**Callan Being so close to her in a moment like this was intoxicating. The smell of her citrus shampoo wafting on the wind off the water, the way the lights and stars swam in her eyes, the way she smiled up nervously as if she were taking a leap of faith. The beach of Copacabana was full of people, some of them embracing, some of them laughing and dancing. None of them were paying us any mind. And since we were far away from the rest of our business counterparts, I was free to take this moment a step further. Sliding my hands up her back, I gently pulled her closer to me. She shuffled her feet slightly to accommodate me. "You mean it?" I asked her.She nodded and raised up on her toes, angling her head back. She clenched onto my shirt for balance, and I tightened my arms around her. "Would you stop staring at me and just kiss me already?" she said with a laugh. Her impatience was adorable, but I didn't want to wait any longer, either. All at onc
**CallanI pulled Isa into my office and shut the door, pressing her back against it. Her breath caught, making my heart pound with excitement. My too-eager lips met hers for only a moment before she pressed her palms into my chest and turned her head away. "Isa…" I breathed, simply just wanting to experience a close moment with her. "What are you doing?" she asked, cutting me off. "Someone could come in at any moment. And the window blinds are open!"I sighed and took a step back. There was no one in the hallway as I peeked out, and I had sent Jeffery on a run down to the bakery to fetch me some treats I didn't really care to eat. "There's no one," I whispered. She crossed her arms and hunkered down. Isa had been like this for a couple of days now. I didn't understand it. First, she was all gung-ho about starting our relationship and then she was Heismanning me all of a sudden. I knew she wanted to be careful at work, but work was the only
**IsaI watched nervously from across the room as Catherine entered and made her presence known. It wasn't surprising that within the first few seconds of her arrival, she announced herself as his fiancee. My heart felt all twisted. I should be the one parading around as Callan's significant other. But it was too risky for me. For Catherine, the daughter of a wealthy man and someone who wasn't tied to the company, it would be easier for them to be together. It made sense. But for me, as one of Callan's employees, it was different. "I told you he had a fiancee," David muttered to me. I shot him a glare. "It's not like that. Really.""Then what is it like?" Rosie asked, suddenly appearing next to the piano with a drink in her hand and a smug smile on her face. "It sure seems like they make a good couple, don't you think?"I had to bite my tongue. Something about her arrogant eyes made me suspicious of her tonight. Was she looking to stir up another
**Isa "Are you nervous?" Callan asked, leaning over me to tighten the harness. My heart was pounding, but since I was with him and I knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt me, I nodded. "I trust you," I said breathily.Callan grinned and kissed me playfully on the lips. Instead of easing me, it made the butterflies I'm my stomach come alive, too.Callan situated himself behind the controls and put on a headset."How many times have you flown, exactly?" I asked.He grinned. "When my family bought the island, I was about 10 years old. But I learned soon after turning 20, so I could come out here by myself. I was an ornery kid in my twenties. I've flown more times than I can count."I took a deep breath. It was true. I trusted him. But this was my first time putting my life in his hands, so, of course I was going to be a little nervous.But, soon enough, we were up in the air and flying south down towards Mexico. The flight was a long four-and-a-hal
**IsaCallan kissed me thoroughly, fanning the flames between us before releasing me with a little nibble to my lower lip.I craved more and reached for him.He laughed and captured my hand, kissing my fingertips. "I think we should adjourn to the bedroom."I nodded, and Callan took my hand in a firm, but gentle, grip and led me from our stargazing and back down to the second level. I followed him down the hall and into his bedroom, knowing it was his by his own little touches mixed in with the decor.It was a bedroom worthy of the beach villa of a rich man. But I wasn't as concerned with what was in the bedroom. My entire focus was soon taken by who was in it when Callan cupped my cheeks and pressed his lips to mine.I opened my mouth in sweet invitation when he ran his tongue along my lower lip, and then Callan deepened the kiss. I clung to the sides of his open shirt, swaying into him. Callan's hands drifted down to grab my ass and pull me fully against
**DavidRed-handed. It was only a matter of time, but my suspicions were officially confirmed when I walked in to find them embrace,ing centimeters away from kissing. "David… wh-what are you doing here?" Isa stuttered. It wasn't like her to stutter. She must have really been surprised. I glanced at Callan. His face was tinged with pink, and he was glancing nervously at Isa. 'So I guess she's the one wearing the pants in this relationship,' I laughed in my mind. "Well, it's a public breakroom. I'm breaking," I said matter-of-factly. I strode right through the six foot gap the two made between them when they jumped apart. It was true that I didn't want them to be together, and I took some pride in breaking them up even for a moment, but the anxiousness on Isa's face did me in. I couldn't bring myself to make her feel worse. Isa fluttered up beside me. "David, did you see—""Yeah, I saw," I said. There was no use in lying. If I pretended
**Callan"You don't have to come, Dad," I said, glaring over my shoulder. My father was huffing about taking Grandma back to the nursing home. It wasn't that he didn't think she belonged there; we both knew with the way her mind was fading that she was better off under the care of professionals. Instead, he just didn't want to go to a place where death happened pretty much every day. My mother's unexpected passing had really done a number on him. "That's right, dear," Grandma scowled. "You don't have to come with. Of course, if you refuse to see me anywhere that reminds you of death then I guess you'll never be seeing me again."For as often as she was confused, Grandma was pretty sharp, too. "Ma..." Dad groaned. There was nothing like a sarcastic, guilt-trip-fueled comment from mother to son to make a grown man revert to childlike tendencies. If only he could grasp the importance and the memories of those little moments, he might be less upset. He mig
**IsaI leaned back in my office chair and stared at the papers sprawled all over my desk. An hour and a half past lunch, and I was already basically down for the count. It seemed like every other minute someone came in with a new report or a question or a meeting note or a phone call. Never had I seen a Tuesday be this busy. I removed my blue light blocking glasses and rubbed my face. The last thing I needed was coffee… but I was in desperate need of some kind of pick-me-up.A slow flash of purple passed by my office window again. I had grown familiar with the dash of Myalin's pant suit going by my office that day.Myalin had passed by my office too many times in the last hour, eyeing me suspiciously. It was making me nervous, and I wished that she would just text me or come in and confront me with whatever was on her mind. About the sixth time she walked by, I hopped up out of my desk chair and stuck my head out into the hall to yell at her.