I turn the music off, bathing the room abruptly in silence.

“I’m sorry,” she says.

“For what?”

“Earlier. Can I tell you what you saw?”

“I’m not slow, Callie. I know what I saw.”

“Look.” She squares her shoulders now and lifts her chin. There’s the girl I know. She’s determined, and I have a feeling I’m in for quite a show. “I know what you saw, but you don’t know how I feel about it.”

“How do you feel, Calliope?”

“Bulldozed,” she says and paces around the room. “I feel fucking bulldozed.”

God, she’s magnificent. The way her legs move as she walks, the strength in her arms, the determination on her face.

“Pete is an old boyfriend from high school. Until two weeks ago, I hadn’t seen him since I was eighteen. Now he suddenly thinks that we should get back together.”

My jaw tightens at the thought, but I don’t interrupt.

“He showed me two houses, and that was it. And I’m pretty sure one was involved in the slave trade.”

“Excuse me?” My voice is deceptively calm.

“He sells real estate,” she says, waving that aside as if it doesn’t matter. “He asked me out twice, and I didn’t go. And I don’t even know why I feel like I need to defend myself or explain myself to you, but damn it, I do. So I am.”

She turns to me now, her blue eyes on fire, and she’s never looked sexier.

“He shows up tonight and hands me flowers, and before I could say anything to him, there you were, in all your sexiness, and I was just… thrown.”

“What happened after I left?”

She bites her lip and looks down at her hands, but I catch her chin in my fingers and tilt her head up to look at me. “What happened, Callie?”

“I gave him back his flowers and said thank you, but I’m not interested in dating him.”

“Why?” I’m whispering now as hope surges through me. Her eyes drop to my mouth. “Why, baby?”

“Because the little things aren’t little to me, either. And I didn’t know—”

“Don’t stop now.” I smile and cup her cheek in my hand, while the other brushes through her soft hair.

“I didn’t know that the little things were so big until you.”

I take a deep breath, so fucking relieved. I tip my forehead down to hers and close my eyes, reveling in the feel of her against me.

“I don’t know where this is going—” My voice is a hoarse whisper. “—but I want to find out.”

“Me too.”

My hands glide down her back to her ass, and I grip the globes and lift her easily. “Wrap your legs around me.”

I head for the stairs, moving fast, making her giggle. “What was wrong with the parlor?”

“Nothing, and I’ll have you there eventually, but once we get started, we’re not going to stop for quite some time and I want you to be comfortable.” With my eyes locked on hers, I push inside my bedroom. But instead of taking her to the bed, I brace her up against the back of the closed door and hike her skirt up over her hips.

“It’s so convenient that I don’t wear underwear,” she pants as her hands gather my shirt and urge it over my head.

“Thank you,” I say with a smile and I just can’t stand it anymore. It’s as though my lips haven’t touched hers in years as I take her mouth with mine, kissing, licking, biting. My cock is ready to burst through my jeans, but I don’t want to move from this spot. She’s grinding against me, with her legs locked around me like a vice, her hands are in my hair, gripping at my shoulders, scratching down my back, as if she doesn’t know where she should touch first, and I love every bit of it.

“In me,” she says, her voice heavy with urgency.

“I’ll get there.”

“Declan.” She frowns, but I smile and nibble my way down her neck.

“Yes, sugar, that’s my name, and I’m the one in control here. I’m going to fuck you blind, but I’m going to do it in my own way on my own timeline.” I bite her collarbone, and then growl in frustration because she still has too many clothes on, so I spin and carry her to the bed and strip her down as she manages to help me out of my jeans and makes my eyes cross as she jacks my cock.

“Put your hands on the headboard.” She’s on her back now in the middle of the bed, and if she keeps touching me, this will be over way too fast.

“I want to touch you.”

I cock a brow. “I didn’t ask.”

She cocks a brow right back at me, which makes me want to bark out a laugh, but I keep my face sober, watching her until she complies, holding on to the headboard.

“Keep them there.”

“Yes, sir,” she says primly.

“I’ll spank you for that,” I mutter and let the smile show when she replies with “I hope so.”

I take a minute to just take her all in. She’s spread before me like a feast, and I’m going to fucking devour every inch of her.

I start with kissing down her chest and over to each nipple, making them hard and wet, then blow on them. Callie squirms under me and sighs in delight.

“So responsive,” I whisper before placing wet kisses down her belly, gently tugging on the navel piercing with my teeth. I spread her legs wide and grin in satisfaction at the sight of her perfect, glistening pussy. “You’re already wet.”

“Are you sure?” she asks. “Maybe you should double check.”