Chapter 24

This morning I had woken up and went through the motions of getting ready for work. I arrived at work 10 minutes early and made sure to check in with Mr Kennedy. The day flew by and before I knew it, I was home and not at Callum's office. I wanted to stop by but by the time I had gotten home it was late enough and I knew he would've most likely left for the day.

"You don't have to drink tonight Gianna." Callum said as I handed him the cold beer. What was this.. his fourth?

"I know I don't. It's just a beer." I said watching his green eyes narrow in on the beer in his hands,

"Your sister, what was her name." I asked casually, trying not to poke the bear but genuinely curious about Callum's past. He was closed off, guarded and I knew very little about him.

"Callie." He said, his tone flat and eyes glazed with a painful memory. I hated how my heart broke for the man in front of me. He was supposed to be my enemy, not confident.

"If you're here to pry about my family and my past I suggest you leave." He said harshly watching as I brought the cold beer to my lips.

"You're going to give me whiplash Callum Black." Shaking my head, I stood walking along the floor to ceiling windows. I could feel the burn of his eyes on my back as I stood facing the city skyline. "You can't just pick and choose when you want to be an asshole or a decent person," I turned to him. "You confuse the hell out of me," I said quietly while holding his gaze. His eyes dark and face hard.

He stood setting the beer down on the table and turning to meet me by the windows. He stopped once he was in front of me. I watched his eyes run down my face and flow down my legs. It gave me goosebumps.

"Just because I don't want to discuss my dead sister, doesn't make me an asshole Gianna," he said looking straight at me.

I tilted my head up saying, "but it doesn't give you the right to snap at me and treat me like shit every two seconds." Rolling my eyes I crossed my arms. "You've injected yourself into my life like a needle to a vein, excuse me for trying to level the playing field."

He sighed looking out behind me towards the skyline.

"A deal is a deal Gianna. Nowhere in the contract did it say I had to reveal my every secret to you." My blood boiled at his response.

"That deal  was to save your ass," he looked back at me again, noticing my angry tone. "I'm tired of this weird controlling cat and mouse game. One night you're threatening me to my core, scaring me into silence. And then the next you're swooning me over dinner." Taking a deep breath my chest was rising and falling a bit faster now.

"I don't even know why I'm here." Shaking my head,  I pushed past him, dropping the beer on the nearest table and heading for the door.

"Gianna." Said Callum as he reached me before I could even grab the door handle. He spun me around bringing my body to his.

"I don't think you understand how infuriating you are. You say I'm an asshole for not spilling my past life to you, yet you make it clear any chance you get that this is a contract deal relationship." He shook his head, clenching his jaw.

"What the fuck do you want from me Gianna, because I'm not the only one blurring lines and turning hot and cold here," his eyes were so dark. And his hand crept up the back of my neck like a snake.

I let it.

My heart was pounding and my head was spinning because I thought deep down I knew. I knew that I was falling. Falling into the tight grasp of Callum Black. And I didn't have an answer for him because he was right. I had given into him nights ago, in the front seat of his car. I had fallen for his charm and his pull more than once now. He was arrogant, infuriating, and so fucking irresistable. There was always a fine line between hate and attraction and I'm afraid I was about to discover just how small that line was.

"Say something. Stop me, stop this." His words fanning my face, inching closer to my lips.

"I have a feeling we're not talking about the contract anymore are we," I said breathlessly watching the corners of his mouth lift up in a smirk. I watched him run his tongue along his lips and I reached up to the button up on his chest, gripping the collar.

"No. No we're not." And with that he smashed his lips to my own.

I closed my eyes, moving my lips to the pulse of his own. I could taste the beer on his lips and the second his free arm squeezed my waist our mouths opened, deepening the kiss. Now I could taste the beer clearly as his tongue battled with my own. His hands exploring my back and my own reaching up to cup the back of his neck.

Chills followed his hand as he slid the warm material of my sweater over, reaching his cold hand up the length of my back. Giving a slight gasp I broke the kiss. He leaned back, his hands still all over me and I watched as his hooded eyes stayed trained on my lips.

"Fucking delicious, I haven't been able to get those lips out of my mind since the second you left my car Wednesday night." He said in a raspy voice.

My mind clouded with need. I rolled my head forward to his chest, pushing my body to his. His arms instantly gathered around my waist, and his head fell to my neck.

"I remember the second I snapped my eyes to yours, when you walked through the wrong door," he began saying as he brushed his lips along the curve of my neck. His hot breath sent shivers down my spine. The anticipation of his lips on my skin to come, but he kept talking.

"I was angry. Angry that someone interrupted me, but then I looked up to meet your eyes." He placed a soft kiss behind my ear, keeping me locked in his embrace. I closed my eyes, enjoying whatever the hell was happening at the moment.

"And I swore I'd never seen someone as beautiful as you before." My heart clenched and I gripped him tighter at his words. Leaning back I met his eyes again.

"That's not a very Callum Black thing of you to say." I smirked and he rolled his eyes smashing his lips back to my own.

Smiling into the kiss, I allowed myself to get lost in all things Callum Black right now. My heart pounded at his revelation. He thought I was beautiful, and even made the effort to tell me. It was probably the four beers speaking, although he's a large man. It'd take more than four beers for clouded judgement.

Things got heated. He grasped the back of my neck, diving his tongue into my mouth. He ran his free hand up my back again, this time bringing it around front. As he felt up my stomach, his legs pushed us back to the couch and before I knew it we were crashing down. My body lay flat with his flush up against mine on his large expensive couch, mouths never separating.

I ran my hands through his hair, tugging the ends and earning a slight growl from him. I smirked into the kiss and in response he squeezed my side, hard. I gasped and it was his turn to smirk into my mouth. I brought my hands to his button up, and slowly I started unbuttoning. When I reached the last button, he broke away to toss the shirt aside and I brought my hands up to explore his chest.

Smirking down at me he brought his fingers to my thighs, guiding them so they straddled his waist allowing his body to fall between them. I shuddered at the contact of his body on top of my clothed core.

He brought his face inches from my own and slowly brought his lips back to mine.

My body was on fire, my mind was clouded with everything Callum Black. And I wasn't sure where the line had to be drawn, where it was supposed to be drawn. I knew this was bad, and I knew it was wrong. But that didn't mean it didn't feel good.

"I want to taste you," he said into my ear after breaking the kiss. I gasped, my body growing even more hot as heat pooled to my core. Keeping his eyes on mine, he trailed one hand underneath the waistband of my leggings and tugged as he pulled down.

"Wait." I said breathlessly, grabbing his hand before he could go any further.

I watched as his eyes searched my own and he waited for me to continue. Truth was, I was scared of where this was going. Scared at allowing him in a second time. I came here to talk, not to get fucked. Closing my eyes I rolled my head to the back of the couch. I felt him remove his hand and lean back, away from my body.

"You're right. Too far, this has to stop." I opened my eyes again scanning his face. He looked confused and almost.. hurt.

I sat up, removing my legs from around his waist bringing them close to my body wrapping my arms around them. He moved so his back rested against the back of the couch, head facing the window and I watched as his chest rose and fell. We both sat there in silence. Catching our breaths, letting our minds catch up with our bodies.

"You should go." Was all he said, and it was like a punch to the gut.

"We need to draw the line Callum." I said in a whisper standing up again, straightening out my sweater.

"I know love..." He said he was still not looking at me.

"May I use your restroom," I asked, watching his rigid body. Still shirtless and illuminated by the moon, he was gorgeous and my heart clenched at the thought.

"Down the hall to the right." Was all he said before I took off in the direction of the bathroom.

I found the bathroom exactly where he said it'd be, peaking in and turning the lights on as I closed the door behind me. Sighing I did my business, flushing the toilet I found the sink to wash my hands. I looked at myself in the mirror, hair messy and lips red and blotchy from his kiss. I quickly splashed water on my face.

Fuck.

Leaving the bathroom I made sure to turn the lights off and shut the door behind me.

He had put his shirt back on and was sitting on the edge of the couch, hunched over on his knees hands in hair. He looked tired almost, and I almost wanted to comfort him. Almost.

Reaching the chair where I sat just hours before, I grabbed the small bag I brought with me.

"How are you getting home," he said looking up to me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Cab, probably." I said while fixing the strap of my bag on my shoulder.

Shaking his head he pulled out his phone from his back pocket. "I'll call my driver,"  he said while bringing the phone to his ear, eyes staying on mine. Before I could protest he was already asking whoever was on the other line to bring a car around. Rich people.

"He'll be out front in 5." He said hanging up the phone and placing it on the table. Nodding my head, not wanting to use my voice I started for the door. I could hear him get up, felt his body behind mine as I opened his front door.

"I don't know how." He said softly, and I turned to meet his eyes again as I stepped outside the door into the hallway.

"How what?" I said.

"How to draw the goddamn line." He said, he was frustrated, eyes laced with confusion. "Goodnight Gianna." And with that he closed the door. I was left breathless, and beyond confused. I took a step back, turning towards the direction of the elevators.

Callum Black didn't know how to draw the line and neither did I unfortunately. And a little part of me... didn't want him too.