“Yeah. I’ve always liked running there. Peaceful, you know?” He released a humorless laugh, and I didn’t need our connection to know he was thinking the forest was anything but peaceful now. After a second, he made a frustrated sound. “All I remember is waking up next to the park bench. I was flat on my back, and the sky was dark. When I checked my phone, four hours had passed. By the end of the month, I’d put on twenty pounds of muscle. None of my clothes fit. My football coach thought I was juicing.”
My heart squeezed. According to his school records, he’d been a promising athlete. “Do you miss football?”
He shrugged. “I mean, it made things easier at school. With…you know.”
“Being gay.”
“Yeah. Guys didn’t seem to care as long as I caught the ball and blocked when I was supposed to.” He slanted me a look. “Did you play any sports in school?”
I kept my eyes on the road. “Not like you’re used to. Things were a bit less organized. Baseball was popular.”
“You said I’m immortal now.”
“That’s right.” And Caleb wasn’t stupid. I knew what his next question was going to be, so I reached down and flipped on the radio, filling the cabin with soft, meaningless pop music. “You hungry?”
He was quiet for a moment as he clearly debated whether he should push me to disclose my age. Finally, he smiled, catchingmy eye. “I’m twenty-three,” he said, more than a hint of mischief in his voice. “I’m always hungry.”
Fucking brat.He knew what he was doing.
I cleared my throat again. “Ordinarily, I’d insist on eating in, but I know a quiet place where we’ll have some privacy. Are you familiar with Albany?”
“You mean Albany, the hotbed of culture and fine dining?”
I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips. “Okay, smart ass. Maybe I’ll just take you through the McDonald’s drive-thru.”
“And buy me a Happy Meal, Daddy?”
Christ.“You’re doing this on purpose.”
He laughed—a low, rich rumble I immediately needed more of. “Oh, yeah? What, exactly, am I doing?”
“You know I’m older than I look. You’re playing up our age gap and making us both harder than the concrete median I’m trying not to drive into.”
He laughed again, those goddamn freckles scrunching. “You haven’t told me how old you are.” A challenge sparkled in his blue eyes as I merged onto the exit ramp. “But I’m guessing it’s pretty bad since you don’t wanna say.”
I grunted. “We’ll talk about it when I have wine and a basket of bread in front of me.”
Chapter
Ten
JESSE
An hour later, Caleb moaned around a mouthful of steak so rare it was practically mooing. “Oh my god, I’m never eating anything else.”
I chuckled as I tore a piece of bread from the loaf between us. But I kept my eyes on him. It was hard not to when he looked the way he did, his lips glistening with butter and his eyes dancing with the pleasure of a good meal. His thin gray sweater stretched over his broad shoulders, and his blond waves were artfully messy. I wanted to hustle him into the bathroom and mess them up for real. And judging from the ocean of sexual tension flowing between us, he knew it.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said.
“I fucking love it.” He tensed, then shot me an exasperated look. “Sorry, I guess.”
“Yeah, you sound like it.”
His teeth gleamed white as he grinned. “What’s with the no-swearing thing, anyway?”
We sat in a secluded alcove, but I pitched my voice low. “Respect, mostly, but I guess you could call it tradition. Junior wolves don’t use profanity around their elders.” I sighed. “Likea lot of traditions, it’s probably outdated. If you want to swear around me, go ahead.”
He smiled. Then he leaned forward, curiosity brimming in his eyes. “Where are all the others? Do you live in packs or something?”
