Chapter Ten

She took a deep breath and slid her key into the lock and pushed the door open.

Home Sweet Home.

Well here she was along with one husband and two very large bags and two guitar cases. God knows where this was all going to fit. She had her own place but that didn’t mean it was big. Homey was the word more suiting to Callie Richard’s small one bed roomed apartment.

“Wow – this is small.” He let his bags thud to the floor and gentled the guitar cases down.

She dropped her keys on the kitchen counter and hung her bag up on the hook beside the door, where she always hung it. “Well what did you expect? I’m not exactly a big shot lawyer, least it’s a hell of lot tidier than your place.” She shivered at the thought. It was a bachelor pad, complete with bachelor pad mess. Beer bottles littered the table, laundry was still scattered all over the place, and it had been just awful. Her place may have been small but hell, it was tidy.

She pulled up the blinds letting the sun hit the small floral print couch Jon was standing at scratching his head. She rolled her eyes, “it’s a pull out silly.”

He snorted, “Oh right, phew I was thinking it was gonna be a tight squeeze…anyway …” he plopped down on the couch and lifted his feet resting his battered boots on the edge of her coffee table. “The housekeeper hadn’t been, that’s why our place wasn’t clean.” He clasped his hands behind his head and stretched out.

Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. His feet were on her freaking table! She curled her hand into a ball.

“Well here we don’t have a maid so you will have to clean up after yourself.” She walked into her room, she had to give herself some breathing space for a second. This was crazy, he was a complete stranger to her and here he was making himself at home in her place. She popped open her closet and shrugged off her coat to hang it up. When she swung closed the door she screamed.

Jon was there in her room propped up against the wall with his elbow, complete with an impish grin.

“Jesus Jon, “she steadied herself clutching her chest.

“Rule one – this is MY ROOM, and you are prohibited in here, ok?”

He held his hands up, “Alright alright. Why what you got in here?” he said angling his head around past her.

“Nothing – this is just my room ok –“she pushed her palms against his chest and walked him backwards. He stopped and flipped his hands and grabbed her wrists.

“Jon!” her eyes grew wide and even the little spark of playfulness in his eyes didn’t calm her.

“Get out of my room – NOW.” He was smothering her already and he’d been here for only five minutes. Jesus Christ what in the hell was she thinking doing this.

“Ok, Ok – are you gonna give me the tour?” he asked.

The tour – this was the damn tour. The place wasn’t exactly huge. She sighed.

“Bathroom through there --- my bedroom is here and you can see the kitchenette over there.” She pointed to the corner of the room.

He nodded, “Cosy.”

“If you don’t like it...” she snapped before she could help herself.

He chuckled, “yeah ok that is true. Now what are we gonna do for dinner? I don’t know about you but all this marriage shit has made me hungry.” She bit on her lip as he kicked his boots off in the middle of the room with a thud.

“I don’t know – I need to do shopping at some stage…god I need a shower, I’ve got case notes to read and—“she rubbed her head. God she was tired, not to mention crabby.

“Alright – you go shower and I’ll order in Chinese huh? My treat. Then you can read your work stuff – I need to do some work of my own. I might head down to the Pony later. Wanna come?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. You order the food. I’m going to have a shower.” She grabbed a towel off the pile of fresh laundry and padded towards the bathroom. God, leas he was going out – she could have some peace. Christ.

She cranked the shower on full – OK so it was a small apartment but one thing Callie made sure she had was good water pressure. She rubbed her forehead as the lingering fog of last night’s hangover just wouldn’t go away and stepped into the shower once she’d strewn all her clothes off.

A sudden panic shot through her when she wondered if she’d locked the bathroom door. God he’d already seen her naked so what was the point? Surely he wouldn’t.

As she dried herself off, her father’s disapproving voice kept swimming in her ears. Of course she had to go and get married on a whim. One more thing that her father could be disappointed was just what she needed.

Law school had been hard, it should have been easy as there was no shortage of brains with Callie. It was the passion she lacked. The passion and the understanding of the law like her siblings and colleagues had. Once she was had been employed at Jameson law firm, again at the request of her father as it was one of the most reputable law firms in New Jersey, she struggled.

She was finally coming into her own and felt like her father had something of her to be proud of and now this. She jammed her toothbrush into her mouth and scrubbed that furry day after feeling away. Who was she kidding now though? She was in knee deep in a situation she had no idea how she was going to handle it.

She wrapped her towel around her cinching it in the middle of her breasts before taking a deep breath and popping open the door.

Jon had just hung up the phone and slid it back into the table. “I’ve just ordered should be about twenty minutes away.” She rolled her eyes as she watched his eyes drift across her towel.

“Thanks, I’ll just go and get changed. Feel free to turn on the TV or something. It’s not bad but you have to give it a kick if the reception starts to fade.” She said quickly making her way back to her room.

~~

Jon grinned as she disappeared quickly back into her bedroom. He leaned back on the couch and propped his feet up on the little coffee table. It was a nice place. It would be nice to have some space away from the guys in all honesty. They were in each other’s pockets on tour twenty four seven, and living together off the road was just as fucking bad.

He stood and flipped the dial on the TV, slowly the picture appeared and he looked around the walls. Her law degree hung proudly in the centre of the wall next to some family shots. He scratched his chin and wondered how much she knew about business law. He valued Doc at times but a part of him knew Doc was in it for himself more than the band so he was wary.

He made his way into the small kitchenette and swung open the fridge. Surely there was a beer or something in here. He frowned when all he could see was a bottle of wine. He grabbed it and held it up. Eh, that would do.

He bumped the door closed with his hip and grabbed two glasses and turned around. She was back out in blue satin PJ’s. His eyes tried not to focus on her nipples poking through or the way her perky little breasts sat. Fuck.

“You’ve got to be kidding?” she asked folding herself into the armchair in the corner.

“Well I would of preferred beer but you didn’t have any of that – so wine huh?” he popped the cork and poured them a glass each. He handed her a glass and with his own clinked hers.

“To martial bliss.” He winked and took a long sip. Not bad.

“Yeah – something like that.” She took a drink from her own glass. Her hair was wet and fell in loose dark ringlets around her shoulders. Jon shifted on the couch as watching her pretty pink lips become slick made his cock twitch. What would actually be the harm in asking?

“You know…” his finger drifted around the rim of the glass before he met her deep blue eyes.

She raised a brow. “Yes?”

His eyes fell to the opening of her pyjamas and then back to her eyes. “We could always take advantage of this situation – as you are a woman and I am a man.”

She snorted. “That’s debatable.”

He rolled his eyes. “You know what I am sayin’ – “Hell her bed did look a hell of a lot more comfortable than that couch.

“I do?” she questioned pulling her knees tighter to her chest.

Did he really have to spell it out?

“Callie – you’re a beautiful woman and we both have needs-“but he was cut off. She jumped out of her chair and held her hand up.

“Don’t even suggest that. That was not part of the arrangement Jon, and if you think just because you’re living under my roof and that we’re married –“she took finished off her wine and slammed the glass down on the table.

“You can just stop there – you’re not coming near me in this house. I’ll play kissy kissy with you outside but here – don’t even think about it. I know I’m most certainly not.” Her voice wavered and he had to laugh. He was satisfied, oh she wanted to. But she’d be too proud to ever admit it.

“It’s not funny Jon, I mean it. I’m not that girl.”

“Ok, ok --- I won’t suggest it ever again. I just thought-“

“Well you just thought wrong.”

He was about to reply but the knock at the door stopped him. He shifted himself to his feet, “that will be dinner. Allow me.” He turned away happy with the flustered look in her eyes. This was going to be fun. He dug into his jeans for his wallet and folded some bills in his fingers and opened the door.

He’d just have to work a little harder. Oh he’d never suggest it again, but he’d make sure she would.