Chapter 9 - The Sovereign’s Vow
The silence in the room became thick, heavy with an electric pull that neither of them could ignore.
Callum shifted off the ottoman, moving up onto his knees until he was towering over her in the armchair, his large hand moving from her wrist up to the side of her neck, his fingers tangling gently in her soft hair.
“Callum...” Sadie whispered, her breath catching in her throat.
“Tell me to stop, Sadie,” Callum murmured, his face inches from hers, his dark eyes filled with a raw, intense hunger that took her breath away. “Tell me you want me to step back, and I will. I will be your protector and nothing more.”
Sadie looked at his sculpted lips, at the faint scar on his cheek, at the fierce, dark man who had carried her through the rain, defended her with his life, and held her as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered.
She didn't tell him to stop.
She reached up, wrapping her fingers around the front of his dress shirt, pulling him down to her.
Their lips met in a sudden, powerful kiss that shattered every rule, every boundary, and every reservation Sadie had ever held.
Callum let out a low groan against her mouth, his arms wrapping around her waist, lifting her effortlessly from the chair and pulling her flush against his broad, muscular body.
He carried her the few steps to the grand bed, laying her down onto the soft silk sheets with incredible care, avoiding her injured leg.
He hovered over her, his hands framing her face, his dark eyes burning into hers.
“You belong to me now, Sadie,” Callum declared in a low, fierce whisper that sounded like a vow. “Not because of a contract. Not because of a painting. But because I will never let another living soul hurt you.”
“I belong to myself, Callum Russo,” Sadie countered, her voice soft but filled with an unwavering strength that made him smile.
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“Then let me be the man who stands beside you,” Callum murmured, leaning down to kiss her collarbone, his warm hands sliding down her back, sending waves of pure fire through her veins.
That night, amidst the quiet crackle of the fireplace and the sound of the lake crashing against the cliffs below, Sadie surrendered to the dark, dangerous boss of Chicago—and found a safety she had never known existed.
