely on his chopsticks.

But she wouldn't let him feel bad for her father's stupidity. “I love that he came. Even more, I love that you invited him. It's not your fault he ruined it.” Feeling a little sick to her stomach, she set the carton on the nightstand. “Honestly, though, it wasn't the job in Miami that got me. It was the way he said,
You made a salad
. That just . . . wow.”

“Yeah, but what you told him? About why you're doing the competition? That was badass.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” He squeezed her thigh. “He's gonna think on that.”

“I hope so, but I'm afraid he'll be so stubborn, he won't give me a job unless I follow the exact path he sets out.”

“You happy doing what you're doing?”

When she thought about it, she realized she had so much more going on in her life than just the show. She loved cooking for the band, and to her great surprise, she'd loved planning the clambake. And the wedding? “I
am
.” She smiled. “I totally am. Maybe it's because it's temporary, though. I think I've been so fixated on the end goal that I've never done anything just for fun. It's like I've felt these hands at my back, pushing, prodding, hurrying me along. Get an A on the test, a perfect score on the SAT, the right summer internship. I've never done something on a whim.”

“Well, you look good doing it.”

“What does that mean?”

“I've seen you in your business suits with your hair all straight and shiny and—don't get me wrong, you're on fire—but you're stressed. The woman at the farm? With her curls and her pajama bottoms? Her hands all covered in dough?” He shrugged. “She's warm. Fun. Happy.” He gave her thigh another squeeze. “Sexy as fuck.”

The sweetest rush of pleasure spread through her, and she leaned into him, pressing a kiss right over his heart. “I am happy.” Lowering her head to the pillow, she lifted the sheet and covered her face.

“What're you doing?” He sounded amused.

“I'm hiding.”

“I see that. Why?”

“Because I'm happy goofing off when I know I should be taking my life seriously. It's like taking a gap year before you start college. Before I know it, I'll be back on track, but I'll have this awesome memory of the year I played hooky.” And had
amazing
sex with Calix Bourbon.

He whipped off the sheet. “You do realize you don't have to jump through hoops, right?”

“What's that mean?”

“Sweet pants, you've got it all. You can do anything you want with your life.” He leaned in close. “The world's your oyster.”

“I want to work for my dad.”

“Yeah? 'Cause I admire your tenacity and all, but at some point you gotta wonder if you're so focused on getting hired by your dad that you're ignoring other possibilities that might make you even happier.”

She sat up. “No, no, it's like cake. I'm having a few slices of fun right now, but it'll get old soon enough, and I'm going to want something better for me. I do want to work for my dad.”

“Okay. It just seems like the moment you stop jumping through his hoops . . .” He shrugged. “World's gonna crack wide open for you.”

World's gonna crack wide open for you.
Was she so single-minded, she'd shut out other possibilities? She didn't like to see herself in that light. She saw herself as driven, ambitious, the kind of woman who knocks down walls to get what she wants.

But she hadn't knocked anything down. She was more like a windup toy banging into the same wall over and over.

Oh, she didn't like that image one bit. “Fuck-a-rama.” She threw back the covers, swung her legs off the bed, and headed for her closet.

Yanking the silk robe off the hook, she jabbed an arm into it. God, she'd never even considered what she wanted to do with her life. She'd bypassed the whole doctor, lawyer, CEO
discussion because she'd been so intent on working with her dad.

On
being
with him.

An arm belted around her waist and pulled her back onto the bed. Calix's strong hands turned her to face him. “What just happened?” That deep, rough voice warmed her blood.

“I think I'm just really tired.”

“Sweet pants.” His tone held a warning. He wasn't going to put up with evasion, and she
loved
that. Loved that he wanted to know her, cared enough to listen to her.

“It was the idea that I'd
limit
myself. Shut myself down. Because I did. I totally did that. And I know why. God, I can even tell you the exact moment it happened.”

Calix tipped her chin, forcing her to look into those dark, intense eyes. “Tell me.”

“I was eight, and my mom went on this four-day cruise with her friends. She'd made it very clear to my dad that he couldn't work. This was his chance to spend quality time with his daughter. I can't even tell you how excited I was. Time alone with my dad? No interruptions? He couldn't cut me off mid-sentence to read an e-mail or text. He couldn't leave the table to take a call. He was all mine. I was beyond happy.”

“I'll bet.”

“I made a list in my head of all the things I wanted to do.” She could actually see that piece of notebook paper—the edges torn from the binding—and the grape-scented ink she'd used to write it. “I wanted a tea party. I wanted him to play Barbies with me. I wanted to finally put together the Lego motorcycle set I'd gotten for Christmas.”

Calix smiled. “I got that same one. Spent one whole morning putting that fucker together, and then Gus comes running into the room to tell me we were going for ice cream, and he slammed right into it. Never played with Legos again.”

“I don't blame you. That's terrible.”

He smiled warmly. “Go on.”

“Okay, so tea party, dolls, Legos.” She tried to recall what else she'd had on that list. “Oh, I wanted to go to the Central Park Zoo and the carousel. And number one on my list, I wanted to go to Serendipity.”

“Sounds like a good plan for four days.”

“We didn't make it through the first day. During the tea party, he got up from the table so fast he knocked everything over.” Watching that brown liquid drip off the plastic table onto the fluffy white rug had made her cry. The stain had looked so ugly in her otherwise pristine room
.

“Why'd he get up?”

“He got a call. And when we were on the floor playing Barbies, he was shouting so angrily at whoever was on the phone that I actually felt bad for my dolls. I remember tucking them back in their cases so they wouldn't have to hear it, because they'd only ever known quiet play with me.” She glanced up at him. “I can't believe I just told you that.”

“Tell me more.”

Her heart squeezed with so much warmth for him. “So, we did go to the zoo, and that was fun. We got to see them feeding the sea lions, and we probably watched the puffins for three days.” She shot him a look. “That's in kid time.”

He smiled at her like she utterly delighted him. He couldn't know what that meant to her—
she
hadn't known until she'd received such unadulterated interest from a man who mattered so much to her.

But she hadn't finished yet. “And then we got to Serendipity. When the hostess told him the wait would be an hour and a half, he lost it. He grabbed my hand and pushed through the crowd, shoving me in the car. Oh, my God, I was mortified. Everyone was staring at me—not at him, but me.” She glanced up at him again. “You know what's funny? I remember touching my ears. They felt so hot, and I imagined them all red, like your skin after a hot shower.”

He kissed the shell of her ear, and her hand came up to cup his cheek.

“Anyway, that was the last I saw of him. The rest of the weekend I hung out with my nanny because my mom wasn't around to arrange playdates.”

He shifted lower, tipped her chin, and pressed a kiss to her mouth. “I'm sorry.”

That had been the turning point. When she'd started doing
things that would involve her dad in her life. “You know why I joined Future Business Leaders of America?”

“No fucking idea.”

She laughed. A rush of affection made her turn in his arms, wrap her arms around his neck. She'd never shared this story with anyone, and she was glad she'd done it with him. “Because I could get my dad to come as a speaker. To work on projects with us. I applied to all the schools he wanted me to because I knew it'd get him involved. He'd research the programs, take me on college visits. And it worked. He did all of that.”

“Is it still working for you?”

“Well, it's not like I'm going to give up everything I've worked so hard for. And I do think I'll kick ass as a restaurateur. This competition, cooking for the band? Knowing all aspects of the business will only make me even stronger.”

“But maybe remembering that weekend will free you a little, in case he doesn't wind up hiring you for some reason.”

For a moment the world came to a screeching halt.
Was
there a possibility her dad wouldn't hire her? No, he wouldn't do that. He'd told her he wanted her to take over the business.
Of course he'll hire me.

Right?

He ran his fingers through her hair. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” And then she turned into him, chest to chest. “Though I'm thinking . . . you could probably make it even better.”

“Might take some time.” He rolled her onto her back, his warm hand sliding under her silk robe and sweeping up her chest to gently palm her breast.

Heat flared across her skin. She leaned into his touch. “Oh, I've got time. For you, sweet cheeks, I've got all the time in the world.”

And then he kissed her, his tongue stroking into her mouth, his hand gently squeezing her breast. She wrapped her arms around his back, wanting to feel all that smooth, warm skin. Her legs shifted restlessly. She wanted him
between them, wanted to feel his weight on her, the silky strands of his hair on her skin.

He pushed the robe off her shoulders. “Want all of you.”

She sat up just enough for him to pull it off and toss it. And then he shifted on top of her, and she got the skin-on-skin contact she craved. His hand found her breast again, and he lowered to lick her nipple. When his mouth closed over her, the warm wet suction sent her body into a state of pure, hot arousal.

The trill of a phone tore her out of her sensual haze. He got up, leaving her cold, naked, and stunned.

“Yeah?”

Shaken, Mimi drew the sheet up to cover herself. If her phone had rung, she'd have ignored it. Whoever it was . . . it could wait.

“Dammit.” The muscles across his broad back tensed as he hunched over, tugging hard on one of his leather bands. “Yeah, okay. Make some calls. See if someone knows where they are.” He got up, stalking into the bathroom and swiping his boxers off the floor. With the phone cradled between his shoulder and chin, he stepped into them, hauled them up and over his hips. “I can be home in an hour and a half.” He snatched his shirt off the vanity. “Hey. Lee? Keep me updated.” Coming back out of the bathroom, he tossed his phone on the chair as he pulled his shirt on and then scooped his jeans off the floor. “I gotta get back.”

“What's going on?”

“Gus just loaded up his truck.”

He stuffed his phone in his pocket and then snagged his keys off the dresser.

“And?”

Finally, he looked at her. “Says he's moving in with Laney. Got their own place.”

“Okay.”

Finally, he seemed to realize he was leaving a naked woman in bed. He stopped, taking her in. “I've gotta get home.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I just told you. Gus's moving out.”

“What can you do about it tonight?”

“Find out where he's going.”

“How?” She'd never seen him like this. Like a SWAT team leader in the middle of a call-out.

“Ask around.”

“And then what?”

He let out an impatient breath. “And then I talk to him.”

“You're going to force him to move back home?”

“He can't live with that girl.”

“Isn't that what he's doing?”

“Okay.” He dismissed her, working his foot into a boot.

“He's twenty-three. Exactly how are you going to get him to come home?”

“I don't have time for this.”

As he gave her that same
You don't understand
tone, it struck her that Calix wasn't an unreasonable man. It wasn't worry about his brother moving out that compelled him.

He was panicked. Fear had a grip on him, and he'd gone into take-charge mode.

He needed to get back to base so he could get a handle on the situation.

And get his eyes on his mom.

She totally got it. Everything in her softened as she called up an image of Calix pacing the house with his mom for fourteen hours as they waited to find out what had happened to Hopper. That sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, the helplessness.