His Red Carnation (Forbidden Blooms #1)

32. Callan

32

Callan

I didn’t want to think about any threatening texts or Sloane being around that fucking kid. I had never felt so angry in my life. Someone threatening my girl—my future fucking wife—had me reeling. However, she successfully calmed me down after I drained every last drop of myself into her ass.

I guess we fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, faint morning light crept through the curtains, and Sloane had her hand on my hard cock as she stroked me gently.

“Good morning, Daddy,” she said as she looked up at me with a smile, already on her fucking knees and ready to blow me.

“Fuck,” I moaned as I put my hands behind my head, watching her. “Good morning, baby.”

“Sloane!” Jake’s voice called out from the other side of the door.

God fucking damnit . Sloane rolled her eyes and let go of my throbbing cock.

“Yes?” she called out sweetly.

“Can I come in?” he asked, and I heard the doorknob rattle as he tried to turn it.

My eyes shot wide open, panic rising in my chest, and I checked her door—thank fuck it was locked.

“Well, um…give me a sec, Dad,” she huffed as she got up from bed and I hurriedly put my cock away.

Sloane shrugged on sweats and left her perky, hard nipples under a tank top on display. If she answered the door like that for anyone else, I’d be fuming. I pulled up my jeans and straightened my shirt out, then began to put my shoes on when she opened the door.

I glanced up and noticed Jake’s tired eyes on his daughter before they shifted to me. “Can I speak to you alone, sweetie?” His tone was gentle, but it only raised my suspicions.

Sloane turned to me with sad eyes. I nodded, but her brows furrowed, her expression hardening. She was still upset with her dad, and it seemed a soft tone and a “sweetie” weren’t enough to change that. She turned back to Jake, crossing her arms.

“No. You can speak to me right here,” she said, her voice firm.

A smile flickered across my face as I looked down, tying my shoes. I wasn’t about to object—not with that attitude of hers—because any attempt would be shut down right away.

Jake sighed, crossing his arms. “It wasn’t James. His dad gave us a hell of a time, but we got the information we needed, and he’s in the clear,” he explained.

“Nah,” I cut in immediately. “It’s gotta be him, Jake. Who the fuck else could it be?” I asked as I stood up and walked towards them.

Jake’s jaw tightened as he watched me. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out, Callan,” he responded, irritation seeping into his voice. “That’s why I’m here. Sloane,” he said, glancing back at her. “Can you think of anyone else?”

Sloane was about to respond when Leo approached Jake, tapping him on the shoulder. “Mr. President, there’s an urgent call for you,” he said, and Jake immediately turned and followed him in the other direction.

Sloane looked up at me, worry etched across her face. “What could that be?” she asked, her voice quiet and timid—nothing like my usual confident, fiery girl. She was scared.

“Don’t worry, baby. You don’t ever have to be worried or scared with me. I’ll fuckin’ protect you with my life,” I said with a smile, wrapping her in my arms.

She only nodded, offering me a small smile. Just as I leaned in for a kiss, my phone started vibrating in my pocket.

“Go ahead and check it. It could be important,” Sloane urged.

I groaned and fished my phone out of my pocket. I was pissed the moment I realized an unknown number was calling. “Spam,” I said as I held up my phone for Sloane to see.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Answer it—what if it’s them?”

I eyed her with concern, though I did my best to keep it hidden. I answered and slowly put the phone up to my ear. “Callan Holt.”

“She’s really pretty, Cal. But so young . And Jake’s daughter? Guess you’re not afraid to stoop low. Real low.”

Fuck . “Sarah, how the fuck did you get my number?”

I glanced down at Sloane and her eyes were filled with confusion. Sarah just laughed, and I had never been so fucking annoyed in my life.

“You act like you’re fucking royalty or something. I used Google, moron. It was a lot harder to get Sloane’s number, though. But I managed. I have my ways,” she said with a chuckle.

Sloane was whispering to me, but I couldn’t make out a word—my vision blurred with anger, and my face burned with fiery fucking heat. “ You sent that text? You fucking threatened Sloane?”

Sloane gasped and took a step back. My free hand clenched into a fist, and I had to fight the urge to punch the wall beside me.

“It’s not all about her, Callan. Have you asked your best friend what he’s been up to? Hasn’t he told you yet?”

I started pacing. “What the fuck do you mean?” I demanded through gritted teeth.

Sarah’s laughter echoed, sending a chill through me and making every hair on my body stand on edge.

Her tone turned ominous. “Just ask him. And tell him he’s got forty-eight hours to tell Ana, or I’ll tell the whole world.” The line went dead.

I was down the hall before I even had the chance to think. If Jake has something to do with this shit, I don’t fucking care—I’ll punch the fucking president .

“Callan, what’s going on? What did she say?” Sloane asked as she trailed behind me as I paced down the stairs to head to Jake’s office.

“She sent the text to you,” I spit out, my vision still blurred with anger. “I think Jake has something to do with this.”

“Callan!” Sloane’s voice cracked as she cried out, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to find her standing there, wide-eyed, tears streaming down her face.

“Baby.” I closed the distance between us, pulling her into my arms. She buried her face in my chest, her sobs echoing through the hall. The bodyguards watched, their gazes lingering longer than I liked. “What the fuck are you lookin’ at?” I growled at one, and he quickly shifted his eyes to the far side of the room.

“I don’t know what’s going on, baby,” I whispered in her ear. “Sarah made it sound like, I don’t know, she has some shit on your dad. I just want to go talk to him and figure out if he knows anything,” I explained softly.

She looked up at me with tear-soaked eyes. “Tell me exactly what she said,” she demanded sharply, the firmness in her tone a striking contrast to her fragile expression.

I hadn’t even finished explaining when Sloane spun around and stormed down the hall toward the west wing. My anger still simmered, but I couldn’t help the way my eyes followed her, the sway of her hips and the jiggle of her ass impossible to ignore as she stomped toward the Oval Office. I needed to be inside her pussy soon or I’d fucking implode.

“Is he in there?” Sloane asked Leo who stood next to the oval office door.

“Yes,” he responded, not even looking her in the eye.

“What the fuck is your problem, Leo?” I snarled, itching for a fight, my anger looking for any outlet. Leo barely had time to react before Sloane swung the door open with force. She quickly walked in and I spotted Jake sitting on the couch, surrounded by stacks of documents, oblivious to the storm brewing in the hallway.

“Sloane,” he said with surprise, then glanced at me as I closed the door.

“Why is Sarah telling Callan that you have forty-eight hours to confess something to Mom, or else she’ll tell the whole world?” Sloane’s voice cracked, the anger obvious in her words as she stood with her hands on her hips.

I inched closer, my jaw clenching tight as we waited for his answer. His eyes darted between the two of us but he shook his head, hesitation clear on his face. “I don’t know, Sloane. Sarah has a tendency to lie about things—you know that,” he said calmly, then turned to me. “What exactly did she say?” he asked.

He was eerily calm, as if he’d rehearsed this or had been expecting it. When I relayed the message, he laughed quietly and shook his head. “I’ll handle it,” he said with a nod.

Sloane glanced at me, hesitation flickering in her eyes, before turning her focus back to Jake. “Why aren’t you jumping up and taking care of it then? Why are you so calm about this?” she demanded, her voice rising.

“Because she’s not a threat, Sloane!” Jake snapped.

“She’s threatening your family, Jake. How the fuck is she not a threat?” I shot back, my anger flaring as I stepped forward, refusing to let him dismiss it so easily.

He let out a heavy sigh. “I need you two to leave, alright? Let me sort this out,” he said, his calm demeanor slipping back into place.

Sloane scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief before spinning on her heels and heading for the door. I lingered for a moment, shooting Jake an angry glare, but I didn’t say a word. Instead, I turned and followed her out, the tension still simmering in my chest.

I followed her out of the west wing and back into the main house. She remained silent as she marched up the stairs, and I trailed behind, unable to shake the feeling that Jake was fucking lying—he seemed too calm.

“My dad is lying, I can tell,” Sloane said, as if reading my mind. “I’m gonna talk to my mom,” she added.

We made it to the hallway on the main floor, and I took her hand, squeezing it gently to stop her. She turned to me, her eyes wide and filled with fear. “Something bad is gonna happen, Callan. I have a really, really bad feeling,” she whispered, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, baby,” I murmured, placing my hand gently on her cheek. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to take away the fear in her eyes, but I held back, knowing it wasn’t the right moment.

She nodded. “I know you won’t, Cal. But it’s not me I’m worried about—it’s my mom.”