Callum (Blue Halo Book 7)

The soft beats of Fiona’s heart thumped through the air as she slept. The sun was just rising, but he’d been awake for a while, enjoying the weight of her cheek on his chest. The whisper of her breaths brushing his skin.

He wanted to hold on to this moment. Pause it and let it sit in time for longer. Because this place, this hotel room, felt like a bubble, and when they returned to Cradle Mountain, they’d be leaving that bubble. She’d go back to her place, he’d go back to his, and he could only hope like hell this thing between them continued to grow.

Her breathing changed rhythm and her fingers twitched. Then, slowly, her eyes opened. When she looked up, he wanted to fucking drown in those chestnut eyes. They bored into him like they saw deep into his soul.

He shifted a piece of hair behind her ear, making sure to graze her soft skin as he went. “Morning, beautiful.”

Her smile was slow. “Morning.”

“You sleep okay?”

“I did. It was impossible not to with this big heater beside me.”

One side of his mouth lifted. “I run hot.”

“You do. Did you sleep okay?”

Like a damn baby with this woman in his arms. “Yeah.”

She closed her eyes and lay her head back on his chest. It felt so damn natural to have her there.

She made a sexy little hum sound. “This may sound terrible, but I am so glad that wedding’s over.”

“Doesn’t sound terrible at all.”

Her long exhale brushed his abdomen, and when she looked up again, she focused on his lips. That one look made his chest tighten and his heart race. “Looking at me like that is dangerous, honey.”

A smile teased her lips. “Maybe I like danger.”

Fuck. With a short growl, he rolled them over and caged her to the bed, then he kissed her. A long, deep kiss. Fiona hummed as their tongues collided and her hands smoothed over his shoulders.

He’d been wrong last night. That wasn’t the moment he needed to pause, it was this one. Because this woman’s lips on his made every part of him that he’d thought was put together tug apart and rearrange themselves just for her.

When they eventually parted, he touched his forehead to hers. “God, Fi. I could stay here all day.”

“I wouldn’t complain,” she breathed.

He growled and pecked one more kiss to her lips before rolling over and standing. The morning went quickly after that. They ordered room service for breakfast and packed. Fiona mentioned that some of the family was having breakfast downstairs but said it was nothing formal and she preferred not to go, because Freddie would no doubt be there.

Callum’s hands fisted at the memory of the night before. What kind of asshole did what he did? But he already knew the answer to that. The kind who cheated on women. The kind who had no damn respect for anyone but himself.

Packed and ready to check out, they left the hotel room. He felt the change in Fiona the second they stepped into the elevator. The nerves that made her go quiet. The anxiety that whitened her knuckles on the suitcase handle.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, I’m just nervous that news traveled to my parents about the circumstances of me and Freddie separating. And nervous that Amanda knows about Freddie’s visit last night.”

He slid his hand into hers and gave a small squeeze. “It’ll be okay. And his visit wasn’t your fault.”

She snorted. “In Amanda’s eyes, it’s always my fault. If we had a normal relationship, I’d tell her. But we don’t. There’s no way I’d get out of that conversation unscathed.”

Thank God she didn’t live near them. They were toxic. He could see that and he’d only met them two days ago.

When they reached the reception area, it was to find both her parents there. Amanda was there too, but unlike her smiling parents, her face was completely clear of emotion. A breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding released from his chest when he saw Freddie was absent. Thank fuck, because that would just remind him he hadn’t punched the guy last night and he’d want to make up for it.

“I’m so sad you’re leaving so soon,” Edna said, pulling her daughter into a hug.

“I know. I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll try to get back soon.”

Mark shook Callum’s hand. “It was nice to meet you, son. I’m glad to see my daughter’s being taken care of.”

“Always.” He meant that. He planned to date this man’s daughter, and he’d sure as hell be looking after her.

Next, Edna pulled him into a tight hug before whispering into his ear, “Thank you. You two are perfect together.”

He returned the warm hug, agreeing with her words.

Amanda didn’t hug either of them, just offered a tight smile as they left.

The drive home was the opposite of the drive there. Fiona wasn’t quiet. She laughed at his jokes, confirming to him he was as funny as he thought. She told stories about her childhood, most of the good ones just involving her and her parents. She talked about her cousin. About jobs gone wrong at libraries.

It wasn’t until they were almost at his place that he brought up the topic he needed an answer to. Fiona had her hand out the window, letting wisps of wind sweep through her fingers. He didn’t want to shift her calm, but he needed to know.

He cleared his throat. “The night of the rehearsal dinner, you mentioned some texts you’ve been receiving.”

Her fingers stopped flowing with the wind, and for a moment she was still. Then she turned to him. “Really? I told you about that?” She said it like she wished it wasn’t true.

“You did. Can you tell me about them?”

She wet her lips and it was a beat before she responded. “I’ve been receiving some not-so-nice texts from an unknown number.”

His fingers tightened on the wheel. “What do they say?”

“They basically call me a whore or a bitch and tell me to stay away from what’s theirs.”

What the fuck? “What’s theirs?”

She lifted a shoulder.

“How many of these messages have you received?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve lost count. But they don’t address me by name, so I’m certain they’re a wrong number or something.”

The air hissed through his teeth. “Fi, if you’ve lost count, there have been too many. And just because your name wasn’t used doesn’t mean they aren’t targeting you. Why didn’t you tell me? I run a security business.”

“Because we weren’t close, and you were already doing this massive favor for me, so I didn’t want to ask for another.” Again, she lifted a shoulder. “And they’re just text messages.”

“Abusive texts can escalate quickly. As soon as the perp isn’t satisfied just texting anymore, they elevate. Do you know who might be behind them?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have any enemies.” She laughed. “Unless you call my sister an enemy, but it’s not really her style to text from a random number. She’d just call me a whore to my face in a roundabout way.”

“Tomorrow, I want you to come to Blue Halo so I can see if I can trace the number to its owner.”

She was shaking her head before he finished. “You’ve already done so much for me. I don’t want it to take up too much of your time.”

“It won’t. I’m good with technology.” And no way was he just going to ignore this. This woman was his, and he took care of what belonged to him.

Fiona got to the bottom of the page before realizing she hadn’t taken in a single word. Not one. Zilch. And it wasn’t like she was reading a boring story. This was a Lee Child book. He was one of the best thriller writers in the world.

Argh. She couldn’t concentrate and there was one blaring reason for that…Callum. Or the lack of Callum. It was almost bedtime, and all she could think about since leaving his place earlier today was that her house felt entirely too quiet and just a smidge too empty.

It was silly. She’d see him again tomorrow, for freaking sake. The man had basically ordered her to go to Blue Halo so he could trace that number, because not only was he perfect, but he was bossy when it came to her protection.

Sigh. She usually loved her own company, but one weekend away with Callum and suddenly she needed him with her? She closed her book with a thud and set it on the coffee table. What she really needed was an early night. Either that, or a good Callum detox.

When her phone rang from the coffee table, she just about leapt for it, desperate for a distraction that would actually, you know, distract her.

She smiled when she saw Stacey’s name on the screen. “Hey.”

“You left without saying goodbye.”

Crap. She had. “Sorry. I was beyond ready to leave and all but ran out of the hotel. Although Amanda and my parents were in the reception area when I got down there, so I couldn’t avoid them.”

“How was the goodbye? Did sister dearest give you a hug?”

“Nope. I got a tight smile and some side-eye. A pretty narrow escape.”

“No Freddie?”

She nibbled her lip. She told her cousin everything, so there was no harm in telling her this. “No, but there’s something I should tell you.”

“Ooh, gossip. Tell me.”

“Freddie came to my hotel room last night and kissed me.”

Stacey gasped. “No, he didn’t!”

“Oh, he did. And he told me that he thinks he made a mistake and only married Amanda because she told him she was pregnant.”

“Oh my fucking God! What did you do?”

She rose from the couch and moved into her bedroom. “Well, I was a second from kneeing him where the sun don’t shine when Callum came out and threw him into the wall.”

“Oh, Callum. He’s such a big, sexy protector.”

She was about to pull out a pajama top but stopped when she saw the T-shirt from Callum on her dresser. She should wash it and give it back, but…there was no harm in wearing it one more time, right?

She tugged it on. And man… It still smelled of him and the hotel. This was not the Callum detox she needed.

“Are you going to tell Amanda?” Stacey asked.

Well, that would be the normal thing to do. “I would if I thought she’d believe me, but you know my sister. She’ll twist it around and find some way to make it my fault. She’ll say I encouraged him to come to my room and initiated the kiss.”

“You’re so right. She’d need to see it to actually believe it, and even then, she’d probably make it your fault.”

Of course she would. “My thoughts are she knows who she married. I’m back in Cradle Mountain. I won’t have any more contact with him, or at least, not for a while. He’ll probably hit on other people, and when Amanda catches him, she’ll see he’s no good.”

Once a cheater, always a cheater. Although Amanda was a cheater too, so that didn’t bode well for their future anyway.

“So…” Stacey said suggestively. “What happened after your sexy boyfriend saved the day?”

She nibbled her bottom lip, mouth stretching into a smile. When she took a beat too long to answer, Stacey gasped.

“Oh, it’s good, isn’t it? Tell me. Tell me now!”

“We kissed, and…”

“And?” Stacey pushed.

“The man gave me the best orgasm of my life.”

The groan from Stacey almost sounded pained. “It’s like God sculpted this hot as hell man just to shame every other.”

Oh, Fiona had definitely been feeling that. She lifted the phone and went into the bathroom.

“So, have you locked him down? Are things official?”

Fiona frowned as she squeezed toothpaste on her brush. “Not official, but he said he wanted to take me on a date. And we’re catching up tomorrow to—”

She stopped. She hadn’t told Stacey about the messages. She hadn’t told anyone until her drunken slip with Callum.

“To what?” Stacey asked.

She blew out a long breath. “I’ve been getting some messages from an unknown number saying some nasty stuff. He’s going to see if he can trace the number.”

“Oh my gosh. Really? How long has that been happening?”

“I don’t know, like, a month?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

She lifted a shoulder even though her cousin couldn’t see her. “Because they’re just texts. It’s not like someone’s actually threatening me to my face.”

“Still, it’s a bit scary.” She could almost hear Stacey thinking. “I’m glad you have Callum then. If anyone can help, it’s him and his team. I don’t even live in Cradle Mountain and I hear about how good Blue Halo Security is.”

“I’m sure that if this number’s traceable, he’ll find them.” But even that made her nervous, because then the messages would become real, with a living, breathing human behind them.

“You don’t think it’s Amanda, do you?” Stacey asked quietly.

The same question Callum had asked. “I think if Amanda wanted to threaten me, she wouldn’t worry about the unknown number part.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Looks like I have a second person who hates me.”

“Amanda doesn’t hate you. She’s jealous.”

Fiona scoffed. “Of what?”

“You did well at school. You’re independent. You’re beautiful.”

“Amanda’s all those things.”

Stacey laughed, but there was no humor. “No. She’s insecure, she barely passed her SATs, and she’s a fake kind of beautiful. She needs to put in the work. You don’t.”

Fiona wasn’t sure she agreed. She was average at best. “I’ve never seen her that way, but we can agree to disagree. I should be getting to bed though.” Her cold, empty bed.

“Okay, keep me updated on both Callum and the text stuff.”

“Of course. Thanks for calling and checking in. Have a good night, Stace.”

“You too.”

She quickly brushed her teeth before switching off the lights and slipping between the sheets. God, they felt cold. Callum had been a big heater, making the entire bed warm even when she wasn’t touching him.

She was just about to roll over when her phone vibrated on the side table. She grabbed it and smiled when she saw the text.

Callum: I’m missing having you in my arms. Sleep well, honey.

Her heart thrashed against her ribs. So it wasn’t just her.

Fiona: I miss you too. Good night, Callum. x

She was about to set the phone down when it rang in her hands—only it wasn’t Callum. Her smile slipped.

Really? Freddie was calling her? Argh.

She canceled the call, then did what she should have done long ago and blocked his number.

Good. Done. She wouldn’t be hearing from the cheating scumbag again. Whatever he and her sister decided to do with their lives was on them.

When the phone was back on her nightstand, she flicked off the bedside lamp and snuggled into her blankets.

When the phone dinged with a message a couple minutes later, she groaned. God, if that was Freddie, messaging from another number—

Unknown number: You pretend to be all innocent, but I see what you’re doing. Stop! He’s mine, and I will go to any length to make sure it stays that way.

She clicked out of the message and dropped it to her bedside table like it had burned her. Suddenly, she was glad Callum was looking into it for her. Because there was something different about that message. Even though her name wasn’t mentioned, it felt more…personal.

It took too long for her to feel warm after that, and even longer for her to drift to sleep.

She was finally at that phase between asleep and awake when a noise from somewhere in the house had her eyes fluttering. A shadow stretching into the hallway from the living room made her eyes shoot open wide. She jackknifed into a sitting position, heart pounding against her ribs as she reached for her phone and, on instinct, called Callum. He answered on the second ring, and he sounded completely awake.

“Fiona, are you okay?”

“I think someone’s in my house.”