Hollywood House Call

Eight



Callie booted up the computer that sat in a small nook off the kitchen. She’d just wanted to look for some online work she could do until she felt comfortable facing the world again. There was no way she could go back to the office looking like a constant work in progress, and there was certainly no way she could go to a casting call, unless they were doing a horror film.

But she wasn’t going to focus on what she couldn’t do. In order to get back on her feet, she needed to focus on what she could do. Noah wanted to see that old Callie back, so she was going to try.

There were no guarantees, but she had to do something positive. That was the only way she could get out of this house. So far she’d been here for nearly twenty-four hours and she’d had enough of the roller coaster of humiliation and desire to last her a lifetime. Between the bath, the hair and just now seeing him in all his shirtless, sweaty glory, she knew she needed to get some distance.

No, it wasn’t smart to try to leave, but if she could find something to do from home using a computer, surely she could stay by herself. She wasn’t an invalid; she just had problems getting dressed and bathing. If she worked from home, she wouldn’t have to worry about all that.

But even if Noah insisted she stay, she still felt she needed to pay her way somehow. Not to mention the fact she couldn’t just take a break from her income. Not only did she have bills to pay for herself, she needed to send some money back home so her parents’ phone could be turned back on.

She did have a tiny bit left in savings and she probably should keep it since her future was so unclear, but she couldn’t stand the thought of being out of touch.

After a few clicks, she’d taken money from her account and put it into her parents’, which she had access to. Then she sent an awkward, left-handed text to her brother so he could get the message to their mom and dad.

Callie did several searches, hoping with her teaching degree she could find something. Maybe online tutoring. That would be ideal.

She’d come to L.A. in the hopes of not using her teaching degree because she’d been so afraid she’d get stuck in a rut. At least as a receptionist, she’d known she wouldn’t feel guilty leaving that job when she caught her big break. Working with kids, she would’ve gotten attached and been worried about leaving midyear.

Thankfully, she’d worked part-time in a dentist’s office back home, so she’d had a little experience to get her this job with Noah.

“What are you doing?”

Callie jumped and turned in her chair. Now Mr. Sweaty Rippling Muscles stood just behind her and she hadn’t heard him come in. Lord, it was hard to focus when that chiseled, delectable body was staring back at her.

“Looking for an online job,” she told him, forcing her eyes to stay locked onto his.

“What the hell for?” he asked, taking his small white hand towel and mopping his forehead. “Is this your way of turning in your resignation?”

Callie came to her feet and winced. The soreness was so much worse today. But she didn’t think another intimate bath encounter was such a good idea.

“I didn’t figure you’d want a mummy for your receptionist,” she told him, easing back down onto the chair because it was much more comfortable than standing in pain. “Besides, I’m not sure I’ll be comfortable around too many people once this bandage comes off.”

“How much pain medication have you had?” he asked.

“Enough that I shouldn’t feel like this,” she told him. “But I guess it would be worse if I hadn’t taken those two pills.”

“Two?”

“One wasn’t cutting it and I just took another before I came to find you. It should kick in soon, I hope.”

“I had them in my bedroom.”

“I know. They were sitting on your dresser so I grabbed one.”

And forced herself not to stare at his bed and wonder…

Okay, so she’d stared and fantasized, but only for a few minutes.

The muscle in Noah’s jaw ticked. “You can’t take any more medication without asking me first. You only needed one.”

“You’re not the one in pain,” she retorted. “I am and I needed another. You’re not my mother.”

“No, I’m your doctor and I will flush those pills next time you pull a stunt like that.”

Callie had never seen him angry. Frustrated, agitated and annoyed, yes, but never this angry and never directed toward her. He was practically shaking with waves of fury.

“Okay, okay. Calm down,” she told him, holding her hand up. “I’m hoping when it kicks in I’ll feel like resting. I didn’t sleep too well last night.”

“Why didn’t you come get me?”

Callie laughed and leaned back against the seat. “What for? Just because I was up didn’t mean you had to be. Nothing you could’ve done.”

“You wouldn’t have been lonely.”

Yeah, she would’ve. Because no matter what he would’ve done or said, she would’ve known he was only sitting with her out of guilt and pity. She’d take loneliness any day over that.

“I was fine. Tired, but fine.”

He stared at her for several long moments before he glanced beyond her to the screen. “You’re not seriously going to leave the office, are you?”

Callie nodded. “I think I should. It’s not fair to you for me to take time off until I heal, and I can’t afford the break in income.”

“I can help you financially until you’re back to work, Callie. I don’t want to lose you.”

He didn’t want to lose her. That warmed her in so many ways, but he wasn’t talking on a personal level. More than likely he didn’t want to train anyone to fill her shoes and Marie couldn’t do both offices.

“Marie, I’m sure, would fill in until you found someone,” she told him, only to be rewarded with a scowl.

“I need to call her anyway to let her know how you’re feeling because she left me a voice mail.”

Callie shook her head. “Talk to her all you want, but I won’t be coming back, Noah.”

“I need you, Callie.”

She jerked up out of her seat, standing literally toe-to-toe with him. The elbow of her arm in the sling bumped against his hard abs.

“You need?” she mocked. “Let me tell you what I need. I need to go back in time, I need to not have this new life I’m adjusting to and I need to get my independence back. Your needs are irrelevant at the moment.”

Noah stared at her, his eyes holding on to hers, and Callie wondered if she’d totally overstepped her bounds shouting at not only her boss that way, but also the man who was putting aside his life to help her recover.

She closed her eyes and sighed. “God, I’m sorry. That was really cruel of me to say and very selfish.”

Noah’s strong hand cupped her cheek. “It’s okay. You’re entitled to be upset, to hate me, this situation, your life. I’m tough, Callie. I can take it.”

She lifted her lids, though her eyes burned with unshed tears. “But you shouldn’t have to take it. I just get so frustrated when I look at long-term goals because I can’t even put my own clothes on, for pity’s sake.”

His thumb stroked across her cheek as he glanced down to her lips and back up to her eyes. “I don’t mind, Callie. I know it’s upsetting to lose your independence, but there’s nothing about helping you that bothers me. What does bother me is how hard you are on yourself.”

“I just want to be whole again,” she told him. “But that may never be.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her in closer. “It will be if I have anything to say about it.”

His lips came down on hers in a powerful yet tender way. Callie froze for a second, but then slid her hand up his bare, sweaty arms. That hard body pressed against hers, combined with his musky scent from his workout, made her moan as his lips continued to claim hers.

She squeezed his thick biceps, making sure to keep her body angled so she could still get the maximum benefit of rubbing against his even while protecting her arm.

His lips were just as gentle yet demanding as the other night. He nipped at her and pulled her bottom lip between his before he eased back.

Noah rested his forehead to hers and sighed. “I won’t apologize for that, Callie. I just can’t control myself sometimes around you. I know you’re here to heal, not to get mauled, but you do something to me.”

“Yeah, you do something to me, too,” she admitted.

That something was tying her up in knots and leaving her confused. This man could have nearly any woman he wanted and he was standing in his kitchen—wearing only gym shoes and running shorts with those glorious sweaty pecs on display—and he was kissing a broken woman. That made no sense.

“I can’t help but feel you’re recovering from something, too.” She searched his face. “I may be far off the mark, but sometimes you get this look in your eyes like you’re hurt. I’ve seen it when we discussed the house and when you think I’m not looking.”

His eyes closed for the briefest of moments before he opened them and sighed. “I’m going to hop in the shower. Think about what I said and don’t start looking for another job just yet.”

Callie nodded, unable to form a coherent thought after that kiss and his intense stare as he totally dodged her analysis. Which just proved she was more than likely accurate in her assessment.

Someone or something had a hold on him. He had a past that haunted him and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that he was waging an inner war with himself. One second he was kissing her like he needed her air in his lungs and the next second his eyes held pain and doubt.

This was so much more than casual. Casual was what had almost transpired before the accident. What was happening now was something even he couldn’t explain. Were these higher levels of emotion stemming from their living arrangements? Were they growing closer without even trying, simply because of the accident?

“Oh, I almost forgot. Max called and wanted to know about coming over tomorrow and grilling out. I told him I’d run it by you.”

Callie tilted her head. “You don’t have to run anything by me, Noah. This is your house.”

“I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Nearly every conversation with this man left her heart melting more and more. The way he’d put every single one of her needs first made her wonder what it would be like if he cared for her beyond friendship, beyond the path that was leading them to intimacy.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “It’ll be nice to have something to look forward to.”

“I’ll let him know.” He kissed her forehead. “Now I’m going to take that shower.”

After Noah walked away, she sank back into the chair and replayed his previous words. More than once he’d admitted that she affected him. More than once they’d shared heated stares and all-too-brief kisses. But what did all of that mean? Where did he want to go from here?

Callie didn’t know, but she did know that she needed to be on her guard where her heart was concerned. She couldn’t focus on healing if she was worried about what those kisses meant and what his true feelings were.

She wanted so badly for him to open up and let her in even though his past wasn’t her business. And he probably wasn’t opening up about this past because they both knew she wasn’t going to be part of his future.

* * *

Noah hung up the phone and slid his cell back into his pocket. This evening was going rather smoothly. He and Callie had shared a nice meal on the patio and they’d chatted about mundane things, and he was sure to steer the topic far away from anything sexual because it was all he could do to sit there and watch her as a doctor should watch a patient.

But that kiss in the kitchen earlier had been anything but professional. For the life of him, though, he hadn’t been able to stop and he didn’t care about the consequences. With her parading around in his oversize shirts… His gut clenched just thinking of it. Now when he went to wash them, they would have Callie’s scent all through them.

His emotions were a jumbled, chaotic mess. He’d told himself in the beginning to just be a friend or a doctor, to distance himself from her emotionally. But the more Callie was around him, the more he found he wanted to be around her. So, okay. Sexual chemistry was definitely one thing he could handle. But they hadn’t had sex.

Where the hell did that leave his emotional state? Because right now he truly had no clue how to feel or act with her.

He’d been taken so off guard when Callie had mentioned something hurting him, something that still had a hold on him. She’d been spot-on and that fact made him very uncomfortable. Was he that transparent? After a year of living without Malinda he’d thought he’d taken control of his emotions.

Yes, Callie had initially reminded him of Malinda, and even so, he’d believed they could have a short, no-strings affair. But he knew better now. He didn’t want his past and present to collide. He was doing all he could to keep from claiming Callie in his bed. Getting wrapped up in another vulnerable woman was not a good idea, especially when that woman could get under his skin as Callie seemed able to do, but his hormones weren’t getting that message. He could handle sex, if that was all there was to this relationship, but he had a feeling Callie was thinking of much more…especially now that they’d played house for a few days.

He rubbed the back of his neck and headed back inside. Callie had already gone in, but when his real-estate agent had called, he’d stepped out onto the shaded patio. There was a buyer interested in looking at the house tomorrow afternoon and Noah had agreed to a time. Now he had to get Callie out of the house and maybe persuade her to have a picnic or something in the park. She wouldn’t be a fan of going out in public so soon, but there was no other choice.

Noah found her sitting in the living room fumbling left-handed with the remote.

“Let me get that,” he told her as he stepped down into the sunken living area. “What do you want to watch?”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I was looking for a good movie, but you have like two thousand channels and I wasn’t even sure where to look.”

Noah laughed and flopped down beside her. “Name a movie you’d like to see and I’ll put it on for you.”

She pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose as if in thought. “Hmm…how about Blackhawk Down?”

Surprised, Noah grinned. “Really? Why that one? I would’ve pegged you for a romantic-comedy type.”

She shook her head. “Growing up I was a daddy’s girl and whatever he watched, I watched. He was a war-movie or Western guy, so that’s my thing. Besides, after really researching films and sinking my teeth into the fact that’s what I wanted to do, I appreciate all the special effects more.”

He placed his hand on her leg. “I’m sorry, Callie.”

“It’s okay,” she told him, her eyes on his hand on her bare thigh. “We’re moving forward. Let’s just concentrate on right now. Okay?”

He squeezed her leg and went to search for the movie before his hand got a mind of its own and started wandering.

“Sure, come in and hit three buttons and make it look simple,” she joked once the movie appeared on the screen. “I was in here for fifteen minutes and got nowhere.”

“It’s my TV.” He grinned and caught the wide smile on her delicate face. “I pretty much know how to work it.”

As the movie’s opening music started, he propped his feet up onto the squat table in front of him. “So, you liked Westerns and war movies as a kid. Tell me what else you liked.”

Callie eased back against the arm of the sofa, sitting somewhat sideways. Noah reached over and slid a hand beneath her thighs to bring her legs up and over his lap. He didn’t know why he did that, but he wanted that additional innocent contact with her. Granted, this wasn’t so innocent considering where his thoughts were heading.

“Well, I wasn’t really popular in school so I was more of a homebody.”

Noah jerked back. “Not popular? How is that possible? You’re outgoing, not to mention stunning.”

He cringed at the same time she did and he knew he’d chosen the wrong words.

“Damn, Callie. I just keep digging that hole deeper.” He shook his head and met her gaze. “Even though you’ve had this setback, you’re still beautiful to me.”

She smiled and rested her head on the back cushion. “That’s okay. It’s not your fault. It is what it is.”

“I plan on taking you to the office next week if you don’t mind.”

Her eyes widened. “What for?”

“A minor microdermabrasion. Your stitches will come out and I’d like to start removing some of the dead skin a little at a time and take this process slowly so we can insure the best results.”

Callie smiled. “That would be great, Noah. The sooner I can see what I’m dealing with, the better.”

Pleased with her eagerness, he settled deeper into the cushions and rested his arms on her legs. “So, what did you do at home since you didn’t participate in school activities?”

“My dad found this old pool table at a yard sale and worked to clean it up. We loved that thing. Every night my brother and I would bet who would win. I beat him nearly every time.”

Noah laughed. “I can see that. You’re a fighter.”

Her eyes held his. “You’re right. Sometimes I forget that.” She offered a smile.

“You’re entitled to, but just make sure you don’t lose it.”

“I won’t.”

Her eyes darted to the big screen as the movie began. He watched her for a moment before he, too, rested his head against the back of the couch and slid his hand down to one of her dainty feet. He began massaging one foot, working her arch, her heel, each of her tiny toes.

She let out a slight moan and he smiled as he picked up the other foot. As she watched her movie, her body relaxed and Noah kept right on massaging her. He wanted her to stay relaxed, wanted her to stay comfortable.

By the time the movie was about halfway through, Noah glanced over and found her asleep. He’d stopped massaging her a while ago, but apparently she’d settled into this state of comfort and let her guard down.

With her slinged arm resting on her stomach and her other arm behind her as a pillow, she looked so innocent, so young. She had bluish circles beneath her eyes and he knew she hadn’t been sleeping well. She was worried about her prospective career and he’d be lying if he didn’t agree that her future in the movie industry was unstable.

But he also hadn’t been lying when he said he’d do everything in his power to make her whole again. He’d make damn sure she had the best treatment and care she needed, and he’d be with her every step of the way.

He slid a hand over her foot, over her ankle and along her shin. She was so soft, so smooth. His hand glided back down as his groin tightened.

God, what a jerk he was sitting here getting hard and stroking a sleeping woman. Seriously? Had it come to that because he couldn’t just admit how much he wanted her and instead let fear prevent him from acting on his emotions? Had he turned into a voyeur?

Her lids fluttered and Noah watched as she awoke and her gaze met his. Slowly she pulled her arm from behind her head and extended it before laying it across her stomach.

Darkness had long since settled, and the only light came from the big flat screen hanging on the wall across the room. Her face glowed in the subtle light and Noah couldn’t stop from reaching out and taking her hand, stroking it with his thumb.

He shifted, placing a knee on the couch between her legs and easing up over her. Keeping his movements slow, he waited for a sign of fear or doubt from her, but the way that pink tongue came out to lick her lips was all the indication he needed. That and the heavy rise and fall of her chest as her breathing quickened.

Reaching for the buttons on his shirt, which she wore so much better than he ever did, he slid one button, then another, then another open until he reached where her sling lay. Her tanned, flat abdomen stared back at him; her belly button held a small blue stone twinkling in the low light.

His hands gripped her waist as he leaned down to kiss her stomach and let his tongue flick the gem. She felt so smooth beneath his lips, he moved lower. Once more he glanced up at her to see her staring back at him, her face flushed, her breathing heavy. How could he not move forward with this? He might regret it later, but he’d had regrets before. And now he wanted to taste Callie the way he’d been fantasizing about for months. This was nothing more than physical. He wouldn’t let it be.

With both hands, he slid his fingers inside the waistband of her shorts and eased them down. He stripped them all the way off and flung them aside. Staring down at her plain pink cotton panties was more of a turn-on than if she were lying here in a red teddy. She was simple, she was real, she was wearing his shirt and for now she was his.

He skimmed a finger across the top band of her panties, then slid his fingers along the elastic that hugged her thighs. She was already hot and wet. For him.

Easing the moist fabric aside, he slid one finger into her heat. Her body arched up as she dug her heels into his couch. Slowly in and out he worked her until she was rocking her hips and gripping the cushion with her good hand.

Perfect. Just how he wanted her.

He dipped his head and slid his tongue over her, pleased when she cried out. He spread her legs farther with his shoulders and kept hold of the panties with one hand while his mouth and other hand continued to assault her.

Her moans, her heavy breathing, her tilted hips against him had him working harder to bring her pleasure.

And he didn’t have to wait long. Her body arched, froze and she gasped. Noah stayed right with her until she stopped trembling.

“That was the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered as he let her panties slide back into place.

Her eyes found his and a slight flush crept over her cheeks. “Um…watching a movie isn’t what it used to be,” she joked.

He put his arm along the back of the couch and leaned toward her face. “You don’t have to be embarrassed or uncomfortable.”

Her eyes darted to his groin. “Speaking of uncomfortable…”

Noah smiled. “Yeah, it is, but that was all for you. I’ve been wanting to do that for some time.”

Callie tried to ease herself up, but before she had to struggle, Noah offered a hand and pulled her up with her good arm.

“You can’t just stay like that,” she said, pointing to the obvious. “I want to—”

He placed a fingertip over her lips. “I know you want to, and believe me, so do I. But this isn’t the time.”

Callie’s heavy-lidded eyes darted to the floor as she nodded. Damn, he hadn’t meant it that way.

“Hey,” he said softly, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. “This has nothing to do with you physically. I just think you’ve been through enough and I hadn’t exactly planned on seducing you in my home.”

Her eyes studied him. “It’s okay, Noah. You’re right. This isn’t good timing and you obviously have something in your past you’re still working through.”

He dropped his hand and sat back. “You know nothing about my past, Callie, so you’d best not bring it up again.”

She sighed as she sat back against the arm of the sofa. “I was just making an observation. That’s all.”

Noah cursed and came to his feet, raking a hand through his hair. “No, I’m sorry. There are just some topics that I cannot talk about with anyone, and my past is one of them. I’m still sorting through some rough things, but that’s really none of your concern and has no place here.”

God, he was such a liar. No place here? Didn’t he carry those demons around with him everywhere? Didn’t he put them down beside him in bed each night? Hadn’t they brought him to Callie and inadvertently led to her accident? How the hell could he say they had no place when in fact they had every place imaginable in his life right now?

He looked back down at her, clad in nothing but his shirt, which was unbuttoned from her rib cage down, exposing those soft panties he’d just been inside.

“I have someone coming to look at the house tomorrow. I’d like to take you out—”

“Noah,” she started, but stopped when he held up his hand.

“I know you’re not comfortable,” he told her. “But I was thinking of just going to the park for a picnic in the shaded area where no one is lingering. Or we could visit my friend Max.”

“The movie star?” She laughed. “Yeah, like he wants me in his house.”

“Actually, he’s called to check on you,” Noah told her, turning to face her fully and placing his hands on his hips. “He’s one of my best friends, and if you’re not comfortable with the picnic, we can hang at his place for a few hours. He won’t mind a bit.”

“Of course.” She tried to button the shirt with only one hand. “This is your house and you’re putting your life on hold for me. I’m being a jerk trying to get picky about where I go. Actually, we can go to my place if you want. I could grab some more things and get my mail, check my messages.”

Noah nodded as he sat on the edge of the couch and slid her hand aside so he could adjust the buttons.

Why hadn’t he thought of her place? Maybe because that was just another level of Callie he was afraid to enter. While she was here, on his turf, he was fine. But if they went to her place, he would be so out of his territory….

“That will be fine,” he conceded. “We can pick up some lunch and eat at your apartment. The real-estate agent is coming at noon, so I’d say we need to be gone by eleven-thirty.”

“I’ll be ready,” she informed him. “But, um…are you sure you’re okay?”

He cocked his head, and when her eyes darted to his lap, Noah laughed.

“I’m okay,” he assured her. “I promise this isn’t my first hard-on and it won’t be my last where you’re concerned.”