Callie has had her fair share of awkward moments. On stage, in class, on long drives such as this one.The air in the car seemed to get thinner and thinner with every mile that they took. Back-and-forth looks were exchanged between Callie and Vin, as well as with Callie and the rearview mirror.Liam had spent the past hour glued to his iPad, which was no doubt a gift from Vin. Callie had half the mind to tell him that it couldn’t be good for his eyes.“Hey, Liam, I’m not sure that’s healthy, but do you know what is?”She hadn’t meant to sound so perky, but even to her own ears, she sounded like a teenage cheerleader. Luckily, the little boy looked up from his gadget.Smiling, Callie turned in her seat to look at Liam.“Food. I’m getting kind of hungry. Are you?” she asked, voice quite even this time.The kid nodded, slowly putting his iPad away. Callie turned to Vin, a triumphant smile on her face.“Vin, maybe we could have a late lunch?” she glanced at her wristwatch, then rephrased
As the final notes of Callie’s song faded, she caught Vin’s eyes in the rearview mirror.“What?” Callie asked, careful not to wake the little one. “What?” she repeated with a quiet giggle when Vin merely smiled at her, no words spoken. His eyes though, betrayed his actions because they shone with curiosity.“Nothing, Songbird,” he replied smoothly. “I am merely in awe once again of your voice. I’m happy.”Callie’s cheeks bloomed with pink at the compliment. She doubted she would ever get used to Vin doling out compliments like that.“I think I owe you more than just a couple of songs now,” Callie replied bashfully. “Would you care to listen to one more?”She wouldn’t lie. Singing at Millie’s wedding reception brought her confidence back. Though she was not in perfect shape, she was pleased still with how her voice sounded and she knew that with a few more hours of practice, she’d be able to go back to the way she was.Callie graced Vin with another performance albeit a quieter one, an
It had been two days since the three of them arrived at the resort, and in those two full days, Liam had refused to leave the room.On the first day, Liam shot down the idea of going to the pool almost as immediately as Vin suggested it. The two adults shared a look but ultimately decided not to push the boy further.All their meals were delivered straight to their suite, and though they all ate at the same table, the silence was almost comedic.Callie wracked her brain for a solution, because gone was the sweet Liam who laughed with them over burgers and fries. Now, the little boy seemed like a little man, with how polite he was with his manners, especially at the table.“We need to do something about this,” Callie whispered as she and Vin lay in bed the second night. “Liam seems to be getting worse with each hour that passes. It’s like he hates it here.”“Why are we whispering?” Vin asked, but he kept the same quietness as Callie did.“I’m scared Liam would hear us,” she answered. “
As requested, Callie talked to Vin about moving to somewhere smaller and quieter for the next night, and it took a while to convince him to say yes.There was heavy planning involved. Vin had specifically chosen each of the hotels they stayed at for security reasons. He needed somewhere that he could count on the security for him and Callie. Picking a smaller hotel, with little security didn’t sit right with him.But after multiple requests from Callie, Vin finally relented albeit reluctantly.He tried to make arrangements as best as he could, but he still felt uneasy without at least Raleigh or Soren with them.“We’ll leave this afternoon. It should give us enough time to arrive and get settled in before nightfall,” said Vin as they all shared a lovely lunch.Callie beamed at him.“Thank you! It means a lot to me, Vin. It means a lot to both of us.”She turned her eyes to Liam, smiling excitedly when he returned her enthusiasm and thanked Vin as well.“You both play by my rules, alri
Everything about tonight had been perfect thus far.The moon was out, and the breeze was gentle against Callie’s face. They walked from the hotel to the restaurant not bothering to get changed.Vin had convinced Callie that they were only grabbing dinner at a simple restaurant. Nothing too fancy that she needed to dress up more.She pouted for a while telling Vin how she wanted to look nice for him. And though he adored her for wanting that for him, he didn’t want Callie to tire herself out needlessly just to go out to eat dinner.Her mood was much improved the moment they stepped out of the hotel and had their stroll.“Oh, it’s really beautiful, Vin.” She breathed in deeply, the fresh air giving life into her lungs. “I hope the food is good though, I’m starving.”Vin chuckled as he reached for Callie’s hand. “I hope so too.”They walked at an even, relaxed pace. And Callie could do nothing to slow down her rapidly beating heart. This wasn’t the first time Vin held her hand, but maybe
Vin’s hand immediately went to his holster, cursing when he felt nothing. He’d left his gun at the hotel, not expecting anything like this to happen.He stalked toward the car, Callie’s assailants too busy with her to notice him, and just in time for her to kick one of them to the ground.“Good girl,” he said under his breath. “Keep struggling.”Callie fell to the ground hard, surprised, but she kept yelling for Vin, begging him to come save her.“I’ve got you songbird. I’m coming.”Vin swooped in with a finesse that only he could muster, knocking out the man who held onto Callie’s arms, with one strike to the neck.The crime lord yanked the man’s gun from him, thankful that it was equipped with a silencer.He didn’t think twice, just shot the man Callie had downed. One bullet shot clean through each leg.“Fuck!” the man yelled, screaming in pain, bleeding all over the dirty concrete. “Who the fuck are you? The fuck? Leave us alone!”Vin stooped to his level, grabbing the man by his h
It was tricky to drive with one hand clasped in another’s but Vin made it work. Callie showed no signs of letting his hand go and who was he to deny her the comfort this little gesture brought her?Callie stared at the hand she held in hers.There was no doubt about it. The warmth she felt as she held it, it was the same hand that comforted her, soothed her, pleasured her, and yet it was also the hand that murdered people for her.Wrong, a voice in her spoke. It was a hand that protected you.Protect.Callie noted the dried splotches of blood that stained Vin’s hands and arms. It reminded her of how brutal Vin could be when he needed to.She was glad that Liam was asleep through all this. What a nightmare it would be to explain this situation to a child.A nightmare, that was what it was like, but the warmth she felt in her hands proved that this was very much real.“Vin?” she called out softly, the shake in her voice further proving how afraid she was. “Are you alright?”She couldn’t
Vin took Callie’s word as gospel, seating himself to the hilt with one sharp thrust.“Holy shit, Songbird,” he groaned into her hair, inhaling deeply. If he could stay this close to Callie for the rest of his life, he would. “You feel perfect.”Callie would say the same but she was preoccupied, both mind and body with how Vin was ravishing her with enthusiasm. “Yes, God— ah, Vin, keep going.’Vin pulled away just enough to growl in her ear.“The only name I want out of your mouth is mine, Songbird. Who do you belong to?”“You!” she screamed, belatedly realizing that they had a child sleeping just next door. “Oh, please. More.”Vin slapped a hand over Callie’s mouth muffling her cries.It was too much. Everything was too much.Callie tried to match Vin’s rhythm wanting to get closer to her climax as fast as possible, but Vin held her hips down, the cool tile of the bathroom counter heating with her body’s warmth.“Let yourself go, Songbird,” Vin whispered, his hips slowing down, stro