“Callie,” Nelson said calmly, looking her straight in the eyes. “That was Marilyn. If people knew she was drunk and with me, her reputation would be ruined.”
So he had to take her home.
“Her reputation? Didn’t she lose it years ago when she locked you in that hotel room?”
Nelson looked at her with a hint of disbelief.
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
Callie couldn’t hide her emotions. When Nelson’s dark eyes scrutinized her, she realized she had been too impulsive and made a mistake coming here.
She turned to leave. “I was meddling, sorry to bother you.”
The next second, Nelson grabbed her arm.
The movement tugged at the wound on her waist, making her wince in pain.
Nelson seized her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
The disparity in strength and aura was absolute; Callie never won against him.
They were so close she could smell the fresh scent of his recent shower.
Nelson had a naturally gentle and dignified face, clear and serene, pleasing to the eye from any angle.
She used to say that even without his wealth and power, as an ordinary man, countless girls would still flock to him.
It had been so long since she had looked at him properly that Callie felt a sudden pang of sadness.
Nelson stared at her intently. “You’re jealous?”
Callie froze, then forced a laugh, pretending to be incredulous. “Jealous? Of what? That’s ridiculous.”
She was grateful he couldn’t hear her heart pounding wildly.
Nelson lowered his head, his lips brushing against her white earlobe, this time with certainty. “Callie, you’re jealous of me. That’s why you couldn’t control yourself and came to find me.”
Too close, unmoving, her cheeks burned hotly, all the anger from when she barged in extinguished.
“You’re mad at me for saving Marilyn.”
Callie stood frozen, unable to move as he hit the mark.
“If I hadn’t taken her home, would you have come to find me?”
Nelson’s lips were cool but left a trail of burning heat wherever they touched.
Callie’s breath quickened, and when he kissed her, she couldn’t think of pushing him away.
She had to admit, he was right. Without Marilyn, she wouldn’t have approached him on her own.
Her lips were soft, letting him suck and tangle with them, then deeper, more fiercely, until it turned into biting, almost venting his frustration.
He bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the pain waking her up. She tried to push him away but was held tightly in his arms, his large hand pressing the back of her head closer.
The taste and feel hadn’t changed; it had been too long.
Callie’s heart trembled in waves, tears unknowingly slipping down. Tasting the saltiness, Nelson finally stopped.
She pitifully asked, “Can’t you be gentler?”
His voice was hoarse. “You’ve been giving me attitude these past few days. Why should I be gentle?”
Callie had no response.
Nelson kissed her again, savoring it like a delicacy.
He could tell with one touch that she had lost a lot of weight recently.
In the heat of the moment, as his hand moved upward, Callie let out a pained moan.
That sound almost made him lose control.
Callie’s lips were bright red, her face scrunched up. “I’m still hurt.”
Nelson snapped back to reality, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. He turned around and buttoned his shirt all the way up, losing all interest as his eyes returned to their usual coldness.
He hadn’t intended to do anything with Callie; it was a spur-of-the-moment desire. She had come at him fiercely, and he just wanted to subdue her and quiet her down. But things got out of hand.