Only Oscar (Wattys 2022 Shortlist!)

Chapter Thirteen

Callie paced the bedroom floor, bare feet silent on the carpet as she chewed her lower lip and worked herself into a frenzy of anticipation. 

She'd never even thought about sending a photograph like that to anyone else, had deleted several lame attempts at looking provocative before she plucked up the nerve to hit send. 

When she did, part of her worried Oscar would be shocked. Another wanted him to be, for him to see she was willing to shed her inhibitions and make him regret leaving her when it was obvious they both wanted the same thing. His comment about the things he wanted to do to her left her feeling achy and hyper-sensitive. She wondered if he would tell her what those things were, if he could seduce her with words as easily as he did with his lips and his hands. 

The prospect of his familiar, deep, rumbling voice talking dirty to her, telling her in no uncertain terms what he would do to her when they shared a bed...

Damn, that did it for her.

When her phone rang, she jumped, her hand shaking so hard it took a couple of attempts to move the bar across the screen to answer the call.

"Finally," she said in a husky voice she barely recognized as her own. "I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind."

"Not a chance," he responded firmly.

"Well, for the record, if you took much longer, I was totally starting without you." The words left her lips before she could censor them, but she didn't care how needy it made her sound.

"If you had, I'd have made you wait before you came." The rich timbre to his rough tone sent a shiver up her spine. "But let's save that for a time when I can watch you do it, k?"

Heavens above, just the thought...

"Are you still wearing that incredible underwear?"

"Yes." She blinked at the sound of his breathing. "Why does it sound like you've been running?"

"You told me to hurry. Now strip and get in bed."

She wriggled out of the underwear she'd changed into for the impromptu photo-shoot and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. Then, pulling back the covers, she jumped into bed, placed them back over her body and fluffed the pillows before leaning back. 

The cool cotton was hedonistic against her heated skin as she looked around the room. Maybe she should have lit some scented candles or had soft, romantic music playing in the background to help set the mood.

"Have you done this before?" she inquired, straining to hear what he was doing.

"No. But I've always wanted to." His voice was muffled for a second. "You?"

"Same." She wished she was there to watch him undress, to discover all the secrets he'd kept hidden under his clothes.

"Then it's the first time for both of us."

Callie liked that.

"You in bed?"

She nodded. "Yes. You?"

"Be with you in a sec."

"I might need you to send me a picture," she teased.

He chuckled. "No."

"Seems a little unfair..."

"There's no way in hell I could compete with what you sent me," he countered. "You still sleep on the right of the bed?"