Unchained Melody (11 page)

‘Callie…’ Hunter sighed. He’d already commiserated. He’d already held her, attempted to play her some Chilli Pepper’s, wiped away tears that continued to flow and had long since given up on being any kind of support and had crawled back onto his bed, on top of his homework, where her flowery scent was less appealing and he was less inclined to try and get a game of footsie going. And yet her scent, her presence was thicker than fog around him.

‘I know. It’s hopeless, and I’m sorry for dragging you into it.’ Callie rolled onto her side and blinked at him, her lashes still wet, her breasts snuggling together. ‘Can we just talk about something else? The gig tomorrow night? The damn weather even?’

Hunter smiled at her, but his smile faded fast. He’d sworn to Ryan that he’d be upfront and honest; that he wouldn’t get himself into a difficult position with Callie and now here he was, staring at her tits, wishing she’d cover them up or expose the whole lot! ‘Can I be honest with you about something Cal?’

Callie smiled a watery smile. ‘You’re about to trade me in?’

Hunter chuckled and rolled onto his own side, looking down at her. ‘It’s a bit… it’s worse than that.’ His intestines were in tangles. She was either going to freak over his confession or worse- shrug it off and say: ‘Whatever. We cool,’ and go on with her life totally unaffected. But he had to hope that clearing the air, like a mate, would get him back to seeing her as a mate. Maybe the secrecy of his feelings was making a normal situation seem mysterious and more sexy than it was.

Callie’s throat flexed as she swallowed. Her eyes betrayed genuine fear. ‘Okay.’

Hunter sighed. ‘You are my best friend. Well, you and Ryan. And I am never going to trade you in...’ he rubbed his fingertip into brow. ‘But you need to cover up your feet.’

Callie glanced down at her feet, flexing them. They were long and arched, the toes scarred, the nails sort of dented from years of toe shoes. ‘Because they’re all deformed? I know, it’s gross.’

But Hunter shook his head. ‘No, it’s the bare foot thing, in general. You are not a barefoot girl, Callie. That is one of the places on your body that I am not used to seeing, and you need to cover them up.’ He pointed to her stomach. ‘You need a bigger shirt too, one that covers that- and the cleavage.’ He curled his fingers around a short tuft of his spiky blonde hair and regarded her earnestly. ‘When you have done that; I will hold you. I will listen to you cry and give you advice- hopefully good advice that makes you stop crying- but I can’t even look at you until there’s less to see!’

‘What? Why?’ Callie was looking at him like he was a pod person. She sat up, cross-legged, and the sight of her thighs falling open so that the knees almost touched the mattress like that made Hunter groan and roll onto his back- flexibility! He hadn’t even figured her flexibility into his daydreams yet! He was so screwed! ‘Because you’re hot now Callie!’ He bemoaned, covering his eyes. ‘I love you like a mate, and I want to keep it that way. But you need to go back to being a mate and stop looking like- like-’ he dragged his palm down over his chin. ‘Like a girl! Like a girl with beautiful breasts! Like a girl with bare feet that I want to touch with my own bare feet!’

‘You are being ridiculous!’ Even though he couldn’t see her, Hunter knew that Callie was blushing. ‘I know things have been out of whack lately and I want to stay friends too, but I’m not going to walk around in a winter coat to make your life easier. We’re friends, and I’m a girl- those are facts and we’ve always been cool with that.’

Hunter’s teeth clenched when she said ‘Cool’ in that way that drove him crazy again. But Callie pressed on, unawares that she was fanning his flames with a blanket soaked in kerosene. ‘I didn’t try and make you wear a wetsuit the other night at Ry’s place did I?’

Hunter looked at her, feeling his heart lift a little higher- levitating towards hope. ‘A wetsuit?’ He rolled onto his side, swallowing back his nervous energy. ‘Were you looking at me too Cal?’

Callie scowled at him. ‘Well I’m not the only one changing. Your body is…’ her eyes drifted down to his chest and two distinct dots of color appeared on her wet cheeks. ‘You’ve always been cute Hunter. I’m not surprised that Meredith’s all over you now, okay?’

Hunter felt a thrill shoot through him. He wiggled closer to the edge of the bed. ‘Oh?’

Callie rolled her eyes, tugging on the brim of his cap, wetting her lips. ‘Oh shut up Mr Ego. The point is, I’m not going to avoid swimming with you in case I accidentally drool on your abs. I’m not going to forbid Ryan from singing so I don’t throw my panties at his head! I’m not going to tear every blue or green shirt out of his cupboard so I can look at him without falling into his bloody eyes, am I? Because it’s ridiculous!’

Hunter felt like he had been slapped and suddenly, he was moving until he was on top of Callie, caging her in with his knees and hands, forcing her flat onto her back. Her eyes widened when her head hit the pillow.

‘Ry gets two?!’ Hunter demanded, insulted. Devastated. ‘You cry on my shoulder but avoid his- why? Because heaven forbid he be wearing a blue shirt that brings out his damn eyes?’ He leaned down, nudged the tip of her hat up slightly so she was forced to look at him and asked softly: ‘Don’t you like my eyes Callie?’

Callie’s pupils grew larger, blacker and when she met his gaze, her chin lifted. ‘Jealous?’ Her dark eyebrows twitched mischievously, the corner of her lip curving in a bemused smile. ‘How do you think I felt watching you slide your hand up Meredith’s leg at lunch the other day?’

If felt like Hunter was about to spontaneously combust. He reached over to his shelf and slapped on his stereo. The Sneaker Pimps sexy 6 Underground was halfway through, loud enough to conceal what he didn’t want his parents to accidentally overhear him do; get with his best friend.

10.

Hunter knew there was no coming back from that moment. The jealousy in Callie’s amber eyes was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and he wanted to see what other effects he could have on her. And he knew the song was a favorite of Callie’s too and seemed to charge the room with tension.

‘I don’t know Cal…’ he lowered himself onto her, aligning the parts of him that were causing him to ache, with the parts of her that promised to take the ache away. He groaned and she purred and then, to his absolute glee, she melded her limbs around his. Holding a tight breath, he rolled his hips into hers, forcing his stiff denim jeans against her soft, jersey cotton. ‘... how do you feel?’ He nudged himself against her more forcefully. ‘Like you want to be one of the boys? Or you want me to treat you like the soft…’ he dropped his lips to her jawline and kissed it gently. ‘… delicate,’ he moved lower, to just beneath her ear and inhaled her expensive scent before nuzzling her pulse with the tip of his nose. ‘And delicious girl you are…?’

Callie made a soft humming sound, turning her head to the side, offering up her neck and Hunter kissed the ridge of her collarbone, letting his lips feather across it until he felt Callie’s hands slip under his shirt and drag it up along his back. Her palms were warm and the way her fingertips traced the indents between his muscles told him that she’d imagined doing that before, and that just made it feel even better! His lips broke away from her skin while he lowered his head to rest against the muscle above her heart, afraid he’d actually pass out from the pleasure of her caress if he didn’t ground himself.

‘You’re not answering me Callie…’ he whispered to the shadow between her breasts, kissing the rise of one firm and supple mound. Her head rolled against her pillow as though trying not to wake from a wonderful dream. ‘Do you want me? Like I want you? Do you like it when I look at you?’

Callie squirmed beneath him, her blunt fingernails tracing down his vertebrae until her hands were on his hips and coaxing them up against hers again. ‘Yes…’ she whispered. ‘I don’t want to but I like it. A lot.’ Her fingers slid under the waistband of his pants and slid across his lower back. Her touch made his heart flutter.

‘Why?’ Hunter’s breath was ragged as he moved, bringing them together again, kissing the rise of the other breast. ‘Don’t give me bullshit reasons about me being a safe bet or a good pal this time though Cal; I want to know what’s got you breathing heavy, not what’s got you through my door.’

Callie lifted slightly beneath him, nudging his head to the side, lifting his silver chain with one hand and then sensually working her lips against the base of his throat where its weight usually lay. ‘Your voice… of course.’ Her lusty gaze left him breathless.

‘Mmm, really?’ He lifted his lips to her jaw, whispering huskily into her ear: ‘Better than Ry’s?’

Callie made a throaty, gasping sound. ‘Yes…it’s my favorite sound in the world, Hunter.’

Hunter’s dick throbbed in triumph. His ego was like one of those arcade games he wanted girls to swing at with a hammer to see how high they could raise the bar- and by complimenting his voice, Callie had just swung hard enough to ring the bell. ‘And yours is mine,’ he confessed, prodding between her thighs. ‘Certain words you say…’ he panted against her skin. ‘Like Y’all…’ He hummed a moan. ‘Or cool, or hot… I got my first boner because of your voice, back in the ninth grade… know that?’

‘No, I didn’t…’she smiled, eyes ardent.

‘It’s true. You came up behind me while I was playing the keyboard, thinking I was alone, and you whispered: ‘That’s so hot,’ into my ear and geez- talk about goosebumps!’ He closed his eyes at the memory of how his then tiny penis had experience arousal for the first time- why hadn’t he realized that it was more than just the voice making him quake?

Callie took one of his hands and oh so gently, eased the tip of one of his fingers between her lips, kissing gently, suckling in a way that translated through to his erection. ‘Well I worship your hands too... they make such beautiful music. I wish watching you play yesterday afternoon didn’t turn me on so much, but it did...’ Hunter watched her, awestruck, as she dragged his fingers down over her chin and guided it into the right cup of her bra. The moment his palm and fingers folded around her supple flesh he was panting. Swelling. Thickening. His eyes closed as he gently caressed her and when she whimpered in assent he throbbed.

I didn’t pick truth/ Because I wanted the dare/ Catch and Kiss/ I’ll follow anywhere/ Spin that bottle for two minutes in heaven/ If the flesh is willing better make it seven/-

And then Callie was in motion, rolling, and suddenly Hunter was on his back beneath her. She straddled him, reached for the hat on her head, pulled it off, and then tugged it down over Hunter’s own scalp.

‘Now that’s hot,’ she whispered, smiling, tugging on the brim of the cap. That little jerk made her bounce on top of him, made him pulse and twitch. Without the hat, Callie wasn’t quite Callie. She was both less, and more. His, not to be treated sacredly, but however the fuck he wanted. Hunter took her hips in his hands and pulled her down, circling his own, making her feel him. Callie’s head slanted back, her black hair cascade of hair tickling the underside of his feet deliciously.

‘Feel that?’ He panted. ‘That’s what you do to me now Callie. And you don’t have to play a note for me to get hard around you.’

Callie dropped her chin to regard him and her hair swung back over one shoulder, obscuring half of her face in a Jessica Rabbit way that had him chomping at the bit. Biting her troublesome lip but failing to hold back the sultriest smile he had ever seen, Callie rose up on her knees, and plucked at the drawstring of her sweats, giving it a gentle, teasing tug.

‘If I’m going to let you feel what you do to me…’ she whispered, winding her finger around the tie the way Hunter wanted to wrap her hair around her fist. ‘I need to know that I won’t lose you after…’

Callie could have been speaking Mandarin for all the sense that statement made coming from her lips. He sat up, cradling her back, using his core strength to keep him up high enough to look into her eyes. ‘What are you saying?’ He demanded, thinking that anything he was imagining was too good to be true.

Callie looked down at the intersection of their bodies and used her thumbs to push up the hem of his own white tank and then traced the outlines of his obliques. ‘Well…’ She was breathing hard, excitement making her shimmer. She lifted her gaze to his and angled her head to the side. ‘I guess I’m saying that if you have protection you need to get one, turn up the music- and lock the damn door so I can pick dare and wish you a belated New-Year.’

Hunter melted. His strength gave away under a surge of hormones and he fell back onto the trundle mattress, wanting to ‘whoop’ in excitement but knowing that it was probably a very uncool thing to do. Callie was going to let him... no he couldn’t even think it without risking a premature celebration! He sprang up again, took her hips and lifted her, as she giggled, only to put her back on the bed beside him.

‘One second,’ he said, rolling onto his knees, turning the stereo up and then pouncing over to his bed. He’d kept condoms, somewhat optimistically in his bed head compartment (along with his porn and other things he wasn’t about to let her see) for two years in anticipation of a moment very similar to this one. He just couldn’t believe that he was actually going to get to use them! He was pretty sure that he’d never been in a better mood in his life. He spotted the cordless phone sitting on his windowsill and reached to take it off the hook so the damn phone wouldn’t interrupt them, the way Ryan had been upstaged by lightning! ‘Get the lights Cal?’ He asked, picking up the lighter off the sill and lighting one of the bottle candles. Atmosphere- he needed atmosphere!

‘Okay...’ Callie still sounded breathless, and Hunter felt another wave of psychosis-inducing adrenalin pump through him. Damn! He was going to get laid! And his first time was going to be with someone who was not only hot, but someone he cared about as well! Someone who wouldn’t laugh if he fumbled, and very possibly, someone he wasn’t going to want to let go of once he’d thrown her down on their boundary line and made it redundant.

‘Take me down…’ He lit the second bottle but couldn’t wait for as long as it would take to pull the curtain away from the third. He chucked the lighter on top of his homework, shoved the condom into his jeans pocket and turned, pressing the ‘call’ button on the phone, to take it off the hook.

‘Want me to lock-’ Callie was asking. But the door opened then and Hunter’s heart and spirit broke as Ryan inched into the room with a welcoming smile, flinching to see Callie standing so close.

‘Whoops! There’s my girl!’ Ryan greeted, catching Callie in a fierce bear-hug and pulling her off the ground. ‘Sorry. Almost brained you there love!’

‘Oh…!’ Callie’s voice was a squeak. ‘Ryan! Hey!’

Hunter was going to kill him. Kill him! And the need to strangle something increased tenfold when Ryan swung a sleeping bag around Callie and onto the carpet next to the trundle bed.

‘I came over as soon as I heard you were going to be crashing here for a few days,’ Ryan said and though his words were for Callie, his knowing smirk was aimed at Hunter’s crestfallen expression. ‘Figured we could use it as make-up practice time. Your folks said it was okay if I stayed too, Hunter, and helped keep Callie… sensible.’

Hunter wanted to curse. He wanted to throw punches. He wanted to grab Callie by the panties, haul her into the bathroom and do her up against the shower door before she had a chance to regulate her thoughts or breathing, but he knew that none of them were workable plans. The best he could do, was keep what they had been about to do secret long enough to get a second go.

‘Sweet. We were just about to call you and invite you over anyway.’ Hunter held up the phone in his hand, saying a silent prayer that he was brandishing it, and not a condom wrapper.

‘And I was about to go to the loo!’ Callie disentangled herself from Ryan, shot him an: Oh crap that was close! look and then ducked out the door, half-slamming it behind her.

Hunter leaned over and switched the track to Usher’s; You Make Me Wanna was a much more appropriate song choice now! When he straightened, Ryan was leaning against the door, arms crossed across the front of his Korn T-shirt, appraising Hunter with one lifted eyebrow. Silently- the way Hunter had gone about tricking Ryan into a confession at his party the week before.

‘What?’ Hunter asked, picking up his Math textbook like it was what he’d been doing anyway.

‘How’s my timing?’ Ryan asked, curling his lip in a mean smile. ‘Timely?’

Hunter dropped his eyes to the textbook. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about man…’

‘Oh? So how’s algebra upside down? Easier?’

Hunter’s eyes focused on the text in front of him, which was indeed, upside down. ‘It’s not algebra.’ He tossed the text to the bed beside him. ‘It’s Integers.’

‘Mm-hmm.’ Ryan began to saunter towards him. How he managed to do so and look cool on the six inches of carpet between Hunter’s bed and Callie’s was beyond Hunter. ‘Call me paranoid but I don’t believe you.’

Hunter tried to look offended. ‘Look man. We had a deal and I am honoring-’ But he flinched when Ryan’s hand shot out, ripped the hat Hunter had forgotten he was wearing off his head and then smacked his face with it before dropping it onto his chest.

‘Dog.’ Ryan grumbled, turning away.

Hunter cringed, knowing he was right. But before he put the hat on Callie’s bed, Hunter brought it to his nose and inhaled her scent deeply into his system.

Yep. Cherries. Ripe for the picking.

*

Callie was so stiff on the trundle bed between Hunter’s bed and Ryan’s sleeping bag that she was certain that she had levitated like a Magician’s assistant and they would awake to find her sleeping just below the ceiling, like Dean Cain in Superman.

Or Cal El, she thought, rolling her eyes. Super Ho! Callie covered her face with her hands on reflex, but blocking her view of Hunter’s bedroom ceiling did not block out the image of him curled around her, grinning down at her in excitement. And it didn’t stop the way her own breathing was speeding up again. She rolled over onto her side, squeezing her thighs together and flinched when she saw Ryan’s face only inches from hers, staring at her.

‘You okay?’ He whispered. ‘You’ve had a weird week.’ Moonlight strained through Hunter’s curtains, the shadows of lace splashing patterns across the apples of Ryan’s cheeks. Callie almost sighed in sheer appreciation for the arrangements of his facial features, and the concern in his eyes. But then she remembered the way he’d frozen her out and she averted her eyes. ‘I’ve had a weird life. What’s one more week?’

Ryan smiled, reached out and stroked her cheek. ‘I’m here for you hon, you’re not alone’

Callie sighed because she was alone. And the proximity of her two best friends was only heightening that feeling. Once, she could have told them both everything but now she felt like she had all of these secrets and they were building inside her, weighing her down like they had mass. The weather, the adoption thing… they were heavy, stressful issues, but she knew she could handle everything if she got to keep Hunter and Ryan. But how was that going to work? She’d been swept away by Hunter’s (sober) interest in her earlier. It had struck a chord deep inside her, flicking her brain into the ‘off’ position just long enough to leave her body as frustrated as her mind had been.