“That's fine by me. I used to sleep on the couch at my old place. Sometimes it's more comfortable than the bed.”
“Yeah … ,” Caleb drew out in agreement—and wasn't at all oblivious over how dense he sounded.
But he had no idea how to stop himself when, with each breath he took, Emily's scent hit him anew. The fragrance was intoxicating, and nearly all he could think about was taking it in like a man coming up for air after a long submersion. Just like with Fiona.
Thankfully, the thought sobered him up quickly, and Caleb realized that if he was going to make it through Emily's stay with any semblance of dignity, he'd have to be distant. Otherwise his instincts would make it even harder to act casually around her.
So he mentioned, “I'm just not much of a host, so if you need anything, feel free to get it. There's some pillows and blankets in the closet by the bathroom, too.”
As if preoccupied, Emily gave a slow nod, downing more of her drink with a vacant stare at the counter. The blank expression made it hard to tell what she was thinking, but she finally replied, “I promise I'll be out of your hair as soon as possible. I know it's weird having a stranger stay with you, but I just need some rest honestly.”
“I don't doubt it, and if you … ,” he trailed, nearly offering her the master bedroom while he slept on the sectional instead. It was comfortable, after all—he'd accidentally nodded off on it too many times to count. But knowing she needed rest, he figured she'd rather sleep in an actual bed.
Yet, at the last second, Caleb thought that might sound too chivalrous, and besides, he definitely didn't need to go to his bedroom later and pick up Emily's scent left and right.
So he amended, “I mean, you might hear a few wolves howling or scratching around outside tonight, but that's just because I leave food out for 'em, so they check the yard from time to time when no one's around.”
Thankfully, it wasn't a lie. There was a pack of six wolves that roamed the hills around Caleb's house and paid frequent visits. He'd even run with them in his canine form on a few occasions.
Emily looked intrigued by this as well, asking, “Really?”
He nodded, and the human suddenly looked around the floor as if trying to locate something specific.
The movement confused him until she asked, “Do you think that's where Nacho came from?”
“Could be,” he confirmed, then drew a blank. “Wait … how did you know I named her Nacho?”
“That's what you called her when you answered the door.”
“Oh, right,” he smirked. “She kept trying to get into my bag.”
“She's a nacho bandit.”
Emily chuckled at her joke, but the laugh wasn't quite as jovial as it probably would've been normally. Instead, it sounded as if she was only looking for a reason to laugh because she needed to, and not because she actually thought her joke was funny.
“You okay?” Caleb asked, ignoring the pesky urge to find a way to make her smile. Damned instincts.
Groaning, she shrugged and gazed down at her lap, blowing a curly tendril of hair out of her face. “I just keep thinking about what happened. Maybe I'm a wimp, but it scared the shit out of me, and I can't stop wondering what would've happened if Joslyn and Conner hadn't come home.”
“You're not a wimp,” Caleb countered reassuringly, “and even if you are, at least you're a fast wimp who got away. I saw the video, and you noped outta there quicker than a cat at a water park.”
Finally, Emily snickered in earnest, and the sound had Caleb grinning. In that moment, he forgot all about worrying over fixating because of his instincts, and focused on how damned good it felt to make her smile when she was so down.
He also took the time to admire her again, recalling his opinion that she was cute when he first saw her in Ashley's new SUV. But now, cute didn't do it justice. Her eyes were a deep shade of sapphire, possessing a sexy upward slant he could stare at for days. Her lips were round, the bottom thicker than the top, with a peach tint he found incredibly alluring.
Aside from that, she was on the petite side, her body lithe with curves he'd love to explore and—goddamn it!
Realizing where his thoughts were going, Caleb took a deep breath—through his mouth—and scrubbed a hand over his face to regain his composure.
The movement must've confused Emily because she asked, “Something wrong?”
“Nah, I just felt like I was gonna sneeze,” he lied, hiding his agitation.
But it was just as he'd feared. The longer he was in her presence, the more interested he became. Aside from wanting to admire her physical appeal, an instinctive urge to get to know her better was kicking in—and that was where Caleb drew the line.
“I'm pretty tired though, and you need rest, so I'm gonna call it a night,” he announced, standing from his seat without a second look at the human.
“Okay,” Emily remarked, and he almost thought she sounded disappointed, which nearly caused him to stop.
But Caleb forced himself toward the stairs, hastily reaching the first step just as she asked his name.
“Yeah?” he answered, steadily keeping his gaze ahead.
“Thank you, and goodnight.”
Finally, he allowed his vision to drift toward the human for long enough to reply, “It's no trouble. Goodnight, Emily.”
Then he quickly moved upstairs.
Shutting the door to his bedroom a minute later, Caleb exhaled a breath with his shoulders slouching. The anxiety of fixating on a human again had redoubled by that point, and he did his best not to dwell on the reasons why. Emily would go back home tomorrow, so he didn't have to worry about her hanging around constantly, and when she was gone, he'd febreeze the place ten times and burn the sheets.
Hell, he could still detect a trace of her scent in his bedroom, and immediately stripped, submerging his clothes in the tub of his private bathroom to get rid of it. Perhaps it seemed obsessive, but the entire while, all he could think about was Fiona's lifeless eyes staring at him accusingly.
And he swore to everything he held sacred it was never going to happen again.
Chapter 5
Emily woke to the sound of distant barking.
Cracking her eyes open, she squinted at the light of day shining in through the windows and rubbed her eyes. Near the front door was a clock possessing numbers large enough to see without squinting, which now read 12:14, meaning she'd finally managed to sleep for more than an hour at a time.
“Twelve o'clock,” she groaned, letting her head hit the pillow, extremely grateful she didn't start work until Monday. Though, after last night's events, she doubted Paula would've held anything against her, and even now, Emily felt like sleeping longer.
Caleb's sectional was extremely comfortable, and the plush blanket she'd found was warm and inviting. But her arm was aching again, making it difficult to get comfortable, and she couldn't stop thinking about the things she needed to do that day.
So she got up, deciding to start it off by taking more of the painkillers Joslyn left for her.
As her feet hit the floor, she realized Nacho was standing at the foot of the spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The puppy was staring up and whimpering as if afraid to climb the steps despite her desire to do just that. But the moment Emily moved, Nacho quickly darted away, taking off into the kitchen to hide.
With no desire to disturb the skittish canine, Emily went to use the bathroom, then returned to the kitchen where she found a box sitting on the counter. A green post-it note was stuck to the top with her name in all capital letters, and the rest was a simple message, albeit with a few misspellings.
I won't be off work til 5. There's cerial and spagetio's in the kitchen if you're hungry. Joslyn brought this box w/more cloths if you need them and said Ashley's cookout is still on.
Caleb
Emily smirked, refraining from passing judgment on his spelling when he had such legible handwriting. Beats my chicken scratch, and what good's a properly s
pelled word if you can't even read it?
Tossing the note aside before grabbing the bottle of painkillers still sitting on the counter, Emily wasn't sure what to make of Caleb Hodgins anyway. Joslyn said her brother-in-law was oblivious when something was on his mind, but last night, it'd seemed like there was more going on than just forgetfulness.
During their short conversation, he'd almost seemed nervous, and acted as if he couldn't get away from her fast enough when he'd gone to bed. Emily had no idea what that was all about, and at the time, she was too tired to care, finishing off her whiskey and retiring without putting anymore thought into his anxious behavior.
But now, she wondered if she'd done something he didn't like, or if he was possibly even shy.
They always said one twin was reserved while the other was more outgoing, right? If so, Conner seemed like the sociable one, so perhaps Caleb was introverted, which was cute considering how attractive he was. Emily always thought guys like him had no trouble socializing—and maybe she was crazy, but she definitely thought Caleb was better looking than his twin.
His hair was cut shorter, but still long enough to tie back, and he had some scruff on his broad jaw that gave him a rugged appeal. But most notably, his copper brown eyes possessed a friendly glint she found extremely appealing.
Still, it didn't really matter. She wasn't staying long, and probably wouldn't see Caleb again before she went home.
Grrr …
The low growl sounded right after Emily downed the painkillers with a bottle of water she'd snagged from the fridge. Narrowing her brows, she glanced right to see that she'd unwittingly blocked Nacho from leaving the kitchen.
Apparently, the canine had deemed the spot between the ice box and the wall as the perfect hiding place, but couldn't escape it with Emily standing so close to the exit.
“Oh, pardon me,” she began, stepping around the counter, and surely enough, the puppy darted out of her niche and took off into the living room to hide under the couch.
Smiling, Emily opened the box, and amongst the random items stored inside were her glasses, which she gratefully put on. Now all I need is for Conner to look at my car, and things will be getting back in shape.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, the front door opened and the mechanic walked inside. In true garage fashion, he was wearing a gray jumpsuit with his name sewn into the left breast, and his careful movements suggested he wanted to keep from waking her if she was still asleep.
Emily also noticed her car keys and phone were clutched in his hand, along with a folded piece of paper. The items made her curious to know if Josh and Daphne had gotten back in touch with him about the break-in.
But before she could get his attention, Nacho happily abandoned her hiding place beneath the couch to trot over with a happy canine smile.
Her acceptance of Conner after all her growling just moments before was baffling. But perhaps she'd mistaken him for Caleb, and was more comfortable with the man who'd rescued her than a stranger staying in his home.
“Hey, Nacho,” Conner greeted, leaning down to lift her up.
“At least she likes you,” Emily remarked while stepping around the bar counter.
Turning at the sound of her voice, Conner grinned, asking Nacho, “You being a picky pup?”
She yelped and wagged her tail.
“And she's so happy about it, too.” Emily chuckled, then put her full attention on Conner. “So what are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you were awake so I could pass on a few messages.”
“Oh yeah? Does Josh and Daphne have news?”
Nodding, Conner motioned for her to sit on the sectional as if there was a lot to say. So Emily followed his direction, adding on the way, “Caleb left a note that said we're still having a cookout, by the way.”
He smirked. “Yeah, they think it'll help take everyone's mind off what happened last night. Speaking of which, how are you?”
Idly rubbing her arm, she admitted, “I'm still aching here, but it's not horrible, and I took some painkillers before you walked in.”
“Good,” he returned, then handed her keys and phone over. “Your car's fine to drive now, by the way. It just needed some transmission fluid, and I changed it at the garage this morning. So it's there if you need to go anywhere.”
Emily smiled, glad to know her transportation was back in order at least, and with Hodgins' Auto Garage being just down the hill and through the trees, she wouldn't have to go far to get it.
But despite the good news, she wasn't oblivious to the grim look in Conner's eyes, and he didn't hesitate to give her the reason for it.
“Anyway, Josh gave me some unpleasant information about the break-in, so you should probably brace yourself.”
“Great,” Emily muttered, taking a deep breath. “Okay, what is it?”
“First of all, Daphne got a clearer picture of the guy in our duplex from your video.” Finally, he unfolded the paper in his hand, offering it to let her examine the picture while explaining, “The guy in that image actually matches the description of a culprit seen in Augusta not long ago. He's tied to a case of murders and missing people the police believe are connected.”
“Oh my god,” Emily drew out, looking the picture over. It was from a point in the video before the man had taken off after her, and she could see what looked like a metal collar around his neck and pads on his shoulders—the rest was too blurry to make out.
“That almost looks like a collar around his neck,” she suggested.
“That's what I said,” Conner agreed, “and it could just be a wild coincidence, but we definitely shouldn't take chances.”
“Agreed,” Emily confirmed, more than just a little concerned now.
If this was all tied together, the man she'd narrowly escaped might've abducted her to do lord only knew what. After returning the picture to Conner, she sat forward with her elbows against her knees to alleviate the discomfort caused by the thought.
Conner looked completely sympathetic, informing her, “I hate that this is happening right after you got here, but for now, Joslyn and I are gonna bunk at my sister's place, and we think it'd be best if you stayed with Caleb while we're there, just to make sure this doesn't happen again. What do you think?”
Emily checked a groan, unsure how well that would work considering Caleb's odd behavior the night before, prompting her to state, “I can handle that as long as Caleb's okay with it. Did you talk to him about it yet?”
“No, not yet. He was out getting everyone lunch when Josh came by to let me know what was going on.”
Hearing this, Emily cringed.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing really, I just think it'd be a good idea to let him know before I decide. Last night, Caleb seemed kind of … I don't know, nervous or something, and I'm not convinced it was just the situation.”
Somehow, his twin seemed intrigued by her description. “What'd he do?”
Emily shrugged. “He just sounded hesitant when we talked, then left like he had a fire under his ass. It kind of gave me the impression he's not comfortable having company.”
“Huh,” Conner drew out considerately, and Emily was extremely curious to see what he'd say.
But sadly, the younger twin only shrugged. “He was quiet this morning, but it might be the situation weighing down on him. Still, I'll talk to him and find out what's up.”
“Maybe I should go with you,” Emily suggested. “I mean, just to see how he reacts to me, because I don't wanna stay here if I'm making him uncomfortable, you know? Besides, I need to get my car anyway.”
Conner seemed to think that was a good idea, placing Nacho on the floor before standing from his seat. “Sure, and Caleb should be back by now. So do you need to change clothes or anything?”
“Yeah, just give me five minutes,” she requested, going to get ready.
On the way, she wondered if Caleb would be agreeable, or if she was just reading too much into things
. His behavior last night was odd enough to make her uncertain, and Emily truly hoped she was wrong, because she had no idea where she'd go if he really didn't want her around.
Chapter 6
“Caleb, you in there?”
Caleb answered his twin's question with a simple, “Yep,” and looked up from his recently opened carton of lo mein as Conner entered the office.
Being on his lunch break made his twin's timing perfect since he was anxious to know if there was any news on last night's B&E. But the moment he opened his mouth to ask, Emily's scent stopped him in his tracks.
Only a second after catching it, the human entered the office behind his brother and shut the door. There was no way to tell why she was present, but Caleb couldn't help noticing that she looked much better after getting some rest. The circles under her eyes were gone, and her golden curls were tied up into a messy bun at her crown with a few loose tendrils framing her face.
But before he could question her presence, Conner looked his twin's meal over and asked, “Chinese? Guess Frank won the coin toss.”
“Yep,” Caleb confirmed, knowing the reason for his brother's disinterest. Neither of them were completely fond of Chinese cuisine, but only because it lacked the amount of meat most lupines preferred in their diets. Should've gotten the sesame chicken.
Yet he didn't dwell on the subject, looking between Conner and Emily while asking, “So, what's up? Any word from Josh yet?”
“Yeah, actually. That's why Emily's here.”
Caleb didn't follow, but gave his brother a chance to explain before asking questions. Still, even as Conner spoke, his focus drifted to Emily, who was staring at a calendar pinned to the wall next to the desk. It was over a year out of date, and wasn't even on the right month, but no one had replaced it because the mechanics enjoyed women in bikinis lounging in suggestive positions. Or I just keep forgetting to change it, whatever.
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