The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 3

Callie's POV.

I try to drag out breakfast as long as possible, putting off the inevitable, going home to my brothers.

Nate drops me home and despite my attempted insistence that he leave, he asks to come in.

Surprisingly, Rixon is home. I realize why when I hear footsteps on the stairs. I look up and see Lexi come down.

'Morning, Callie!' She greets me chirpily. 'And you're with Nate! Lovely to see you both.'

I'm actually glad Lexi is here; she can help keep Rixon calm.

After speaking with Nate, Lexi walks over to Rixon and sits down on his lap. My brother wraps his arms around his mate and buries his face in her neck. He inhales deeply and then presses a kiss to his mark. Lexi shivers in his arms and an intimate look passes between them, making me look away.

Is that what Nate and I will be like when he marks me

'I hope you don't mind,' Nate gets the attention of my brothers. 'But I have asked Callie to move in with me.'

He puts his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side.

'And she's agreed. We were hoping to get her stuff over to mine today or tomorrow.'

It's silent for a few moments, whilst his words sink in. I look between Ben and Rixon, trying to gauge their reactions.

Ben shrugs and glances at Rixon for direction.

Rixon frowns. 'Isn't it a bit soon'

Lexi hits his chest. 'It's not too soon,' she reassures us.

'Fine,' Rixon grumbles. 'Let us know if you need help with anything.'

I glance at Ben. 'Will you be okay by yourself'

Ben gives me a deadpan look.

'Despite what you may think, Cal, I'm a grown man. I'll be just fine.'

I raise one eyebrow at him. 'You know, you should really look in the mirror before you call yourself grown.'

He throws a cushion from the armchair at me. I catch it with a laugh and throw it back.

Happy that the conversation went smoother than I thought, I take Nate's hand and lead him upstairs.

For the rest of the afternoon, Nate helps me back my stuff up. I only take the things I want to his house, some of my stuff is still left in my room.

The job takes longer than we thought because I play some music and Nate and I dance around my room, getting distracted by my old things like photo albums and trophies.

Hours later, we carry my bags and boxes down the stairs and out to the car. Rixon and Ben help. Lexi offers, but Rixon won't let her help because of the baby. Instead, she offers moral support and supervision.

It's late afternoon when we arrive at Nate's. We load the boxes into the hallway, but Nate won't let me start unpacking. He tells me that we have to get ready for our surprise date.

I think it's going to be outside, because he advised me to dress warmly.

I'm all wrapped up when we get into the car, and he drives us to the mystery location. We arrive at a landing strip, and I'm completely confused.

'Are we catching a flight or something' I ask him when we step out of the car.

Nate smirks. 'Or something.'

I gasp as I spot the enormous folds of colored fabric lying on the ground next to a wicker basket.

'We're going in a hot air balloon' I jump up and down and clap my hands, making Nate laugh.

'Yes. I hope you're not afraid of heights!'

I shake my head, beyond excited. I've never been in one before, I can't wait.

Whilst we wait for the balloon to inflate, the man talks us through the health and safety conditions for the ride.

I can barely focus, I'm too excited.

Once the balloon is ready, we climb in. Nate stands behind me and I hold onto him as we start to rise from the ground.

It takes a while for us to lift to substantial height, but once we do, wow. The wait is worth it.

We can see for miles. The sun is sinking low in the sky and the man informs us that we'll be back as it sets.

Everything is bathed in a rich, golden glow. It's stunning.

I'm so glad I brought my phone; I snap a load of pictures and the man takes some of Nate and me.

He mostly leaves us to it, interrupting only to point out interesting landmarks below us.

The height doesn't even bother me because I'm too blown away by the view. I thought it would be windier, but it is a relatively still evening.

When we start to loop back around the landing strip, the sun begins to set. Yellows, oranges, purples and pinks are thrown across the sky like something off a canvas.

It takes my breath away.

'Happy' Nate asks in my ear.

I nod enthusiastically and grin at him over my shoulder. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my forehead.

The ground feels funny under my feet when we climb out of the basket. I hold onto Nate's hand tightly, feeling a rush of adrenaline.

'That was incredible!' I gush the whole way home, not shutting up about how amazing it was and how happy I am.

Throughout the meal, and even later on, when we've unpacked some and we're in bed, I'm still talking about it.

I lie in bed, scrolling through the photos on my phone. I post a couple on my social media, wanting everyone to know how thoughtful my boyfriend is.

Nate finishes up in the bathroom. He hits the lights and climbs under the covers next to me. After putting my phone on charge, I roll over to face him.

'Hi, roomie,' he says playfully.

A smile forms on my lips.

Roommates. We live together now.

That's crazy!

'I can't believe we're living together,' I mumble.

Nate hums in agreement whilst running his hand up and down my arm soothingly.

'I've got everything I ever wanted,' he murmurs quietly.

I'm glad the lights are off, he can't see how much I'm blushing.

'So have I,' I reply shyly.

Nate's lips find mine in the darkness. Our tongues meet and desire shoots through me. My hands explore the hard plains of his muscular chest, indulging in his delicious body.

I want to touch him, please him again, but Nate has other ideas. Each time my hand moves lower, he hikes it back up again until I let out a noise of frustration.

'No, baby,' he says softly. 'I don't want you touching me when I can't return the favor.'

He kisses me again, silencing my protests. I huff against his lips but kiss him back.

I take Nate's hand and move it to my breast. I'm braless beneath my vest and my nipples are hardened and pressing against the fabric.

My attacker never touched my breasts, they're not something I feel sensitive about or triggered by. They're a safe zone.

Encouraged by me, Nate massages my breast over the material. He takes my nipple between his thumb and forefinger and tugs on it until I moan. He rolls it between his fingers, pinching it and making me squirm.

I gasp into the kiss as he pinches it particularly hard. I break the kiss and moan when he does it again.

'Do you like that' He whispers huskily in my ear.

His breath fans across my neck, making me shiver.

'Yes,' I confess breathily.

Nate kisses over the tops of my breasts. He pulls my vest down and takes my nipple into his mouth, whilst torturing the other with his fingers. He moves back and forth between them, swapping between biting and sucking.

I lie back and take everything he gives me. It feels so good, having someone give my body attention like this.

I writhe underneath him, helping him take off my vest when it gets in the way. I'm now naked, aside from my thong, but the lights are off, so I don't feel exposed.

Nate kisses between my breasts, down my stomach, stopping at the waistband of my thong. I inhale sharply and freeze, waiting to see what he does.

He surprises me. He skips over my thong completely and moves down to my thighs. He gently spreads my legs apart and kisses along my inner thighs, leaving a trail of goose—bumps in his wake.

His finger brushes daringly over the fabric of my thong and my breath catch in my throat. I pull my hand up to my mouth and bite down on my thumb.

I squeeze my eyes closed and focus on my breathing. I have to get past this. I trust him. I need to try.

Nate slowly hooks his fingers around my thong, giving me plenty of time to stop him.

I wait, but he doesn't move. He doesn't pull them down.

'Cal' He whispers. 'I need you to say yes. Or no. But I need something.'

My perfect man, respecting my choices.

'Yes.'

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