UNRAVELING AT THE EDGE

CHAPTER TEN

CALLUM'S POV 

What's that sound? Just when I'm trying to calm this frightened little cutie, I snap upright, every sense on high alert to figure out what’s going on now.

“Cal, what's wrong again?” I'm about to answer him when Elena’s artificial voice cuts through the tension.

“Master, what's for dinner? Or do you want to skip as usual?” Her clear, electronic voice echoes, filling the entire house.

“That's my bad,” I say softly, turning my attention back to him. I lean down, my voice dropping into a gentle, reassuring hush as I place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I'm gonna attend to her and come right back to you, okay? Stay calm for me—there’s no problem, dear.”

He nods, his big, hesitant eyes searching mine before he motions a silent don't stay long. The vulnerability in his expression tugs at my chest, making it nearly impossible to step away.

I reach over, press the control button, and speak into the system. “Don't worry, Elena. You're off until I call you in.”

A smooth “Okay, sir” filters back from the speaker, and the house settles back into a soft, intimate quiet.

I turn back to face him, a small, tender smile tugging at my lips. I step back into his space, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead, letting my fingers linger against his warm skin.

“Where were we?” I murmur, my tone velvet-soft as I gaze into his eyes. “Operation calm my favorite boy... though if you keep looking at me like that, my own heart might start racing.”

He smiles lightly, the fear finally melting out of his posture as he surrenders to the warmth of my embrace. Leaning into me, he looks soft, completely calm, and entirely lost in the moment.

I tilt his chin up, leaning in to press my lips to his in a slow, deep kiss. My fingers thread into his hair, gently rubbing his temple to soothe away the last traces of his anxiety.

He lets out a soft, breathy sigh against my mouth, his arms tightening around my waist as if anchored by my touch.

“Better?” I whisper against his lips, not pulling away more than an inch.

He nods, his breathing slowing to match mine, his eyes heavy with a quiet, adoration-filled warmth that makes my chest ache in the best way possible.

“More than anxiety pills,” he murmurs, his body moving in perfect sync with my touch as he leans into me.

Yeah, well done, Cal, I tell my subconscious, feeling a surge of quiet triumph.

I deepen the kiss, my breath catching as his lips part beneath mine. Dragging him flush against me, I wrap my arm securely around his waist, pulling his hips tightly to mine until there isn't an inch of air left between us.

He lets out a soft, low groan into my mouth, his fingers tangling wildly into the hair at the nape of my neck to keep me right where I am. The shy, frightened boy from moments ago completely vanishes, replaced by a dark, intense heat that sends a shiver straight down my spine.

My hands slide down the small of his back, gripping him firmly as the kiss turns slow, deep, and intoxicating. Every gentle slide of his skin against mine feels deliberate, every heavy breath he exhales against my lips driving me insane.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” I whisper, pulling back just enough to trace a path of feverish kisses down the line of his jaw, lingering on the sensitive dip of his neck where his pulse is hammering.

He arches into the contact, a faint shudder running through him as his hands grip my shoulders tightly.

“Don't stop, Cal,” he breathes out, his voice thick and raspy, his gaze dark with a needy, irresistible desire. “I don't ever want you to stop.”

I pull him closer, my hand sliding under the hem of his vest, my fingertips grazing the warm, bare skin of his waist as his ragged breathing fills the room.

He arches into my touch, a soft whimpering sigh escaping his lips right as his hands tighten desperately on my chest.My thumb traces slow, agonizing circles over his hip bone, drawing another breathy gasp from his throat as the heat between us flares into something consuming.

I tilt his head back, capturing his mouth in a kiss so deep, possessive, and raw that his knees visibly give out, leaving him entirely reliant on my grip around his waist to keep him upright.

His fingers knot desperately into the fabric of my shirt, pulling me impossibly closer as his body trembles against mine, completely intoxicated by every slide of my hands and the heavy, intoxicating rhythm of our shared breaths.

“Ian, I love—”

The words barely leave my mouth before he catches them, capturing my lips in a deep, desperate kiss that steals the rest of my breath. 

There’s a raw, hungry comfort in the way he holds me, his touch demanding every piece of my attention.

“Don't say a word,” he whispers against my mouth, his voice thick with desire.

Before I can respond, he flips me over, pinning me beneath him. His gaze holds mine as his hand trails down my stomach, his pinky trailing a feather-light, agonizingly slow stroke over the head of my dick.

“Ian…” I moan softly, my head falling back against the pillows as a shudder ripples through my entire body.

He holds my gaze, a slow, dark smirk playing on his lips at the sound of his name on my tongue. He doesn't rush; instead, he circles his thumb over the sensitive tip, teasing out another long, breathless shudder from deep in my chest.

"I want to hear every sound you make," he murmurs, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly whisper against my ear as his fingers wrap firmly around my length.

He begins a slow, deliberate stroke, the sudden friction sending a lightning bolt of sheer heat straight to my core. I arch my back off the bed, my hands desperately scrambling for a hold until my fingers lock into the bedsheets, my knuckles turning white.

"Ian, please..." I gasp out, my chest heaving as the contrast between his slow, tormenting touch and the intense heat of his body pressed over mine drives me out of my mind.

"Look at me," he commands softly, leaning down until his lips are brushing mine, his rhythm speeding up just enough to make my hips instinctively rise to meet his hand. "Stay right here with me."

I open my eyes, completely intoxicated by the fierce, possessive warmth burning in his gaze. 

Every slide of his palm against my skin feels like fire, a sweet, agonizing tension coiling tighter and tighter in my lower stomach until I'm completely at his mercy, clinging to his shoulders just to keep from unraveling.

Love is in the air, wrapping around us and driving every lingering thought away—until Ian's phone suddenly buzzes against the nightstand, the sharp, aggressive vibration making him flinch and freeze in place.

He stills above me, his chest heaving, his dark eyes snapping toward the glowing screen that cuts through the dim room.

I reach out to pull him back to me, but the color drains completely from his face as he reads the caller ID.

Without a word, he unfastens himself from my grip, standing up so fast the mattress rebounds.

“Ian? What is it?” I whisper, sitting up as a sudden cold chill sweeps through the room.a

He swipes the screen to answer, pressing the phone to his ear with a trembling hand, his voice dropping into a ghostly, terrified murmur.

“I thought you were dead.”