Chapter 8.

Brandon grabbed the phone from Callie, and read over the text through bleary eyes. It was from Liam. "I watched you and your foster brother playing house in the living room last night. Pretty hot..." Brandon was still groggy, not yet completely awake, but when his mind processed the message, he was disgusted. Liam had been looking at them through the window. He glanced up at Callie, who was still crying, and put his hand on her back, rubbing small circles, trying to sooth her. "Cal?" He asked quietly. "Honey?" She looked up at him through her tears, and he reached out for her, letting her crawl into his arms. He held her tight, rocking her.

Callie immediately felt a little better, or at least comforted, when she felt Brandon's arms around her. She hugged him around the waist, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt sick and violated. Liam had spied on a personal moment between them. Something no one was meant to see, but especially not him. He'd seen her half naked, and she was humiliated. But she was thankful that Brandon took her upstairs before they actually made love. That was still private, at least. She didn't think she could handle it if that experience was tainted by Liam. She wouldn't let him take it away from her. She looked down at Brandon's hands. He was texting furiously. "What are you doing?" She whispered through a strained voice.

"I'm telling him to stay the hell off this property and leave you alone." Brandon had never been so angry in his life. He was fiercely protective of Callie. She was beyond precious to him, and he couldn't stand to see her scared and hurt.

Callie tried to swipe her phone from his hand, momentarily panicked. "I don't know, Brandon. It might... it might just make things worse."

He looked into her troubled eyes, and sighed. "I'm not letting him get away with this, Cal. He's gone too far." He sent the message, then put the phone aside.

"I wish you didn't do that," she said, worried. Behind Liam's empty threats and tough talk, he was big and very strong. Much bigger than either of them.

"Everything will be okay, Sweetheart," Brandon promised, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Don't worry." He kissed her damp cheek, not knowing what else to say. Eventually, after all her tears were shed, she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

Hours later, after restless sleep, Callie woke up feeling a mix of emotions. She was angry and sad about what Liam did, relieved that the house would soon be full of life again, and disappointed that the weekend was coming to an end. She and Brandon had reached a whole new level in their relationship, and she wished they had unlimited time to explore it, but privacy was limited in the Foster household. She loved him so much. The more she thought about the night before, the lighter she felt. In broad daylight, it was hard to be scared. When Brandon woke up, they silently stared at each other for a few moments, neither saying a word, then he spoke. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"A little better," Callie admitted.

"That's good," Brandon replied. "What are you thinking about?"

"Last night," she answered, her eyes shining. "Us, together. It was amazing."

Brandon reached out and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry that bastard ruined it for you, Sweets." He leaned in to kiss her neck. "I hope you'll still want to be with me, after what happened. Because making love to you was... Cal, I've never felt anything like it."

Callie smiled at him, gazing into his eyes. "He didn't ruin it. No one can ruin it. You made me feel things I've never felt before, Brandon." She hugged herself, covering her bare chest. "It was so good to be loved." She pressed her lips against his, and she felt tears sting her eyes. "Make me feel that way again."

Brandon embraced her, burying his nose in her messy hair. "Are you sure you're up to it?" It always amazed him how resilient Callie was. Maybe part of it was denial, but she always managed to carry on, despite all the horrible things she'd been through.

She nodded. "Yes. I need this. Liam... he wants me to live in fear. And if I do, then he's just getting what he wants. I don't want to waste our last day alone on him." She could worry tomorrow. Her troubles would still be there.

Brandon's heart filled with admiration for her, and he grew determined to make up for the unspeakably cruel thing Liam had done to her. If the only thing that would heal her was love, he'd give her all the love he had to give. "We can do whatever you want today, Cal." An idea played on his mind as he held her. He let his thoughts wander to Friday morning, and the fantasies he'd entertained as he sat at his keyboard. "Do you want to take a shower?"

Callie felt her face flush with heat. "As in together?" The idea excited her, even after their troubling night. When she was with Brandon, the world around them didn't matter.

"Exactly," he replied, smiling. "Come on." He helped her up, and tossed her a bathrobe. Before they left the room, he tucked a few condoms into the pocket of his own robe.

To Be Continued