Page 50 of Brutal Sin
The guy glanced between them, a smile gently spreading his lips. “It’s Callum.” Humor tinged his voice, friendly and sweet.
Too friendly and sweet. If only he had a fierce streak, then her uterus would be doing tumbles.
“Nice to meet you, Callum.” Kim backtracked, removing herself from the equation with stealthy finesse. “But I’m going to have to run.” She finger-waved. “I have an appointment with my personal trainer. I’ll talk to you later, sis.”
Pamela glared at her lying sister’s back until she lost sight of her in the busy foot traffic. When she turned to Callum, he was staring at her, his brown eyes filled with nervousness.
“Well, it’s great to formally meet you, Callum. Was there something I could help youwith?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. Nibbled his bottom lip. The apprehension may have been endearing to someone else, but she’d always admired confidentmen.
“Yeah, I’ve been hanging around, waiting for you to finish for the day. I thought, maybe, I could buy you a drink ortwo.”
“Oh.” Her brain seized. “Um…” She hadn’t been expecting an invitation. Especially not from a man who seemed puppy-like in his timid nature. “I…”
“I know it’s out of the blue.” He gave an embarrassed chuckle. “It’s taken a while to work up the guts to speak toyou.”
Again, she should’ve been charmed. Even a little flattered. He seemed like a niceguy.
Evidently, her libido didn’t donice.
“Tonight?” She glanced along the pavement, caught between voicing a gentle dismissal to appease her disinterest, and an unwanted acceptance which would finally see her sampling a different sort ofmale.
Who knew? Maybe this timid guy had the occasional anal orgasm in his repertoire.
“I, umm…” She focused on the people passing by—the businessmen, the couples, the kids. Now was as good a time as any to try something new, right?
She opened her mouth, poised to accept, when her gaze snagged on the man leaning against his car a few yards down the street. As if pulled from her fantasies, Brute stood there, arms crossed over his chest, his stance casual as he pinned her heart like a preserved butterfly.
“I’m sorry, Callum.” She turned back to meet soft brown eyes. “I can’t tonight.”
He shrugged, his smile now painted on. “That’s okay. I know it’s late notice. Maybe another night?”
“Sure.” Who knew what the future held? One day soon she seriously had to quit the infatuation with emotionless men and fall for someone like Callum.
Someone sickeningly sweet and drama-free.
Just not today. Not when a man entirely opposite stood close by, invigorating her bloodstream with his annoyance.
“Have a good night.” Callum inclined his head in farewell, waved, then turned in those big workman boots.
“You, too.” She plastered herself against the glass doors, refusing to look at the man who approached. The closer Brute came, the harder it became to breathe. Her skin prickled. Her throat tightened.
“Is he the reason you’re leaving me high and dry?” he growled in greeting.
Her heart beat harder, the mix of attraction and his anger sizzling all her nerves. “What are you doinghere?”
“I thought I deserved an explanation.”
“You could’ve called.”
“I thought the same about you. After the orgasms I’ve dished out, you’d think the last thing I deserved was a few vague words viatext.”
Oh, boy.
Mentally, she had her hands on his shoulders, pulling him in for a harsh kiss that would end with her knee in his junk. Physically, though, she had her teeth clenched and a scowl firmly in place.
Nothing about this moment could end well. Especially when she couldn’t voice the real reason for her cancellation, and she didn’t have a fake excuse on stand-by.
