by Amanda Perry
“I need to check on Rose,” I mumble as we come up to my room. Caleb doesn’t look pleased with the detour, but he doesn’t say anything, either.
Rose happily sleeps in the center of my bed, her rhinestone collar sparkling as it catches the light. She basically decided my room was now hers, and she loves the shiny, over-the-top things Caleb picked out for her. He was hoping it would be a joke, but the brightness and glitter of her dishes, collar, and cat bed catch her attention and amuse her.
Satisfied Rose doesn’t need me, we silently make our way to Caleb’s room. He closes the door and drops onto the bed, gesturing for me to sit beside him. He puts an arm around me and pulls me into his side, kissing the top of my head. I melt into him, savoring the feel of his arm around my body and his lips on me. He hasn’t been as affectionate lately and I miss it.
He doesn’t waste time dancing around the subject, though. “Why are you so worried about meeting my parents?”
“What if they hate me?” I rest my cheek on his shoulder. “Or what if they’re mean? I don’t like to be around new people, and new people despise me. I’m scared they’ll hate me, then you’ll decide to hate me also and want to leave me.”
Caleb grunts, obviously not happy with my worries. “Baby, they won’t hate you. You’re very hard not to like, and the idiots from your past who didn’t like you weren’t worth your time.” He rubs my back in comforting circles. “My mom and dad know all about you, and they’re excited to meet you tomorrow. Also, I could never and would never even think of hating you, so just get that thought out of your head right now, okay?”
“How do they know about me?” I raise my head to look up at him. It isn’t lost on me he said he could never hate me, but he didn’t say he would never leave me, either.
“Cassie and I never shut up about you when we have our weekly video chats with them.” Caleb shrugs. “She’s always talking about how cool it is that my soul mate is her best friend.”
“I’m Cassie’s best friend?” I ask, stunned Cassie would give me such a title. Then something else he said piques my curiosity. “What do you tell them?”
“Erm…” He coughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just the usual stuff, I guess.”
He keeps his answer vague, and the way his cheeks turn pink proves he doesn’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to push him, especially if usual stuff means complaints and wishes for someone different.
“I’m not sure I can do this.” I put my face in my hands.
“You can,” Caleb promises. “You’ll do great, and I’ll be there the whole time. I promise it’ll be fine.”
I huff and flop back on the bed. “I hope you’re right. I’ll try not to hide in the closet or something but only because I love you.”
Caleb leans down and lightly presses his lips to mine in response. He doesn’t say he loves me back, but I try not to think much about it. Instead, we both get ready for bed and call it a night early. While drifting off to sleep, I can’t help but worry about meeting Caleb’s parents tomorrow and my growing anxieties over his feelings toward me. He’s slowly pulling away, and I don’t understand why.
My nightmares prevent me from sleeping well through the night. The same dream plays on a repetitive loop. I meet Caleb’s parents, and they immediately hate me. They tell Caleb he can do better, and they’ll never accept me into their family. They morph into my mother and Samael, then throw me out of the house. All the while, Caleb, Cassie, and everyone else sides with them and shun me.
When the clock next to the bed reads seven in the morning, I give up on sleep and roll over to find Caleb fast asleep. Since sharing a bed with him, he’s always been the one to wake first, so it surprises me to find him sleeping.
The advantage to waking before him is being able to ogle him without the worry of getting caught. Only a sheet covers him from the hips down. He doesn’t wear a shirt to bed, so I take the opportunity to watch his smooth, defined chest rise and fall with steady breaths. One of his arms rests above his head and the other across his stomach. The definition in his arms matches the perfection of the rest of him. My fingers itch to run through his dark, bed-mussed hair, but I don’t want to wake him.
Caleb shifts slightly, though his bright blue eyes remain closed. The sheet falls lower on his hips to show the band of his black boxers, and for some reason, my heart rate quickens at the sight. It feels like I’m doing something wrong by gawking at him, but I can’t help myself. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I find myself reaching a hand out to rest softly on his chest. He doesn’t move or react in any way, which spurs me on to feed my curiosity. I run my hand lightly down to his stomach to feel how smooth and hard he is all over. My eyes dart to his face repeatedly, ensuring he doesn’t wake to find me exploring his body.
My hand on his abdomen doesn’t appear to bother him, and I grow a bit braver. I use my fingertips to lightly draw lazy circles around on his chest and stomach. He sighs contentedly in his sleep and turns his head to the other side. As my invisible trail of circular patterns moves lower, the blanket twitches just below his hips. I pull my hand away and freeze, worried I’ve gone too far. Thankfully, his eyes remain closed, and after a few long seconds of his steady, even breathing, I slowly put my hand back down on his lower stomach and continue drawing patterns on his skin again. The blanket twitches again, and I quickly peek up at Caleb to check if he’s still asleep. He doesn’t move, so I carefully and slowly lift the blanket to discover for myself what my touch does.
I let out a gasp of shock, and my eyes widen when I find a part of him I’ve never seen peeking through the top of his boxers. My cheeks burn, and I squirm when my lower belly tightens. I’m not sure what the sensation means, but I don’t want it to stop. My entire body warms, and I find myself unable to turn away from something I know I shouldn’t be looking at.
“You know.” Caleb’s husky voice breaks my awestruck state. “I could get used to waking up like this, baby.”
I drop the covers like they’re on fire and try to scramble away. His arm wraps around my waist and stops me from slinking off to die of embarrassment. I peek up into his sleepy eyes and find an easy grin on his face. My cheeks catch fire, but it soon fades to a different kind of heat. The tightness in my body returns with a vengeance when his sleepy eyes darken.
He nods at my hand, suspended in the air above his stomach. “Go ahead and explore all you want. I was just enjoying the show.”
My mouth opens to say something, but all that comes out is a very unflattering squeak. I have no idea how or what to explore. Part of me would like to know more of him and his body, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable enough to scrutinize him while he watches. I’m curious, just not ready to take that step yet.
Caleb’s light chuckle cuts off my thoughts. “You’re so fucking adorable when you’re flustered.” He leans up and kisses me.
What I assume will be a quick good morning kiss soon turns into something much different. Caleb drops light kisses down the side of my face until he reaches my mouth. He pecks my lips softly. When I hesitate to respond, he nips at my bottom lip, demanding entrance, and I happily grant it to him. I allow him to take over the kiss. I’m too consumed by the warm sensation growing stronger in my body to think straight. I know what it means, but I don’t know how to ask him what to do about it.
Rather than try to hide my body’s reaction, I give in to my instincts and lightly drag my nails down Caleb’s bare chest. He gasps in surprise, then lets out a low, sexy growl as he flips me to lie underneath him. He kisses the corner of my mouth, down my neck, and finally reaches my collarbone, where he nips and nibbles at my sensitive skin. His mouth on me and his weight pressing me into the bed turns the warmth in my body into a full inferno.
I tangle my hands in his hair and pull him closer, urging him to keep going. When he nips lightly at the spot between my shoulder and collarbone, a jolt goes through me, and my back arches off the bed. I can’t help the loud moan that comes out when he d
oes it again on the other side.
“Please, baby,” Caleb begs between kisses. “Skip shopping and stay in bed with me all day. We can spend the day exploring each other all over.”
The mention of shopping reminds me I need to find an outfit for when I meet Caleb’s parents tonight. If that isn’t a metaphorical bucket of ice water, I don’t know what is.
I jolt upright, practically pushing Caleb off the bed. “Your parents!”
Caleb reaches for me, trying to pull me back to him. “They won’t be here until tonight. We have plenty of time.”
Jumping up and avoiding Caleb’s grabby hands, I run to the closet and grab the first thing I touch—a pair of blue jeans and a purple cotton sweater. At some point over the last few weeks, several of my outfits have ended up in Caleb’s closet. “I have to go, I have to get the perfect outfit for meeting them. I hope Cassie is ready.”
“Baby, no!” Caleb whines. “Come back.”
I hurry to the bathroom and quickly go through my morning routine. Caleb grumbles and whines the whole time about coming back to bed. The excuse of needing to find an outfit is true, but it also helps me pull myself together. I got carried away with Caleb, and I need to sort through my feelings about it. Just last night, I was concerned he felt stuck with me, yet I can’t keep my mind or hands off him. I don’t want to push myself on him and drive him away from me. Then again, he could be growing tired of waiting to take our physical relationship to the next level, and he’s trying to be nice by telling me he’ll wait.
“I can’t believe Leanne is making me do all that work today. Following you two was Jaxon’s idea.” Caleb’s change of subject brings me back to the present. He quickly gave up on trying to get me back in bed.
“It’ll probably go by fast for you. I want to be perfect for your parents tonight, or I’d stay and help,” I tell him while tying my hair up.
“I’ll survive.” Caleb shrugs and drops back onto the bed.
I hate the idea of being away from Caleb, but he appears to be okay being without me. My concerns over his growing disinterest become stronger. Something isn’t right with him. I know it in my heart.
“Will you check on Rose for me today?” I force a smile before hurrying out of the room.
“Not the demon cat!” he yells as I rush down the stairs.
Chapter 19
After Cassie and I scarf down a quick breakfast, Cassie makes sure the guys are hard at work under Leanne’s watchful eye before we hurry out the door. For once, it’s me rushing Cassie and not the other way around. We listen to music the whole way to the mall, and Cassie sings as loud as her voice will allow. Cassie’s so carefree and happy all the time, which always makes it interesting when we hang out. It makes me somewhat forget about the bad stuff and focus on the good. Even if my lingering doubts about Caleb never fully leave my mind.
“What do you think about parking in the back?” Cassie asks as we pull into the mall.
I shrug to show my indifference. “Why?” I don’t mind walking, but I’m curious about her choice.
Cassie slides her mischievous gaze to me and continues to drive toward the back of the mall. “Because, knowing our boys, they’ll try to slip away and find us. If we park back there, they won’t be able to see the car as easily, and they might think we just left or went to a different mall.”
I giggle. “You’re terrible.”
“But you love me,” she retorts.
The parking lot toward the back of the mall is mostly abandoned so there will be plenty of spots for us to pick from. Cassie chooses a spot behind a tree, giving us a bit more coverage in case the guys drive around searching for us.
We spend hours going from one store to the next, and I worry my feet may fall off by the day’s end. The first hour is spent loaded down with bag after bag of Cassie’s finds, showing her true shopaholic tendencies. After dragging the first haul of Cassie’s bags to the car, we head back in. I tried to find a decent outfit while Cassie did her shopping, but nothing was perfect enough.
Toward the middle of the day, we find ourselves in one of the larger clothing stores. Cassie loads her arms down with dresses for me to try on while I pick my way through the racks, finding nothing.
A shiver races up my spine, the sensation of being watched hitting me hard. I drop what I’m doing and spin in a full circle, expecting to catch Samael close by.
“Cassie?” I tap her shoulder to gain her attention.
She pauses her shuffle through the rack in front of her and turns around. “What’s up?”
“I feel like we’re being watched,” I whisper as my eyes scan the store.
Cassie perks up and searches around with me. We take several moments to inspect everything around us. “I don’t see anyone strange, Ri.”
“It’s probably my imagination.” It’s a toss-up whether I’m trying to convince her or myself.
I try to ignore the bad feeling in my gut and focus on the task at hand. No one stands out to me and makes my danger, bad guy radar light up. Cassie didn’t find anyone suspicious, either. I chalk it up to my anxiety over being around crowds and do my best to push it from my mind. Still, the feeling lingers in the back of my mind.
Cassie doesn’t dwell on my worries. She throws me into a dressing room with a large pile of dresses and other outfits she found. None work for dinner tonight, though.
“What about the blue one? I love that blue one.” Cassie points to the sparkly blue dress.
“I can’t look trashy when I meet your parents, Cassie.” I frown. “That one is backless. They’ll think I’m trying to show off my body or something.”
I want to convince them I’m perfect and worthy of their son’s love and their daughter’s friendship. If they believe I’m worth it, maybe Caleb will, too.
“You’re worse than me, right now,” Cassie chides playfully. We exit the millionth store empty-handed. “That was the last store, Ri. You’ve turned down everything you’ve tried on. We’re kind of out of options unless you want any of the rejected ones.”
“Let’s just head home.” I sigh heavily, glancing around at the dwindling crowd. “I’ll just wear that purple dress you put in my closet a few weeks ago. Nothing we find will be good enough anyway.”
“You do realize my parents won’t give a crap what you’re wearing, right?” Cassie hooks her arm with mine. “You’ll wow them, and they’ll fall in love with you. They’re not as scary as you think they are.”
I don’t respond, sure she’s wrong but unwilling to call her on it. Glancing at the time, I realize it’s already close to five, and we’re supposed to meet everyone at the restaurant for dinner in a few hours. Normally, it would take me half an hour to be ready for dinner, but I want to be sure I have time to make myself presentable.
We exit the mall at the back entrance and find Cassie’s car to be the last one left in the back lot. We silently make our way toward her car, Cassie allowing me to sulk and pout about the failed trip.
Halfway to the car, a faint cry for help stops us both. This time I know it isn’t an animal because Cassie stops with me and searches the area.
“Where did that come from?” I squint in the dark of the lot.
We listen quietly until we hear it again, and Cassie turns around, pointing toward the loading docks.
“This way.” Cassie takes the lead, walking a few feet ahead.
I continue to search the area for anyone else who may be able to help this person if we need it—though no one is around. Hopefully, the two of us can handle whatever it is on our own.
I turn back toward Cassie in the same moment someone pops up from behind the loading docks and grabs her arms. She reacts quickly and knees the person in the groin. He drops her and grabs himself, dropping to one knee and sputtering curse words at Cassie.
Cassie doesn’t have a chance to run before another person jumps out from behind the loading docks and hits Cassie in the head hard enough to knock her out. She drops to the ground and doesn’t m
ove. My entire body freezes up and shuts down. I’m too shocked and scared to even breathe. My vision and hearing fade in and out, and my hesitation gives the man who hit Cassie and his accomplice the chance to come after me. I cower in fear, but he doesn’t acknowledge it as he grabs my arms in a vice grip. Ignoring Cassie, he pulls me farther into the shadows, near their hiding place. The chances of breaking free from the man’s grip are slim to none. With the mind-numbing terror coursing through me, I don’t even try. Don’t run, just cower and show fear, and he’ll deal with you then leave you alone. Samael’s face replaces the one of the man who has ahold of me.
He stops suddenly and pushes me into his friend. I stumble to the ground by his feet, but the friend jerks me upright harshly with a fistful of my hair. Over the friend’s shoulder, I watch as the other man’s face returns to his own, and he spins on his heel, his focus on Cassie.
Reality catches up with me as Cassie’s safety is threatened. I can handle whatever they want with me, but I won’t let them hurt Cassie. She’s my best friend, and I will never forgive myself if she’s injured worse because I’m too scared to do anything.
“Leave her alone!” I scream, causing him to stop his advance on Cassie.
He spins around and shoots me an evil glare, then turns to his partner. “Shut her up, Adam! These bitches need to pay for making us look like idiots yesterday.”
His words turn a light on in my mind. These are the two creeps who tried to talk to us at lunch yesterday. They must have seen us around the mall today and followed us out. I idly wonder if they’re the reason I felt like we were being watched today.
My sudden realization of who these people are distracts me until something hard connects with my cheek and knocks me backward.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” the man holding me with one hand, Adam, growls. He lifts his fist, ready to strike again if I don’t listen.
Cassie starts to stir as his friend turns back to her.
