Chapter 16
"He deserves a mother," Callum said quietly, the words hanging heavily in the air.
Nessa’s breath hitched. She looked up, her expressive brows drawing together as she met his intense, perceptive gaze. The air in the panic suite felt suddenly charged, the magnetic, undeniable pull between them overriding the exhaustion of the night.
"Juliette would have destroyed him," Nessa whispered, remembering the metal chain beneath the dining table.
"Juliette Ward... is no longer a concern," Callum stated, his voice dropping into a lethal, freezing register. "Her family will cease to exist before the week is out."
He reached out, his artistic, tattooed hand gently brushing a smudge of soot from Nessa's soft cheek. The touch sent a violent jolt of electricity down her spine.
"Are you prepared to remain in this house, Nessa?" Callum asked, leaning slightly closer. "Are you prepared to stand beside me in the light?"
"I don't belong in your world, Callum," Nessa breathed, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I am just a maid."
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"You are the woman who stood up to a monster to protect my son," Callum corrected smoothly, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. "You are the woman who ran into a gunfight for him. You belong exactly where I choose to put you."
He didn't wait for her to argue. Callum eliminated the remaining distance between them, kissing her with a desperate, consuming passion that sealed their fates together permanently. Nessa surrendered entirely, wrapping her free arm around his strong neck, returning the kiss with a fierce, unwavering devotion.
