Ditto?

What kind of response is that?

And the expression on Callum's face shows he's surprised as well.

Either he's surprised by my response or because of his admission to loving me.

Because who says ditto when someone confesses their love to you when it's the first time they tell you they love you?

Me.

That's fucking who. Me. And I feel like a fool right now for saying what I did. But Callum's mouth crashed into mine before I could apologize and fix my response. The kiss was so scorching hot you could hear and feel fireworks lighting off above us. And the passion that had been building between us all evening finally ignited, causing all the blood flowing through my veins to feel like molten lava as it traveled through my body.

It was the kiss of desire and what seemed like Callum's promise of forever with him.

And if that's the hidden message behind this kiss, I'm all for it.

I'm in love with Callum. There's no doubt about it. I even admitted it to Lilah when we returned from Hawaii—and I've fallen even more in love with him since then.

And I can't even tell him how I feel?

I want Callum to know how I feel about him—about us, but I also fear if I tell him I'm in love with him, he'll eventually figure out a way to break my heart.

And that scares me.

However, I give him kudos for stepping up to the plate and confessing something he hasn't done since Victoria was alive. And I'm in heaven with how he's slowly allowing the wall he put up to come down.

Baby steps...

But someone like Callum, the womanizer he's been, is bound to fuck up. People like him usually do. And I can see it happening sooner rather than later.

Hopefully, he doesn't. And I'll heavily pray Callum doesn't fuck up. But what this also means is I have to protect my heart.

Thankfully, Callum saved me from expressing my love for him out loud by kissing me. However, what I'd like to do to show Callum I'm over the moon with his confession, is I want to hug his cock with my mouth—right now.

I left his mouth as I hurriedly slid off his lap, my knees on the ground, tugging at his belt and unzipping his pants, springing his swollen cock out in the open.

"Ellie..." he moaned, "what do you think you're doing?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear while gently tracing the frame of my face and lustfully gazing at me while trailing the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm thirsty," I said, guiding his cock to my mouth, my hungry eyes on him, wanting to watch his reaction when I took him deep into my mouth. And when the tip of his dick hit my throat, I got the response I wanted to see and hear.

His eyes closed—momentarily. And a moan of elation left his lips.

He also looked relaxed.

Tasting the precum escaping from his cock, I moaned in delight. Loving the taste of his pre-arousal.

His hand went to my hair, his fingers firmly gripping hold of my updo, but he immediately let go, most likely realizing we still had to walk through a hotel filled with employees and guests roaming about. And if I walked into the high-end luxury hotel with disheveled hair and smeared makeup, they'd probably call the cops on us.

Callum's hand extended to his right, hitting a button on the wall and telling our driver, "Please keep driving around the city until I tell you we're ready to retire for the night."

"Very well, sir," our driver, Hayden, answered in return.

"My dirty girl—my naughty nun is in dire need of my cock, and she can't wait," he murmured when his finger left the intercom. "Ain't that right, beautiful..."

With his dick in my mouth, I hummed in agreement right before I increased the speed of my hungry and very thirsty mouth.

Then I felt his cock expanding further in my mouth, throbbing crazily, and his body stiffening as firm as his dick. So I sucked harder and bobbed my head up and down much faster, all while fondling his hardened balls until he erupted like water leaving a pressurized fire hydrant.

"Fuck, Eloise..." he growled, "I love watching you drink me. It's so damn hot."

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, returned to his lap, and adjusted my dress so no evidence was left for everyone to see when we entered the hotel. Then in a hungry desire, I crashed my mouth to his, hard and demanding, yet filled with a passion that helped spring Callum's cock back to life, my nipples to harden, and my pussy to ache for him to be inside me.

With our mouths still moving with each other's, I lifted my hips, reached down to his hardened dick, and placed it at the center of my wet, needy opening. In one hard thrust, he was fully seated inside me.

And it felt wonderful to feel his thick cock stretching me inside a moving vehicle for the first time.

I left his mouth and tilted my head back when his hands gripped my hips. But instead of fucking him like a horny teenager trying to come before we got caught, I slowly moved my hips back and forth, up and down—making love to him—my way of telling him I love you.

Believe me; I want to say those three big special words, but that fear of him breaking my heart and us returning to where things were weighed heavily in my mind. And my response to Callum saying ditto after he declared his love to me now sounds so much better right now than actually telling him I love him.

And I was doing well with repeating ditto whenever he told me he loved me until his mouth landed on mine when he plunged a finger into the forbidden hole, adding a second one soon after while telling me straight from the heart, "I fucking love you, Eloise. So fucking much."

"I love you, too, Callum."

***

Lilah: Victoria Blaszczykowski

Callum and I returned to Chicago two weeks ago, and the first words out of his mouth, when we landed, were, 'You're going to sell your place and move in with me. That means I want you to start staying with me tonight.' I, of course, protested, telling him I wasn't selling my home when we had just recently made our relationship exclusive.

There was no official winner of that argument at that moment.

Still, he somewhat won the argument because Callum didn't drop me off when he drove me to my house. Even though Callum had purchased a new wardrobe for me, all of it hanging in a closet designated just for me, he stayed so I could pack some other belongings I'd also want at his place. And then he drove us to his place, where I've stayed ever since, occasionally going to my house to grab more things I needed and to grab food from the fridge that would be expiring soon.

Since Callum declared us an official couple, he's done a complete one-eighty. He may not have told me everything about his ex, Victoria, but he told me some things about her, and he did confess something I never thought he'd be capable of doing with his history with women- telling me he's in love with me.

And that should account for something.

To me, I believe it also means that his baby steps are beginning to grow more confident, which I hope means he's getting closer to coming clean about what happened to his ex that made him the person he was until he met me.

Lilah's text message has me tilting my head to the side and my brows drawing together in confusion. Victoria Blaszczykowski? Does she mean that's the official spelling of Victoria's last name?

Me: What's that supposed to mean?

Lilah: I finally figured out Victoria's last name. Holy fuck, it took me forever! And I found everything out about what you've been waiting to hear. You'll be shocked—absolutely shocked to hear about her. Now I understand, and you will too, why he became the womanizer he was.

As much as I want to know what happened to Victoria, I'm not so sure I want to hear it from anyone other than Callum. Finding out about her from my sister wouldn't be right or fair to him. I also don't want him to think I went above his head and invaded his privacy by digging into his and her personal life.

Even though I'm anxious to know all the details, I think it would be best to wait and see if Callum will open up to me on his own.

After all, he's been opening up slowly—and at his own pace. And that's enough for me to tell Lilah to hold off on opening her big mouth.

Me: Please don't tell me. I don't want to know. Well, I do. But I'd rather hear it come from Callum's mouth.

Lilah: Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure, even though it's bugging me to want to know the details, so I can help him move on.

Me: I'm sure. Don't get me wrong; I desperately want to know what happened. But I feel I should wait because Callum has slowly been opening up to me about her. And I get the feeling he'll be telling me everything soon.

Lilah: It's pretty sad if you were to ask me.

That's enough... I want Callum to tell me.

And ugh... I hate that Isabelle, and I had her dig to see what she could find. Because now that she knows and I don't, it's going to kill me inside until he finally spills the beans.

Me: I don't want to know more than what you've already told me.

Lilah: Well, if he doesn't confess, you know where to come; who'll be more than happy to fill you in. ;)

I'm sure you would be happy to tell me.

Just because you love spilling everyone's secrets.

Me: I know I asked you to dig into this, but the more I think about it, and where he and I are in this relationship, growing closer than ever, the more I feel this secret of Callum's I need to hear from him.

Lilah: Fair enough. Now are you going to invite me over to show me his house finally? I've been dying to see what a billionaire's home looks like!

I laughed. Of course, she's dying to see it.

Me: You can come over right now if you want. Callum left for the weekend, and I could use some company. Don't forget to bring your swimming suit, though.

Her wide-eyed emojis cracked me up.

Lilah: He has a pool?

Yes, two of them.

Me: Indoor and outdoor. See you soon!

***

I opened Callum's front door to Lilah, holding up a bottle of high-end tequila, margarita mix, and salt and smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "I thought margaritas sounded good for us to have while we're at the pool, gossiping and having fun like old times."

How did I know she'd bring tequila?

I shook my head and laughed, opening the door wider for her, saying, "Margaritas are a good choice." Then, I pointed my finger at her and warned, "But don't you dare allow me to get drunk. I made a fool of myself the last few times I drank tequila. And since Callum isn't here, I don't need to get stupid, fall and break something of his. He's got some expensive shit that I cannot afford to replace."

She laughed. "Don't worry. I won't let you get stupidly drunk." Uh-huh, yeah, sure, she won't. "And don't worry, I won't get you drunk and tell you what I know about Victoria, either."

My eyes narrowed, and I pointed my finger at her again. "Don't you dare tell me about her. Although I'm glad you discovered what happened, I still want Callum to tell me everything. He needs to start being open with me so I can help him get through this. I want to feel his pain with him when he opens up like a book."

"I get it," she said, scanning the room, whistling as she stepped out of the foyer and into the living room. "Damn, sis. Are you planning on giving me a grand tour of this fucking massive estate?"

I laughed. "You did exactly what I did when Callum first brought me here."

"What's that?"

"Whistle."

"How can you not? On top of seeing the house's looks from the outside, I've only made it into the living room and can see his home is amazingly beautiful." She looked at me, drawing her brows together. "What the hell did he need such a large home for if he's single, has no kids, and never brought a woman home?"

I shrugged. And as we headed to the kitchen, I said, "I have no idea. Callum told me he never needed a home this size, but he liked the home and area so much that he had to buy it. He also said he used to rent it out because he wasn't home much. But now that Callum has me staying here, he said he won't rent it out anymore since he refuses to let me stay in my own home."

Lilah found humor in that and laughed. "You've lived in that home for about five years now, right? And nothing terrible has happened. That I know of anyway."

"I know, but it's Callum. He's stubborn and apparently over-protective. He doesn't like the area where I live and thinks he needs to protect me by making me stay here." I shrugged. "I'm sure him wanting me staying here has something to do with Victoria."

Shit. I probably never should have said what I just did. I can see it on Lilah's face; she's itching to tell me what she's learned.

I held up my hand, groaning, "Don't even say a word."

"What?" she screeched, smiling. "I wasn't going to say anything."

I lifted a brow, challenging her. "You know damn well you're champing at the bit to release the information you've come across."

"That I am. But you're adamant about waiting for Callum to tell you. So I'll keep my mouth shut. I've done it before for you."

I laughed at that remark. The only time Lilah never opened her mouth to tell mine or someone else's secret was when we were in Florida, keeping who she saw leave my room from my parents. It's not like she had to do it. I'm a thirty-one-year-old adult who can do whatever she wishes, but the fact is my father is old school when it comes to relationships and having sex outside of wedlock.

So she actually did me a favor for the first time in her wild, eccentric life by not saying anything to keep my dad from blowing a gasket or having a heart attack.

"One time," I said, reaching into the cupboard for two glasses. "And since I don't remember saying it, I'll say it just in case I didn't. But thank you."

"No problem. Had I said something, Dad would have drugged you to the nearest church and forced you into confessing your sins," she laughed, removing the plastic seal off the margarita bottle as I poured tequila over the ice.

Seeing the situation in my mind had she snitched on me, I laughed. "You know he would have. Just like he'd do now with us both if he found out, we're members of a sex club. And what we're into when it comes to copulation."

She pushed the bottle across the counter and to me, eyeing the massive-sized kitchen that had two fricken stoves side by side. "Yeah, well, what Dad doesn't know won't hurt him. Sex is private between two people, anyway—or multiple sex partners, for that matter."

She walked around the center island and over to the two stoves against the wall beside the large window, sliding her fingers across them, asking, "Does Callum even cook?"

"Yeah, he cooks. Not often. But he does. Why?"

She gave me the "Are you serious" look. "He's got two stoves. Who the fuck needs two stoves when he lives alone?"

"Entertaining people?" I said as a question and not a statement, shrugging.

I walked over to Lilah, handing her a margarita. "Come on, let me show you around. Just promise me you won't touch anything. I won't even touch anything. I'm too scared to."

She waved me off, telling me not to worry. But I know her. She's like a two-year-old who can't keep her paws off anything she sees that she likes or is curious about. And has broken many things because of her curiosity.

I walked her through all three levels, starting from the top and working my way to the bottom level, where the large indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna reside.

The fun adult room I labeled it as.

"Damn, Eloise. If you don't want to move in here permanently, I will. Shit. I'm going to continue saying this, but who the fuck needs nine full bathrooms, three half bathrooms, eight bedrooms, an office, a five-car garage, a breakfast and dining room, two living rooms, and six fireplaces? For one guy? Am I missing something?"

Humor played on my lips because I said the same thing. "You're not missing anything. He has the money to blow on whatever he wants, so why not splurge on something you'll enjoy?" I shrugged.

"The master bedroom is bigger than my apartment, Eloise. Hell, it's got a huge ass fucking bathroom with a giant bathtub, whirlpool, an oversized walk-in shower that could easily fit twenty people, a fireplace, and a walk-out to the patio facing Lake Michigan. I'm so fucking jealous of you right now, and jealousy is not my thing," she laughed. She took a large swallow of her margarita, finished it, then said, "Again, if you don't want to move in full-time. I will," she taunted, smiling proudly.

I took the empty glass from her hand, groaning, "Not a chance. I never said I wouldn't move in with him. I just simply said I was not ready to move completely in with him. Before doing something major like that, I need to be sure I'm what he wants. I don't want to sell my home and move everything in here for him to return to his womanizing ways after I move in. I need assurance he's back to who he supposedly used to be."

Lilah headed to the heated pool and stuck her hand in it, waving it around with her lips stretched wide. "I'm ready to swim. We should refill our drinks, get in our suits, and hit the water."

I finished the last of the contents of my drink and said, "Okay. But first, I'll say this. If he breaks down and tells me the entire story of what happened to Victoria, I'll immediately put my home on the market, or at least rent it out and keep it as a backup if Callum and I don't work out."

"If it were me, I would just sell it. Callum is right when he says you live in a bad area. Because you do."

"Nothing terrible has happened to me, my home, or that area since I moved in."

"Yet," she sang, spinning slowly on her heel, looking for whatever she was. "Doesn't he have any pool toys? Floats? Anything?"

I pointed to the closed doors to my right. "I think he told me they're in there."

While Lilah looked for some pool floating devices, I headed to the kitchen to make us a pitcher of margaritas. If we're going to swim, I don't want to go from a warm room to a cold room, tracking water throughout the house, just to go to the kitchen to make drinks every time we empty our glasses.

I heard my phone ringing the closer I got to the kitchen, but once I got there, the call ended, but a notification sound alerted me they had left a message.

My heart ached when I saw it was Callum's call I missed. But I immediately smiled after listening to the voicemail he left—telling me he loves and misses me, hoping I was doing all right and that I wasn't out causing trouble with Isabelle and Lilah.

He also threw in no sex club while he was away. I know he was being funny since he told me he didn't care if I was there. If anything, he was using reverse psychology on me, saying he wanted me to go to the club if I decided to go without telling me to go.

But I won't.

Isabelle's at home trying to make babies, and well, Lilah? It's too early to say if she's in the mood to cause trouble. We just started drinking. And I'm not in the mood to get cornered again by Callum's brother Trent.

I tried returning his phone call, but it went to voice mail immediately. So I tried again a few minutes later in case someone was calling his phone, or he was calling out, but he didn't answer.

So I left him a voice message and texted him; I missed him too, and ditto about loving him.

Ditto seems to be my new thing lately, and every time I say it, it irritates Callum. He doesn't say anything, but I can sure read the expression on his face that when I say ditto, it bothers him. Giving me more reason to be a brat to get the discipline I want and crave—but it hasn't worked. He hasn't disciplined me in weeks, and because of that, I'm beginning to wonder why?

It's not like him not to punish me for saying or doing something he doesn't like or when I act up to get under his skin, and frankly, I miss those spankings and the other things he's used to punishing me that excited my pussy.

As much as I miss it, honestly, these last couple of weeks have been nice without us angering each other. Instead of us fucking, we've been making love—another sign Callum's maturing into the man he was born to be.

I handed Lilah her drink when she used her hand to swim to the pool's edge. "So when does Callum return?"

"I think he said Tuesday night."

"Where is he, anyway?"

"He had some things to take care of in Oregon. Why?"

Her eyes widened, and the expression on her face, for whatever reason, made my stomach sink. "Did he go to visit Victoria's grave?"

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!! 🤞🤞