I rush to open it, and I’m speechless at what I scan on the pages. Sticky notes, underlining, highlights and writing covers every spicy chapter.
He annotated my book...I peek again, and I’m even more surprised.And he wrote follow-up questions? To what? Ask me?
At my favorite spicy scene, the one where he uses temperature play with hot wax, he underlined it with stars and bright yellow highlighter. Next to it, he wrote, research later.
Holy shit.I shut the book. To have someone drip hot wax on my body while I’m spread out beneath them has been one of my biggest fantasies... and he wants to research it? Why?
My mind races at what this could mean. Is this his way of wanting to try new kinky things with me as a friend with benefits? Or could it be more intimate than that, and he wants to know what I like because...
Does he have feelings for me? The possibility hits me like a two by four.
Before I can ask why she has this—or worse, why he does—she peeks into the hallway, then looks back at me with a smirk. “Speaking of the devil...”
Caleb appears. “Thanks, Taya, I’ve got it from here.”
From behind his back, she wiggles her eyebrows and mutters, “I bet you do.” Then she winks at me and leaves.
Once she’s gone, Caleb approaches. If you’d asked me to bet, I’d have guessed he’d choose the far side of the room to be in the same room with me. But when he approaches, he bypasses Taya’s chair and sits right on the bed with me.
See? He wants to be close to us,my wolf says.
I ignore her. But I don’t have a logical rebuttal.
He sighs. The silence between us is heavy. Add in the tension, and it’s unbearable.Why is he here?
Caleb must feel it, too because he jokes, “If you wanted to skip a day of training, there are other ways to go about it.”
I laugh.
“There’s that smile. How’re you feeling?” He tucks a hair behind my ear, and I still from his touch.
The butterflies in my stomach return.
Be cool, Jay. Be cool.
“I’m food.” My cheeks redden at my jumbled words.
Caleb tilts his head to the side and chuckles. “Did you just say that you’re food?”
I hide my face in my hands, groaning in embarrassment. Caleb continues to pick on me, sending me into a full-blown giggle fit.
“What kind of food? Are you uh . . . Fruit, veggie . . .”
I can’t speak. I’m laughing too hard.
“Maybe I should call the doctor? Make sure they check you for a concussion. Or brain damage. Or a brain, for that matter.”
“Hey!” I push him gently and playfully.
The laughter dies, and he messes with the hospital bracelet on my wrist. “But seriously. Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. The doctors were surprised at how fast I recovered. They said they haven’t seen recovery like this in a lone wolf before so...” I shrug. “I guess I’m lucky.”
At my statement, the lighthearted and playful Caleb disappears, and the serious version of him returns. He angles his body toward the door, posting his arms on either side of him, slouching. He’s so tense his knuckles are white from fisting the edge of bed.
Seeing that he’s uncomfortable, I change the subject. “Taya said you killed them. The ones who did this to me... Why?”
“Why did I kill people who went against my orders?” he asks like it was a stupid question.
