Everything That He Craves (#2) (An Alpha Billionaire BDSM Romance) by Layla Love Page A

kidding me?” Hunter demanded.
    There was no reply. 
    He peered down at Callie.  That was when he heard her sniffling.  He stopped in his tracks. 
    “Are you crying?”
    “No,” she sniffed.
    “Look at me,” he ordered sternly.
    Callie wanted to ignore the command, but there was a tone in Hunter’s voice that couldn’t be disregarded.  Besides, he was standing there staring at her expectantly, just waiting.  There was nowhere to run and no place to hide.  So she reluctantly raised her head and met his gaze.
    She knew what she looked like.  She knew her eyes were brimming with tears that were about two seconds away from spilling down her cheeks.  She knew her lower lip was quivering and if she didn’t soon get a grip, in a moment she would be sobbing. 
    She wished that wasn’t the case, but she couldn’t help it.  It was beyond her control.
    *****
    Who was this strange, beautiful, violent creature? 
    Callie Johnson came across as a mild mannered librarian, but there was definitely more to her than met the eye.  She had a kinky, creative, adventurous side that loved to write about sex.  And apparently she also had a psychotic, unpredictable, mean side that loved to kick unsuspecting men in the nuts. 
    And now she was standing in front of him crying.
    Hunter was furious.  He was downright irate, and his thigh hurt like hell! 
    But in that moment, his heart melted. 
    For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, seeing Callie cry was devastating.  Sure, he loved making sexy, willing women cry in the bedroom – but this was different.  This didn’t make him feel powerful and domineering.  Actually, it made him feel weak and helpless.
    “Don’t do that,” Hunter said.  “Please stop.”
    Even as he pleaded with Callie, he knew it was no use.  She was too far gone.  In a moment she would probably break down sobbing and there wasn’t a damn thing either of them could do to stop it. 
    Hunter wished he was better at dealing with emotional situations.  He wished he had something brilliant and profound to say.  He wished he could understand what was going on and magically fix it.  But he couldn’t. 
    So he did the only thing he could think to do.
    “Come here,” Hunter said, vaguely aware that embracing Callie could potentially earn him another kick.  Even though the pain in his thigh still hadn’t faded, it was nonetheless a risk that he was willing to take.
    Callie didn’t fight him.  When he opened his arms, she fell into him as though she had been waiting to be held her entire life.  She clung to him, her hands clutching desperately at his shirt.  She was like a little ragdoll, sweet and vulnerable and made to be held.
    So he held her.
    He pulled her close and he held her and it felt right.  Some small part of him couldn’t help but think that he never wanted to let her go.  He just wanted to keep her there in that spot forever, right where he could protect her and keep her safe from the world. 
    But mostly Hunter was just scared.  He didn’t know how to deal with a crying woman, and Callie wasn’t merely crying.  Just as he’d feared, she was now openly sobbing.  She had fallen to pieces right there in his arms and he had no idea how to put her back together again.
    Thankfully, he didn’t have to figure it out. 
    After a while, Callie’s heartwrenching cries died down.  She slumped against him as though she was exhausted from the effort of melting down, so he held her up.  Her head was buried against his chest, so he stroked her hair and hoped it might offer a little comfort.
    Several minutes passed.  Then Callie cautiously pulled back, disentangling herself from his arms.
    “Are you okay?” Hunter asked, unsure of what else he could or should say in that moment.
    “Yeah,” she replied sheepishly, her voice nasally from all the tears.  “I probably look awful.”
    “You don’t.” 
    “I really am sorry for kicking you,” Callie told him regretfully, staring