Inseverable: A Carolina Beach Novel (11 page)

When I’m done, there’s no applause. Not for me. There’s only dead silence. Trin, of course, is the first to speak.

“Oh, my God,” she says. “That was
amazing
!”

“No shit,” Sean says. “I think my panties are wet.”

Heat creeps up my neck and face as everyone busts out laughing. I quickly pass him the guitar and get rid of it. As I turn back, and Sean starts playing
Thunder Road
, Trin flops onto my lap. Her hands wrap around my neck as mine snake her waist.

“Thank you,” she says, greeting me with that smile I now know all too well.

I nod because it’s all I can do.

And because there’re too many people around for what I really want to do to her.

Chapter Ten

Trinity

I was worried when Callahan arrived that he wouldn’t even make it through the front door. He surprised me by staying and by
singing
. I couldn’t shake that goofy grin off my face, convinced no man alive could be more beautiful than him. God, it wasn’t just his voice, or his command over the guitar, it was the way he played down to his soul, exposing his vulnerability as well as the strength he carries like a shield.

He smirks, while the rest of us laugh as Sean explains the disastrous night that made up his latest hook-up.

Sean spreads his hands, holding tight to his beer. “I swear that broomstick was this long. Cindy Anne starts screaming at her momma to stop and to let me get dressed, but that woman is possessed by hate―”

“And the fact you were having sex with her daughter on her and her husband’s bed,” Mason reminds him.

“Yeah. That, too. But anyway, that’s how I got this.”

We all groan when he drops his drawers and points to the welt on his right ass cheek.

“Aw, Sean,” Becca says. “You need to invest in man-scaping tools and weed-whack some of that shit.”

I think we’re having a good time, but as the night goes on, his attention seems to fade away. “I should go,” he tells me.

My hands fall away from him. “Why?”

“It’s late,” he says.

It’s not that late. But I suppose for someone who’s not used to being so social, this is a lot for him.

“Okay,” I answer, wishing I didn’t have to and forcing the next few words out. “I’ll walk you out.”

Instead of cutting through the interior which would be quicker, I take the long way through the yard and around the house, hoping he’ll follow me. Just because I don’t think I should stop him from leaving doesn’t mean I want him rushing out.

He stays by my side, keeping a leisurely pace, but careful not to get too close.

We reach the end of the driveway where he’s left his truck. I shift back and forth on my feet as he positions himself beside the driver’s side door, struggling to find the right words to say.

“I know parties aren’t exactly your thing,” I say. “But I hope you had fun.”

Okay. Not exactly the right words I think I need. But they’re true enough.

He watches me, falling back into deadpan silence I hoped was far behind us. Ordinarily, I’d make an obnoxious comment to stir a grin or maybe even a chuckle. But it doesn’t seem right at this moment. So instead of tapping into my playful side, I search my heart, hoping it will speak better than my mind.

I take a step forward, keeping my voice light. “You know, I was hoping you’d kiss me tonight, especially after you sang me that beautiful song.” I clasp my hands in front of me, feeling suddenly shy. “Am I crazy for thinking you might?”

“No. Not at all,” his deep voice rumbles.

I raise my head slowly, shock hitching my breath. Callahan edges back and opens the door. Instead of climbing in, he stretches his long body across the seats, slipping back out with a spray of gorgeous wildflowers.

“You brought these for me?” I ask, barely able to get the words out.

“No.” The corners of his mouth lift. “They’re for Sean seeing how I make his panties wet.”

I start to laugh, but it doesn’t last, because the way Callahan is looking at me is very different from the way he was looking at me seconds before. This expression is the perfect blend of sweetness and ardor, just as it was when he sang to me.

He doesn’t know that the song he chose is among my all-time favorites. Nor does he realize how his deep soothing voice and the gesture affected me. I want to tell him, but I’m not sure how to express something that touched me so deeply simply with words, especially now that the sadness he stows deep inside of him, finds its way to the surface.

I take a risk, and ask him what I’ve wanted to know since I first saw him. “Are you okay?”

When he doesn’t answer, I’m not sure he will. Yet when he does, I feel it like a pull, drawing me closer.

“Not always,” he admits quietly.

I purse my lips, struggling to stay strong for him. “Do you hurt?” I ask.

His stare travels down as I inch to his side, close enough that the leaves from my flowers sweep against his chest. “Sometimes,” he answers.

I tilt my chin and meet his face. “Are you lonely?”

He lifts his head slowly, pitching me with such an intense stare, it holds me in place. “Not when I’m with you,” he whispers.

He moves forward, sliding his right hand behind the curve of my neck to cup the base of my skull. His other hand winds carefully around my waist. As I try to remember how to move, he skims my jaw with his thumb and lowers his mouth to meet mine.

At first his lips scarcely touch, trailing over me so softly I can barely sense the contact. The care he uses is sweet, subtle, but carries enough fire to warm all the right places and make me crave more. Yet what he’s doing feels so right, and so pure, I don’t force it, allowing him to lead us.

My lips follow his, brushing lightly, teasing gently, fitting perfectly. It’s only when his tongue probes forward and the tip flickers over mine that everything changes.

And dear
God
, there’s nothing pure or tender about what happens next.

Callahan devours me, fueling a frenzy within me and inciting me to ravish him just as hard in return. I moan and whimper, my heart racing hard enough to fill my ears with its beat. This isn’t a kiss. Oh,
hell
no. This is our tongues having sex!

He grunts, whirling me around and pressing my back against the truck door. My legs fasten around his waist as he hoists me onto his hips and deepens our kiss.

“Trin?”

Something hard presses against my belly.

“Trin?”

My lids flutter when he slips his tongue inside my ear.

“Trin?”

My hands yank up his shirt, traveling upward to smooth over his hard chest and graciously erect nipples. But when my teeth find his neck, and he swears, I just about rip his clothes off.

“Trin? You out here?”

Callahan breaks our contact and lowers me to my feet, stepping on my abandoned flowers as Sean appears with Mason.

“Trin?” Sean calls out, yet again.

I stomp forward and throw my hands out. “
What
? Tell me what is so important you have to interrupt quality face sucking time?”

“Can we have the wine?” Sean asks, looking at Mason who’s doing his best not to crack up.

“Sean!” I yell. “Did you even have to ask? Drink the whole thing for all I care.”

“Thanks, Trin,” he answers all excited-like. “Later, Callahan.”

“Night, Callahan,” Mason says, no longer able to hold back his laughter.

I turn back to Callahan who, like me, is panting. But very unlike me he’s chuckling as he rubs his jaw.

“Sorry,” I squeak.

“It’s all right,” he tells me. But then he says the last thing I want to hear. “I should go.”

We’re not going to have sex against your truck?
It’s what I think—and after that kiss no one can blame me. But contrary to popular belief, I don’t always say what I think.

“You don’t have to,” I stammer.

“It’s late,” he says.

“Oh.”
Let me rephrase that, how about we have sex against your truck?
“Okay.”

He stares at me for a beat then bends to retrieve my flowers and passes them to me. The daisies are broken and the peonies have seen better days. And yet I’m so touched by the sweet gesture from a man who’s so hard and almost impossible to get to know, I find it hard to keep my voice steady. “Thank you, Callahan. They’re lovely.”

His features soften apologetically. “They don’t look quite like they did in the store.”

“I don’t care about that. It’s the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a long time,” I tell him truthfully. “Thank you for thinking of me.”

Again he watches me. I’m hoping he’ll change his mind and stay. But he doesn’t.  

“Goodnight, Trin,” he says quietly.

I find a way to smile despite my disappointment. “Goodnight, Batman.”

He laughs and hops into his truck. I edge away before I strap myself to the hood, seeing how I err on the side of classy. Mostly. Sometimes. Who am I kidding? Classy left the minute my tongue wanted to make babies with his.

I clutch the bouquet as I make my way down the driveway. That kiss―that toe-curling, mind-blowing, nipple saluting
kiss
. If Callahan can fire my engine with his lips alone, what’s he going to do when we―

He rolls down the window and calls to me. “Trin?”

I whip back, albeit a little too excited. “Yes?”

He hooks a thumb behind him. “Your house is that way.”

Yes it is
. “Oh, I was just going to check to see if we got mail.” Because it’s Sunday after all, and everyone knows mail always comes on Sunday.

His smirk tells me he doesn’t believe me and why would he? Especially since I’m now laughing as my face burns. He chuckles and shakes his head, popping his truck in reverse.

The electronic sensor picks up on the vehicle’s movement and triggers the gate to open. As he passes, he offers me a wink and a grin I feel straight down to my feet. I watch him, wishing he was taking me with him and knowing it won’t be long before he does.

Chapter Eleven

Trinity

Insecurity is a big old bitch, who whores around and likes to have puppies. I used to be fairly confident and pretty well-adjusted thanks to my parents’ constant support.

Everything changed when I found Hunter in bed with Blakeney. I started to doubt everything and everyone, convinced that Happily Ever After was simply a dream never meant to come true.

Yet for all the hurt Hunter and Blakeney caused, I haven’t thought about them in a long time, especially since meeting Callahan. He’s the wakeup call I needed to prove life can and will go on for the better—the much better. That kiss alone me was something I’ve never quite experienced.

Too bad it came to an abrupt end.

Not only did he not show up to run with me the next day, he completely disappeared. When I didn’t see him on Monday, and he never popped in on Tuesday, I drove to his place after my shift. His truck was gone, and his place was locked tight.

He didn’t own a cell phone. At least not one that I’d seen, and he hadn’t given me a number where I could reach him. To make things worse, Hunter texted today, pretending like nothing bad had ever come between us.

Hey, Trin. It’s me, Hunter. I swung into town for the 4th. I’d like to see you and catch up. Been missing you.

Yet I haven’t missed him. I didn’t bother to tell him, choosing instead not to respond. It bothers me that I never confronted him, or Blakeney. Not that they gave me a chance.

“Whatcha thinking about, Trin?” Hale asks.

“Not much, just tired,” I answer. I try to smile, but this is one of those grins I only barely manage.

From the back, Becca, Mason, and everyone else who tagged along crack up over something Sean says that I miss.

Hale, it seems misses it, too, the music pumping from his stereo and the wind whipping in from the open windows making it too hard to hear what’s going on behind us. “You can’t be tired,” he tells me. “The night’s too young and so are we.”

He’s right. But after a rough day at the beach involving a too drunk husband, and a very distraught wife, topped with Hunter’s text and Callahan’s absence, it’s all I can do not to beg him to drive me home. For the first time in a long while, Your Mother’s is the last place I want to be. But I can’t let my friends down. These weeks are flying by way too fast, no matter how much I need them to linger.

“I know. But it’s been a long day, you know?” I say.

“I hear you,” he says, making a face. “But some loud music and dancing may be exactly what we both need.” He pats my knee and backs his Tahoe into a spot in the far right corner of the lot.

For all he’s trying to lift my spirits, it seems he needs his lifted as well. I didn’t miss how bummed he seemed when Becca opted to slip in the back with the rest of the crew instead of joining him in the front. But Hale, being Hale, still manages to flash me a smile.

I slip my feet back into my flip flops as he sets his SUV in park. And while I showered and changed back at the beach, I’m not at my best given how weary I am. Everyone piles out, ready to cut loose. I’m not in as big of a rush.

Hale notices, creeping up to me when I hop out of his SUV. “What’s bugging you, Trin?”

“A lot of things. Like I mentioned, it was a long day.”

“It was,” he agrees, watching everyone sweep through the front entrance before Hale and I can even make it halfway across the lot. “’Cept you handled it well like always.”

“I hope,” I say. “Some things are real hard to see. Even if we helped that woman today, it’s not over for her unless she leaves that idiot. I offered her my number and told her to call me if she needs a friend.”

Hale stops in front of me and shakes his head. “Trin, why’d you do that? You can’t help someone who clearly doesn’t want it. Did you see her arms? Some of those bruises were old, but even more were fresh. She’s not in the right frame of mind to accept help.”

“Maybe not today. But it’s always nice to know at least one person cares about you.”