Her smile caused the fire threatening to consume him to flare out of control. “I want you just as much.”
He held her gaze with his as he eased his hips back then forward, thrusting into her again and again. As he felt her respond by meeting him halfway, he increased the rhythm with each stroke, and in no time he felt her body tighten around his, signaling that she was poised to find her release.
When she wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him close, the pressure in his body increased tenfold and it was all he could do to hold himself in check. But he wasn’t going to find his satisfaction without her, and sliding his hand between them, he touched her as he thrust into her one last time.
Her moan of pleasure and the quivering of her tiny inner muscles rippling around him as she found her satisfaction triggered his own completion. Heat and light flashed behind his tightly closed eyes as he surrendered to the storm, and feeling as if his world had been reduced to just the two of them, he emptied himself deep inside of her.
As Hunter slowly drifted back to reality, an emotion filled his chest that he didn’t dare put a name to. He’d never experienced anything as amazing as what he’d just shared with Callie. Her passionate response to his touch had excited him in ways he’d only dreamed of and he felt more alive than he had in years.
“Are you all right?” he asked when he finally found the strength to move to her side.
“I-I’m fine.”
A slight crack in her voice had him rising up to look down at her beautiful face. The tears he saw welling up in her eyes scared him as little else could. If he’d hurt her in any way, he’d never forgive himself.
“Callie, darlin’, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Making love with you was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had.” She cupped his cheek with her palm, and her smile lit the darkest corners of his soul. “Thank you.”
Weak with relief, he shook his head. “I should be thanking you. You were incredible.”
When she hid a yawn behind her delicate hand, he kissed the top of her head. “You were up pretty late and it’s still early. Why don’t we take a nap, then we can talk over breakfast.” He hadn’t much more than gotten the words out before her shallow breathing signaled that she’d drifted off to sleep.
As he watched the predawn shadows in the room melt away with the light of day, Hunter held Callie close and thought about what they would be talking about later. After the accident and Ellen’s death, he’d never intended to ask another woman to marry him. But these were a different set of circumstances. He and Callie wouldn’t be marrying for love. They would be doing the only thing he could think of that might discourage Craig Culbertson from trying to take her baby away from her.
He closed his eyes and tried to think of some other way to help Callie. From the time he’d gone to bed until she’d entered the bedroom a couple of hours later, all he’d been able to think about was how they could stop Culbertson and his family.
Hunter had no idea what the man’s motive was, but he must have learned about Callie’s pregnancy from her mother and shown up to confirm his suspicions that he was the father. Considering the disgust in his voice when he’d accusingly asked her if the child was his, Hunter was surprised that Culbertson hadn’t jumped at the chance for someone else to take responsibility. But he hadn’t, and Hunter had every intention of pulling out all the stops to find out why. And he knew exactly who to contact to help him start making inquiries into the matter. He’d get the name of a discreet private investigator from Emerald’s trusted assistant, Luther Freemont, and see what they could dig up on Culbertson.
If he’d wanted to, Hunter could have asked outright for Emerald to intervene on Callie’s behalf and he had no doubt that she would have. But that wasn’t his style. Whether it was pride or bullheaded stubbornness, he fought his own battles. He’d offered to help Callie and he’d be the one to see the matter through to the end.
Another reason he didn’t want to get Emerald involved was that he wasn’t ready for anyone—and especially Callie—at Life Medevac to learn of his relationship to the indomitable Mrs. Larson. For one thing, he had yet to prove himself with the business she’d given him to run. And for another, Callie had trust issues with anyone who had money. If she were to discover that he was Emerald Larson’s grandson and had been given a trust fund large enough to make a dent in the national debt, as well as being in line to inherit part of Emerald Inc., she’d automatically assume he was like the Culbertsons and refuse his help. And that was something they both knew she couldn’t afford to do.
Gazing down at her sleeping so peacefully in his arms, he fleetingly wondered if getting married would pose a threat to either of their hearts. But he immediately dismissed the concern. They wouldn’t be marrying for love, and as long as they kept things in perspective and their emotions in check, there shouldn’t be a problem for either of them.
Satisfied that he had everything under control, Hunter relaxed and closed his eyes. They’d stay together as long as it took to settle this business with Culbertson once and for all, then evaluate the best way to handle the dissolution of their marriage.
An unexpected twinge of regret tightened his chest at the thought, but he ignored it. He and Callie were friends now and they would remain friends once they parted ways. And that’s just the way it had to stay.
“Where’s your husband, Callie?”
Callie went perfectly still at the sound of the familiar voice. Needing a refill on her prenatal vitamins, she’d stopped at the drugstore on her way to start her shift at Life Medevac. She didn’t have the time nor the desire to deal with the likes of Craig Culbertson.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but Hunter owns the air-ambulance service and had some paperwork to deal with,” she said, heading back to her car.
She could pick up the vitamins another time. Right now she wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between her and Craig as humanly possible.
But before she could get the driver’s door open, he caught her by the arm. “What’s your hurry? Surely you have enough time to talk to an old friend.”
Extricating herself from his grasp, she turned to face him. “We aren’t friends and never will be. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work.”
His knowing smirk was enough to make her want to scream. “If your husband owns the business, going in late shouldn’t be a problem for you.”