Page 88 of Poison and Wine
“Are you wearing it to entice the men at the club?” When I shook my head furiously from side to side, Seamus leaned closer to me. “Caterina, are you wearing that dress to entice your husband?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
He smiled. “Then it’s a necessary sin.”
I nodded. “I think I get it now.”
“Good.”
“Caterina, let’s go!” Callum barked from downstairs.
Seamus grinned. “Go on and knock him dead.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “More than anything else, go and have some fun. You’re young, and after all you’ve been through in the last few years, you deserve to be carefree.”
Although I still wasn’t totally convinced, I decided it was worth a try. After bestowing a quick kiss on Seamus’s cheek, I replied, “Thank you.”
Raised voices filled my ears as I made my way down the hallway. “Caterina!” Callum shouted.
“I’m here!” I called from the top of the staircase.
When I started down the stairs, talking silenced in the foyer. I bit down on my lip not to laugh from the expressions on their faces. Although it was nice seeing the effect the dress had on Quinn, Dare, and Kellan, my attention focused only on Callum.
After reaching the last step, Callum barreled through his brothers to stand before me. “What the fuck, Caterina?” Callum demanded.
“Is there a problem?” I asked with doe-eyed innocence.
“I told you under no circumstances were you to get that dress!”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“And you chose to defy me?” he growled.
“After all the dresses I tried on, this was my favorite.”
Although Callum shook with rage, I wasn’t afraid. Reaching out, I patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I have a coverup.”
He eyed me curiously. “You do?”
“Just let me grab it out of the closet.”
When I walked away, I felt Callum’s eyes boring into my back or more precisely into my butt. I grabbed a sheer, silver shawl out of the closet. After I’d slid it onto my arms, I turned around. “See?”
While Dare threw back his head with a laugh, Quinn and Kellan hid their laughter behind their hands. “That doesn’t cover shit,” Callum growled.
“Oh, okay. Then I won’t worry about it.” I stripped it off my arms and threw it back into the closet.“Ready?”
When his blue eyes turned black, I took a step back and debated whether I'd perhaps gone too far. “Leave us,” he instructed in a low voice.
“We’ll meet you there,” Quinn replied.
As I watched their retreating forms, I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to run after them. Like a wolf stalking its prey, Callum began to circle me, his steps echoing off the marble floor. In that moment, I knew I’d made a very big mistake.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Callum
Since the night I’d fallen asleep with Caterina in my arms, I’d been in an emotional tailspin. Not only was I dealing with my grief over Sean’s loss, but my head was completely fucked up over my growing feelings for Caterina. In the early days of our relationship, my primary feelings for Caterina had been lust and desire along with a need to protect her. But after that night, my feelings had become much, much more.