Zara holds Aurora as Ava starts to slice up the cake. They fall into light conversation, but all I can think about is the fact that Caleb is probably only a few rooms away. I’m weak for him, but at least I’m not in denial about it.
“Can I use your bathroom?” I interrupt their conversation.
“Of course. Just down the hall.” Zara points.
I slip away as they continue talking amongst themselves. I glance over my shoulder as I enter the hall, but neither of them pay attention to me.
Without hesitation I follow my senses, wherever Caleb’s scent is the strongest. I’ve already trespassed in his bedroom, and he did not seem to like that. But this is different; I’ve learnt to knock first.
When I settle outside what I believe to be his office, I suck in a breath and raise my knuckles to the wooden door.
“Come in.” His voice is deep and demanding.
It makes me shudder because he’s definitely in focus mode.
I hesitate before pressing my palm to the handle and pushing it open. My eyes flick over Caleb as he sits behind his desk wearing a dark grey quarter-zip jumper, his biceps protruding out of the fabric.
My mouth pops open at the sight of him, and I have to check if I’m drooling.
He blinks at me in surprise, unsure if I’m real or not. “Evan?”
“Hi.” I clear my throat. “I came over with Ava.”
Caleb stands from his seat and loops around his desk before heading straight towards me. I gulp. Did I push some boundaries? Maybe I shouldn’t have shown up unannounced. I’m wasting his time.
“Sorry,” I exhale. “I shouldn’t be here. This was a mistake.”
Before I can turn around to leave, he reaches for my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. My chest heaves with uncertainty.
“It’s never a mistake to see you, pups,” he says slowly, his finger running along the inside of my wrist tenderly.
I shiver at the contact and how intimate it feels, despite what we did through our mindlink a few days ago. I try to push that to the back of my mind because it’s something incredibly out of character for me to do, but at the same time, I felt so unleashed.
“I don’t want to disrupt you,” I murmur.
His lips twitch into a smile. “You’ve already done that.”
My face flushes with heat. “Sorry.”
“I could do with a break,” he says with honest eyes. “I’ve been working since five this morning.”
I frown. “Five?”
“Up since four.”
“Why?”
He shrugs as if it’s nothing out of the ordinary. “Sleeping can be dangerous for me.”
“How?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Tell me.”
Caleb’s green eyes flick between mine slowly. “Come with me.”
He slips his hand into mine and gives it a squeeze before leaving his office and heading upstairs. We enter his bedroom a few moments later, and I’m covered in goosebumps at his scent that hits me.
