Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One-Chapter 23: Imagine Her

Callum’s POV

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you serious right now?"

I frowned. "Yes! I should be the one upset, Hailee. I saw Nathan leaving your house this morning—early morning..."

She cut me off, her voice sharp. "And you called me just to accuse me, Callum!"

I opened my mouth, but she kept going.

"You didn’t ask. You didn’t even care how I was feeling. You just jumped to conclusions and basically called me a liar. Do you know how that made me feel?"

Her voice cracked a little at the end.

"You assumed I slept with him," she continued, quieter now. "What do you take me for? A loose girl?"

I took a shaky breath and stepped closer.

"I’m sorry," I said, my voice low and full of guilt. "I didn’t mean it like that... I just—I lost it. I was jealous."

She scoffed and looked away. "Clearly."

"No, Hailee, listen to me," I said, gently cupping her face. "I’m sorry. I really am. I saw him leaving and... I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think straight. I was scared you picked him."

She didn’t say anything.

I leaned in closer.

"I’ve never felt like this before," I admitted. "Not about anyone. I don’t know how to handle it. But I’m sorry for accusing you. You didn’t deserve that."

Our eyes met.

I saw the anger slowly soften in hers.

"I’m sorry. It won’t happen again," I whispered.

There was a pause.

Then she mumbled, "Whatever."

"I’ll make it up to you," I said quickly.

Before she could respond, I leaned in and kissed her.

This kiss wasn’t rushed or confused like the first one. It was deep. Real. Apologetic.

Her lips were soft, warm... and this time, she kissed me back, passionately.

I felt her fingers grip the edge of my shirt. I stepped in closer, not wanting to let her go.

My hands gripped her waist, then slid up her back, pulling her closer—pressing her against me.

She didn’t pull away.

Her hands clutched my shirt tightly, holding on like she needed me just as much as I needed her.

Everything about her—her scent, her warmth, the way she kissed me back—was driving me insane.

I deepened the kiss, letting my lips move against hers with a hunger I hadn’t planned on showing. One of my hands slid up her spine, feeling the curve of it beneath her shirt, and I could feel her shiver under my touch.

She gasped softly against my mouth, and the sound—God—it made my restraint slip.

My hips pressed a little too close. Too hard.

I felt myself getting aroused, painfully so.

Fuck.

I pulled away, breathing heavily, my heart hammering in my chest.

"I—" I swallowed, trying to pull myself together. "I didn’t mean for it to get that far. I just—"

She looked up at me, lips still parted, face flushed.

"I’m not sorry," I admitted, voice low and rough. "But I needed to stop. I didn’t want to push you."

Her chest rose and fell quickly, eyes flickering with confusion and heat.

There was so much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to do—but now wasn’t the time. Not like this.

I ran a hand through my hair and let out a shaky breath. "I heard There’s a bonfire tonight. I was going to skip it, but... I’d rather go if you came with me."

She blinked, surprised by the sudden change in direction. "What?"

"I’m asking you to be my date," I said simply. "To the bonfire. If you want to."

She hesitated. Her lips pressed into a line, and her gaze dropped to the floor.

"I’ll... think about it," she said softly.

I nodded, not pushing her. "That’s fair."

She let go of my shirt and slid off the counter, smoothing her clothes like she needed a barrier between us again. Her face was still a little flushed as she grabbed her bag.

"I have to leave for work," she said, not quite meeting my eyes.

I stepped aside to give her room. "Okay."

She walked to the door but paused with her hand on the handle.

"I’ll let you know about the bonfire," she said over her shoulder.

"I’ll wait," I replied, my voice quiet but steady.

And then she was gone.

The second the door closed behind her, silence filled the room.

But my body wasn’t calm. Not even close. I was still hard. Still aching. Still tasting her lips on mine.

I let out a rough breath and raked my fingers through my hair. I tried to shake it off, to focus on anything else, but the memory of her, soft and warm against me, refused to leave.

The way her lips parted...

The little sound she made when I touched her...

The way her hands pulled at my shirt like she didn’t want the moment to end...

Damn it.

I paced the room for a second, but it was no use. My jeans felt too tight, my skin too hot.

I gave in.

Heading straight for the bathroom, I closed the door behind me and turned the lock.

Leaning back against the door, I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.

All I could see was her.

Sitting on the counter, eyes wide and lips swollen from our kiss.

Looking up at me like I was the only one in the world. So beautiful. So tempting.

I unzipped my jeans with shaky fingers, letting out a low groan as I finally wrapped my fingers around my hardened cock, imagining it was her hand instead of mine.

Imagining those lips pressed to my neck, whispering my name.

Imagining her thighs wrapped around me.

My breathing grew heavier as I pictured my mouth on her nipples, sucking them. I imagined hearing her moans, I imagined laying her on the counter... worshiping her body with my mouth.

"Damn it!" I groaned and increased my pace as I stroked my dick.

With my eyes closed, I imagined the smell of her pussy... what it would feel like to have a taste of it... my tongue licking it like an ice cream... I imagined her squirming, her fingers in my hair as she begged for more. My mind kept playing it back over and over—the kiss, her gasp, her body melting into mine.

"Hailee..." I muttered under my breath, the sound of her name sending a jolt through me.

I was close. Too close. My hand worked faster, rougher, driven by the thought of her pussy in my mouth, the way it would feel to have her.

My muscles tensed, that aching pressure building at the base of my spine. I was right there—right about to cum—when I heard it.

A sound.

Footsteps?

My eyes flew open, pulse spiking.

Then I perceived Hailee’s scent.

Shit.

I panicked.

In a blur, I yanked my hand away and zipped up my jeans, wincing at how painfully hard I still was. My heart was in my throat as I flushed the toilet just to cover the silence and splashed cold water on my face.

Breathe. Calm down.

I yanked the door open, still slightly breathless, hoping I looked normal.

She was standing right there. Bag still on her shoulder. Her cheeks were red, her lips parted in shock.

Her wide eyes dropped to my jeans—my painfully obvious bulge—and then back up to my face.

Oh fuck.

She knew.

I saw it in the way her lips parted slightly, her brows raised, and the heat that quickly rushed into her face. Her eyes flicked again to my hand, still damp from the sink... or maybe she noticed the way I couldn’t meet her gaze for a second.

"I—I forgot my phone," she said, voice low. But it cracked at the end.

My throat bobbed. "Oh—uh—yeah. It should be here... somewhere." I muttered, moving aside.

She didn’t move right away.

Instead, she just stared at me.

The tension between us was thick. Too thick. She knew. She definitely knew I was thinking about her while stroking myself.

I couldn’t look away. My cheeks burned, not with embarrassment, but something rawer. Like I’d just handed her my desire, naked and exposed.

She stepped past me slowly, her shoulder brushing mine.

She bent to grab the phone from the counter, but I couldn’t help it—my eyes flicked down to the curve of her ass, the way her shirt lifted just a little.

When she stood, she didn’t turn around.

But her voice came, soft and low.

"Was I that good?"

I froze.

My mouth opened. No words came out.

She turned then, her cheeks red, her phone clutched tightly in her hand, but her gaze... God, her gaze was fire.

"You were thinking about me," she said, not asking—stating. "Weren’t you?"

I swallowed hard. "I—yeah."

There was a beat of silence.

Then she stepped toward me.

My pulse thundered.

She was so close, I could smell her again. That soft honey and nutmeg scent that clung to my skin even after she left. Her eyes flicked to my lips, and I craved to pull her into a kiss, but I held back.

She lifted a brow. "Next time, lock the door."

Then she turned and left.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m