Callum (Blue Halo Book 7)

“I’m not even gonna ask what has that look on your face. I already know…the librarian.”

Callum’s grin widened at Liam’s words as they stepped onto the street. Hell yes, it was. “Her name’s Fiona. And yeah, I smile when I see her. Sue me.”

Jason scoffed. “You don’t just smile, you light up like a damn kid at Christmas.”

Callum couldn’t even argue with his friend. He lifted a shoulder as they crossed the road. “I like her.”

Blue Halo was only a block away from The Grind, which was only one of the reasons they visited so frequently. The other, of course, was Courtney. She and Jason were basically stuck at the damn hip.

“Oh, man,” Liam groaned. “I’m gonna be the only single guy left. Who the hell’s gonna be my wingman?”

“You think you need a wingman with those boyish good looks?” Callum asked.

“I like to think of myself as more of a rugged ladies’ man kind of handsome.”

Jason scoffed. “You can think of yourself however you damn well like. Hell, let’s go with a baby giraffe.”

Callum choked back a laugh as Liam gave his friend a shove in the shoulder.

“Seriously though, Callum,” Jason said. “You gonna ask her out?”

“I offered to be her plus-one at a family wedding. That’s a date.” A date on a whole different level. “The ball’s in her court now.”

One side of Liam’s mouth lifted. “Wonder if she’d say yes if I offered.”

“Don’t even fucking think about it.” The words came out as a dangerous growl. He knew his friend was messing with him, but just the idea of her with anyone else was like a damn baseball bat to his gut.

“I’m kidding,” Liam said, shaking his head. “It’s clear to anyone who’s seen you guys that you’re into each other. Wonder why she’s so dead set on pushing you away?”

Callum had been wondering that as well. “I’m a patient man.”

He also didn’t scare easily. When he wanted something, he damn well chased it until he had it.

They stepped inside the Blue Halo building and climbed the stairs to their office. Cassie, Aidan’s partner, smiled at them from behind the desk. “Hey, boys. You bring me a coffee?”

Callum slid the second to-go cup across the desk.

Her smile widened. “This is why I work here.”

Aidan scoffed from the doorway. “Excuse me?”

She swiveled in her chair, lifting a shoulder. “You’re the second reason.”

Aidan growled, and when he moved in on Cassie, Callum took that as his cue to get the hell out of there. He reached the hall just as Aidan’s lips swooped onto Cassie’s. He liked that his friend was happy, but he didn’t need a front-row seat.

Callum settled behind his desk. He loved his job. The security business had become his life, and he was damn grateful to get to see and work with his team every day. They’d been thrown together by Project Arma against their will but amongst the wreckage had found family. Which was important to him, seeing as he only had his father, who lived in Seattle, and they weren’t close.

He logged onto his computer and checked his schedule. A couple of cases to look into and some background checks to do. He’d always had a knack for technology and hacking, so when the team needed a tech guy, he’d been keen to take on the role.

He spent the next couple hours responding to job inquiries, setting up meetings with clients, and completing a background check for a job. It had just hit one o’clock, and he was about to get up and go to the workout room when his phone vibrated from the desk. Immediately, his lips stretched into a smile at the sight of the text.

Fiona: Were you being serious about the wedding thing?

He leaned back in his seat.

Callum: No.

Then he quickly typed to add…

Callum: But only about the part where I said I thought it would be fun. I don’t think that. I think it would be damn amazing.

The two of them together for a prolonged period of time? Hell yeah, it would be amazing.

Callum: No.

Fiona’s heart dropped, and the tingly feeling that had been tumbling around her belly since she’d decided to text him died.

She tossed her phone facedown onto the coffee table in her living room and scrubbed her hands over her face. What had she been thinking? Had she really asked Callum, a man who was basically a stranger, to be her pretend boyfriend at a family wedding?

Crazy. She was crazy. Of course he hadn’t been serious. Someone should just kill her and get it over with because she couldn’t show her face around him again.

With a long, pained exhale, she reached for her phone. It vibrated before she could touch it, and she snatched her hand back.

Had Callum just sent another text? Why? To tell her she was as crazy as she felt? To offer to dig the hole for her body because he knew she couldn’t live with the embarrassment?

Slowly, like the phone was a bomb that might detonate, she wrapped her fingers around it and lifted so she could see the screen.

Callum: But only about the part where I said I thought it would be fun. I don’t think that. I think it would be damn amazing.

Holy Jesus, Mary and Joseph. She was reading the text wrong, right? She’d tangled his words into what she wanted to read rather than what was actually in front of her?

Fiona: You’re saying you’ll go with me?

His response was instant.

Callum: Yeah, Fi. I’d love to be your date for your sister’s wedding.

Her heart pitter-pattered so hard in her chest it was like it was trying to break free.

Fiona: The wedding’s in Twin Falls. That’s an hour and a half drive and we’d need to stay in a hotel…in a room I already booked…with one bed…

She wasn’t sure if her words were supposed to discourage him or just make him aware. Either way, they’d be together for three days and two nights. And sleeping in the same bed? She broke out in hives at the mere thought!

Callum: You just sweetened the deal, honey.

What magical planet of perfect men was this guy from?

Fiona: My sister’s awful. And I have these really nosy aunts and uncles who’ll ask you about the intimate details of every life decision you’ve ever made. And the groom and I have a complicated past…

Complicated? What a damn understatement.

She waited for his response. When it didn’t come as quickly as previous texts, she almost wondered if he was coming to his senses and reconsidering.

Then the phone rang. Oh, God…

Her hand hovered over the key before she finally answered. “You’ve changed your mind. That’s okay. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry. It was crazy. I was just being desperate. But I shouldn’t have tried to bring you into my mess—”

“Fi—”

“Just forget I mentioned it. Maybe we can still coexist, and I won’t have to bury my head in the—”

“Fiona! I’m glad you asked. And like I said in the text, I’m happy to help.”

She frowned. “You are?”

“Yeah. I only called because I figured no matter what I wrote, you’d respond with something else to deter me.”

She stood and walked to her kitchen, needing to move. “You want more? The food will be terrible. We have to go a day before the wedding for a rehearsal dinner, where you’ll be pounded with questions from my family, and you’ll have to wear a suit.”

“I’ve eaten terrible food in the military—can’t be as bad as that. An extra night away actually doesn’t sound too bad, I’m great with family, and I look damn good in a suit.”

Uh, yeah, of course he did. He was cut like a bodybuilder. “I just…” She pinched her nose. “I’m not sure why you’d do this for me.”

Hell, she wasn’t sure why he did anything that he did for her. A week ago he’d saved her from a panic attack in the bar. Before that, he’d caught her when she almost broke her back falling off a ladder.

“Maybe,” he said quietly, “I’m not the bad guy you pegged me as.”

She nibbled her bottom lip as she looked out her kitchen window. “I don’t think you’re a bad guy. Just that you’re a…guy.”

A really good-looking one. A guy who had all the right words and knew how to make a woman want him.

There was a short pause. It was just long enough to have her squirming.

“Don’t have a great history with guys?” Callum finally asked.

Just bad history with one guy. A guy she’d dated for just about her entire adult life, who’d hurt her in the worst possible way.

“Nope.” She fiddled with the edge of the counter. “But that’s not important. What’s important is, I only want you to do this if you really want to.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“The weekend after next. I’ve got a room booked for two nights at the same hotel as the reception.”

“I can’t wait.”

She opened her mouth to ask if he was serious but stopped at a sound from her bedroom.

She straightened, her gaze moving to the hall. For a moment, she was still, waiting for another sound. When it never came, she pushed off the kitchen counter and walked down the hallway. Her house wasn’t huge, one story with three small bedrooms and two bathrooms. She opened her bedroom door, and a breeze brushed her skin.

One of the French doors was ajar.

The fine hairs on her arms stood on end. Had she done that?

Slowly, she moved into the room, scanning the space, every corner and crevice. Then her gaze shifted to the connected bathroom. With even slower steps, she went inside. Her makeup, moisturizer and perfume were out, but that wasn’t unusual. She was often in such a rush she left things as they were.

“Fiona?”

Her attention dragged back to the call, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I got distracted for a second.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I mean, of course it is.” She swallowed to wet her suddenly dry throat, shaking off the unease. “I’ll, um, send you the details.”

“Sounds good.” He took a breath. “You sure you’re okay?” A deep, raspy concern filled his voice.

“Yes. Definitely. Thank you again, Callum. Talk soon.”

Once she’d hung up, her gaze moved to her French doors. She must have left them open. The only other explanation would be that someone was in here, but…

Her neck prickled.

No. That couldn’t be the case, because, well, it freaked her out too much.

Quickly, she crossed the room and stuck her head out to see the empty yard. See, no one was there. She tugged the door closed, and the lock made a loud click as she firmly turned it.