I smirk. “Couldn’t do this without my right-hand man could I?”
“Shit. Okay. And if something goes wrong?” His fists clench on the countertop.
The truth is something could go wrong. But I don’t tell him that. “We adapt, but we don’t back down. We didn’t come this far to let them slip through our fingers now. If you want out, if you don’t want to go in, I’ll understand. This isn’t like our other operations.” We didn’t come this far just for me to lose my chance at making Dylan mine, but he also doesn’t deserve to be forced to do this.
He exhales a long breath. “No, I want to be there when it goes down. We’ve been together since the start. We’ll be together at the end, too.”
I meet his gaze. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve got just as much a reason to be there as you do.”
I nod, my mind already racing ahead. “I’ll let you know when I get more information. Will take some time to get everything coordinated.”
He holds his beer up, the tension is his posture easing some. “I’m nothing if not patient. Cheers, brother.” That’s the surgeon in him talking, which gets a chuckle out of me as I hold my pint up to his.
“Salud.”
Chapter
Eighteen
DYLAN
Callum and I have plans for another date tonight and once again he’s being cryptic about where he’s taking me. Outside of work over the last week, he’s been coming over to study with me and work on his own assignments, and we’ve stayed up way too late exchanging stories, soft touches, and subtle glances that fill the air around us with so much tension I’m convinced that tonight might be the night it bubbles over. At least this time he did tell me what to wear, so I’m dressed in a comfortable matching loungewear set and sneakers. I’ll admit, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how he anticipates everything, leaving no room for me to stress about any of the details. I haven’t had any issues with my stranger and I’m starting to feel like maybe he’s moved on to a new conquest. Hoping more, really. I’m not too naive to think that he’s just forgotten about me. I still catch myself glancing over my shoulders, checking out the house, and making sure everything is locked regularly.
He knocks on my door, and I hop up quickly to greet him, but then slow my steps as I approach. I don’t want to reveal to him that I’ve been sitting on my couch for the past thirty minutes waiting for him. I take a deep breath before opening the door, forcing a casualsmile as I pull it wide. Callum stands there, looking effortlessly put together, his hand resting on the doorframe as he grins at me. I don’t even think he knows how much he’s starting to heal me—how the simple act of him showing up, of being here, of truly taking the time to get to know me, is making things feel a little less heavy. I didn’t lie when I told him that I knew my dad loved me, but there is still a trauma that lingers there from the moments of silence. The moments I was forced to grow up too quickly. Even though I knew he loved me, I still carried the weight of his absence—one that’s only gotten stronger since his death.
“Hey.” Callum’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, soft and steady, a thread connecting me back to the present. “You okay?”
I blink, realizing I’ve been lost in my head for longer than I intended. I give him a small smile. “Yeah, yeah. Just thinking about… stuff.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Good stuff or bad stuff?”
“Just how you’ve done a damn good job at washing out the bad with the good… I’m starting to think I might just want to keep you,” I say, biting my lip as I glance up at him through my lashes.
His pupils dilate, his lips pulling into that familiar, easy grin once more. “Is that so?” he says, taking a step toward me until we’re chest to chest. “You’re sure you’re ready to keep me? I’m a bit of a handful.” I grab onto the front of his shirt, pulling him further into me.
I laugh softly, the sound a little breathless as heat lights up my body. “I think I’ve been handling it pretty well so far.”
Callum tilts his head down, his breath at my ear, and for a moment it feels like time slows down. There’s a quiet intensity in his eyes now, something that wasn’t there before, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s seeing me in the same way I’m seeing him—as more than just a person who shows up. Someone who’s slowly becoming more, filling a space I didn’t realize needed filling.
“Maybe we should see how well you really handle it,” he murmurs, the challenge in his voice unmistakable as his hand trails down my front, between my breasts. The touch lingers just enoughto make my pulse quicken and for goosebumps to line my skin. The words hang in the air between us, heavy with meaning, the tension stretching taut like a wire. I don’t realize that I was baring my neck to him, begging to be kissed, until he clears his throat and steps back, a wicked smile on his face. “Shall we?”
I swallow a whimper at the loss of heat and a knowing look crosses his face. I give him my best glare before closing the door, entering the pin on my new electronic lock. We travel in silence again until he reaches a more desolate spot outside of town. He pulls into a parking lot, the hum of the engine fading as he turns off the ignition. I look around, curious as he opens my door for me before going to his trunk to pull out what looks to be…
“Picnic supplies?” A hint of surprise in my voice.
He smirks at my tone, closing the trunk with a practiced ease. “What, you thought I was just taking you into the middle of nowhere for fun?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Seeing as you’ve been the king of surprises, nothing would surprise me more.”
He chuckles before gesturing to me to follow him. “Trust me, you’re going to like this.”
“You keep saying that.” I roll my eyes but trail after him anyway. The lot opens to a narrow path, surrounded by tall trees that stretch up into the sky. The moonlight filters through the branches, casting silver streaks along the ground. It’s peaceful as the path starts to widen, and it isn’t too long before it opens up into a small clearing where the sky opens up above us. Callum sets the basket down and spreads the blanket out, glancing up at me with a soft smile. “Come on,” he says, his voice quieter now, like he doesn’t want to disturb the silence around us.
Swallowing the nervous lump in my throat, I sit beside him, the chill of the ground seeping through the blanket. “This is… unexpected.” I hesitate, unsure if that’s the right word.
His eyes meet mine. “Good unexpected, or bad?”
