But now she was just an annoyance. She made him want Meg touching him, not this woman. He bit back a growl. Fuck, no. This can’t be happening. Littlefoot can’t be right.
She smiled at him as she swirled the ice cubes around in the amber liquid. “You’re Caleb Hallow.”
He forced a grin on his face. “I am. Who might you be?”
“I’m Sunny. And I’ve been looking all over for you. You’re a brave boy for being here.”
“I am? Why’s that?”
“Austin wants to tear you apart. But he and the guys are out of town. A couple of the other boys are fighting someplace. So I’m all yours.”
Caleb cringed as she left a butterfly kiss on his chin. He pulled away from her. “You are, huh?”
He didn’t miss her pout at his withdrawal. “Yes, I am. I want to know what you can do that caused Meg Riley to give up all this.” She motioned to the chaos going on around them. “This is the longest our Meggy had been away. You must be one hell of a stud to fuck the desire to party out of her.”
Caleb frowned. “So Meg hasn’t been here.”
“Not since she left with you that night of the face-off.” Sunny wrapped her arms around his and hugged it against her breasts. “So how about it? Let’s go back to my place. We can open a bottle of wine. I can rub those muscles of yours. And then you can rub me.”
He smirked at her as he pulled his arm free. “Thanks for the offer. I’m not interested. I need to find someone.”
He walked away from her and his drink into the crowd. He stopped when Sunny grabbed ahold of him. “Who could treat you better than me?”
“I’m looking for my brother. So let me go.” He freed himself and continued into the mob. Women clawed at him, touched him, and tried to halt him from his mission to find Josh. Before this night, it would have left him in a state of euphoria. So many options…he wouldn’t be lonely until the sun was up the next day.
Now all he wanted was to get Josh and get the hell out of there. He searched the entire club, finally finding Josh and the redhead wrapped tight around each other. If they hadn’t been dressed, they’d be having sex right there on the dance floor.
Caleb tapped Josh on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”
The redhead glared at Caleb indignantly. Josh didn’t look much happier. “Where? Home?”
“Yep.”
“Hell, no. I’m not going anywhere.”
Caleb sighed as he shut his eyes. That all-too-familiar force was yanking at him. There was no use fighting it. He opened his eyes, shook his head, and huffed another breath. “Fine. If you need me, call.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m throwing in the towel.” Caleb spun on his toe and shoved his way through the club until he was outside on the street.
He took a deep breath and focused on the pull inside him. He didn’t exactly remember where Meg lived. “If this power wants us to be together, it can show me how to get there,” he muttered to himself.
He walked alone down the sidewalk with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. His mind filled with images of his mate. He grew instantly hard. He picked up his pace as the pull became overwhelming. He struggled to take a deep breath.
Suddenly he stopped. He looked up to find himself in front of Meg’s apartment building. Without a word, he opened the door and slipped inside.
Chapter Five
Meg stared at the television as she sat cross-legged on the couch. She shoved another spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in her mouth and then jammed the spoon into the quart container. She wasn’t one for sappy, romantic movies, but she’d watched one after the other ever since she woke up with a hangover that morning. Movies led to her favorite flannel pajamas, then to her thick-rimmed glasses instead of her contact lenses, and finally to eating ice cream out of the carton. She didn’t bother to call in sick. She quit her job over the phone instead. She didn’t know why. That crazy pull that made her want to fuck Caleb twenty-four seven suddenly took control of her mouth before her brain could interfere.
She stopped trying to process what Caleb had said about him being a werewolf. It no longer mattered to her what he was. She missed him so much it hurt. She scooped another bite of ice cream onto the spoon and popped it in her mouth. Her friends were out partying tonight. They had partied the night before. Both nights they left a dozen messages begging her to come out to play. She couldn’t find the drive to go. All I want is Caleb. And it sucks.
To add insult to injury, the force that drew her to Caleb never left. And as the day went on, it got stronger. If she looked remotely decent enough to leave her apartment, she’d jump in her car and drive back to him. Then I’d jump him.
She started at a knock on her apartment door. She slowly rose and crossed the living room. Balancing the carton of ice cream in one hand, she yanked open the door with her other. The first thing she saw was the warm brown eyes of her mate. She looked next at his devilish, amused grin. Meg scrambled to sweep her unkempt hair into some order. She knew she failed miserably.
“Bad time?” Caleb asked as he leaned against the doorframe with his strong arms crossed over his chest.
“What are you doing here?” Meg countered.
“I thought I’d give your strategy a try.”
“And what was that?”
“Well, you went looking for Graves to fuck him and break this whole mating thing. I thought I’d find a girl and give it a shot.”
“Oh.” Meg’s heart fell. She knew it shouldn’t have. He was a narcissistic pig. But the thought of him with someone else tore her apart. “Did it work?”
Caleb unwound his hand and caressed her face. He parted her lips with his, his tongue tangling with hers. As they broke apart, he spoke. “I’m here and not at the club. What does that tell you?”
Meg felt her cheeks heat up. “It tells me I should have showered and brushed my teeth.”
“You need to brush your teeth before your shower.”
Meg’s eyes widened in alarm. “Is my breath that bad?”
He laughed. “No. But when I climb into that shower with you and lather you up, you won’t want to brush them afterward. I don’t want to fuck up your hygiene. But I do want to fu…” His words trailed off.
Meg looked at him, concerned. “What? What do you want?”
“You, baby. I want you. I want to be inside you. I want to feel your heart beating against mine. I want you to cry out my name when you come over and over again. I want to…” His words failed again.
She nuzzled her nose against his. “You want to make love to me? Not hard core, meaningless sex.”
She watched his throat as he swallowed hard. “Yes. No. I don’t want to love you. It’s better for you if I don’t. I am a bad, bad man with blood on my hands. Shit, Meg. I can’t. I can’t let anything happen to you. It would kill me if anything happened to you.”
“Caleb, I’m a big girl. Stop worrying about me.”
“I didn’t say I’m worried about you.”
“What do you call it?”
“Meg, you’re playing with fire. You know what I am. You know what I’m capable of. Can you deal with it?”
She touched his face and then kissed him. “I know what you say you think you are. I can deal with your belief no matter how crazy it is. I’m going to brush my teeth and start my shower. Feel free to join me but don’t be too long. Then after we’ve loved each other to the point of exhaustion, we can talk about how we honestly feel about each other. None of this bravado shit. And no more of this ridiculous talk about you being a werewolf. Got it?”
She pulled away from him and sashayed to the bathroom, shedding her pajamas with each step. Her heart pounded in her chest. She used the “L” word with Caleb. She wasn’t sure he was capable of loving anyone but himself. She smiled when she heard the door shut and lock. She glanced at the mirror she’d hung in her living room. He was stripping off his T-shirt and pulling off his boots. Her belly erupted in butterflies,
setting off a fire in her core.
She hurried into the bathroom to smear toothpaste on her toothbrush. She scrubbed viciously at her teeth. The faster she got them clean, the better. She sucked in her breath and nearly choked on a speck of inhaled paste when Caleb wrapped his hands on her bare hips and dragged her against him. He was naked, and by the ridge nestled against her ass, he was extremely hard. She coughed violently.
“Are you all right?” His voice was muffled by his kisses on her neck.
“Just choked a bit.” She rinsed the brush and then offered it to him. “Need to brush?”
“Use your toothbrush? What am I? An animal?”
She cocked a grin at him. “That’s what you’ve been telling me.”
“I’m good. Thanks.” He took the brush from her and dropped it in the holder. His hands roamed over her flesh, teasing the areas that were most sensitive. She moaned in response.
He nipped at her earlobe. “There’s a lot of hot water going to waste.”
“And you’ve been a dirty boy?”
His sinful smile answered her question. She pulled free of his embrace and stepped in the shower. Then she reached her hand to him. He wrapped his around hers. The space between them was swallowed up as he pinned her to the cold tile wall with his body.
Meg had never had sex in the shower before. Not that guys didn’t try, but it turned out to be a disaster. But like everything in the sex department, Caleb was an expert. He started exactly how he said he would. He first squirted a glob of shampoo into his hand and massaged it into her tresses. Hair stylists had nothing on him. The experience was heavenly, sensual. He then filled his palm with body soap. Once he worked up a lather, he washed her. His rough, powerful hands on her skin set off a firestorm of desire inside her. He pinched her nipples as he soaped her breasts. He caressed her ass. He slipped a couple of fingers inside her and pumped a few times before he continued bathing her, leaving her empty.
He gripped her thighs and lifted her in one fluid motion. She held him tight as he pressed her against the shower wall. She had no idea how he kept his balance, holding her under the streaming water. All thoughts fled her mind as he impaled her and started thrusting. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay her forehead against his. She had no choice but to stare into his eyes. Their panting blended with the sound of the water drops.
She couldn’t move against him. She could only cling to him as he took control. She still orgasmed over and over. She still cried out his name with each breath. She was still a quivering mess when he finally came deep inside her.
Her legs were jelly when he pulled away and set her on her feet. He chuckled as she held tight to him. “That good for you?”
She straightened herself the best she could. “I’m still standing.”
Caleb nipped at her earlobe. “Then let’s crawl into bed and I’ll finish the job.”
She whimpered at the thought. She wasn’t sure who led who to the bed, but they tumbled there together. The sheets stuck to their damp bodies as they wound around each other, kissing, touching, and caressing each other. He was hell-bent on making good on his promise. She ached from him being in her, driving her to an ecstasy she never knew possible. She ached from the void he left when he wasn’t inside her. She hated being dependent on anyone, but she couldn’t imagine being without him.
Caleb seemed confused when a heavy bass gangsta rap song filled the small bedroom. Meg groaned as she pinned his arms against her and arched her head back into his kisses. “Let it go,” she murmured.
His mouth traced paths on the curve of her neck as the song disappeared. One arm tightened around her rib cage as he wrapped his hand around her breast. He pressed his hips against her ass, his cock nestling perfectly between her cheeks.
“How can you be hard again?” she murmured. “It’s not possible.”
“You forget, Meg. I’m not human. Even though this is a new one on me. It must have something to do with the mating.”
“So mating means endless, insanely great sex?”
He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head back to look in her eyes. “You tell me.”
He let go of her waist and wrapped his arm around her leg. He lifted it up enough to nudge the tip against her folds.
The rap song blared again. Caleb cursed against Meg’s shoulder. “Shit.”
“What is that?” Meg questioned.
“Josh. I told him to call if he needed me.” He let her go and carefully rose from the bed. He used the music to find the jeans he’d discarded earlier. Pulling out his cell, he answered it as he strode naked to the living room.
Meg scooted off the bed. She pulled her bathrobe on and followed him to find him ending the call.
Caleb sighed as he searched for his briefs. He avoided Meg’s gaze the whole time. “I’ve got to go. Josh got lucky, but the girl kicked him out. And he vetoed sleeping in the truck.”
“He could just sleep on my futon,” Meg offered.
His head snapped up and his eyes met hers. “We probably will have to stop, you know, mating. It’ll make him uncomfortable. We get loud.”
“Is it totally implausible that we just hold each other as we sleep? Or do we have to fuck like bunnies every time we touch?” She cocked her head at him. “Or are you the one uncomfortable with the idea of having a truly intimate moment with me that doesn’t include sex?”
His eyes narrowed. “Nothing about you scares me, little girl.”
“Except being in love with me.”
Caleb growled in response. Meg continued. “If you’re not scared, call your brother and tell him to stay here.”
He didn’t answer her. He tapped on the screen of his phone and held it up to his ear. “Yeah, Josh. Change of plans. We’re bunking with Meg tonight… No, I don’t know her address. I’ll text it to you… See you in a few.” He hung up the call and handed her the phone. “Text him your address. Then go put some pajamas on.”
“Yes, your royal highness. Shit, you’re full of yourself.” She took the phone from him to find the text chat screen for Josh open. She quickly tapped her information and hit send. She shot a glare at Caleb just before she stormed to her bedroom and slammed her door.
She pulled a clean pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt out of her dresser and tugged them on. Then she wandered into the bathroom to brush her knotted hair. She took her time. It gave her an opportunity to cool down. She glanced at the puddles on the floor from their escapade in the shower. Once her hair was smooth, she kneeled down and used her bath towel to clean the mess up.
Meg made her way to her living room to find the Hallow brothers muttering to each other. Josh’s hard, angled face blushed red when he saw her. He jammed his hands in his jeans just like she had seen Caleb do. Must be a family trait.
“Thanks for letting me crash here, Meg,” he said.
She smiled at him. “You’re more than welcome. Let me get the futon ready for you.”
She hurried to her room to get a clean bed sheet, pillow, and a blanket. She laid out the frame and mattress into a bed and tucked the sheet around the cushions. She set the pillow at the end and then laid the blanket across it. “There you go.”
Josh dropped onto it and pulled off his boots. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If you don’t mind I’m going to head to bed.” She looked at Caleb. “It’s big enough for both of you if that makes you more comfortable. Good night.”
She left the two men in the living room and went back to her bedroom. Flipping off the light, she crawled into the rumpled sheets. Before she drifted off to sleep, she felt the bed shift. A strong pair of arms wrapped around her tightly.
“You aren’t getting rid of me that easy,” Caleb rumbled in her ear.
She snuggled tight against him. She was still smiling when she fell asleep.
»»•««
It was a useful skill Caleb developed after years of practice. He stared down at Meg, still sound asleep. Her golden tresses were scattered
all over the pillow. Her lips were red and swollen from their kissing. She was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
It didn’t stop him from sneaking off before she woke up, just like all those times before. At least he stayed until morning. Truthfully, he didn’t want to get out of bed. Holding her all night was incredible, despite the fact she had to goad him into it.
But he couldn’t stay. It was best for everyone if he left. He took one last look and then strode into the living room where Joshua was waiting. Silently the two men snuck from the apartment. Not a word was said until they were outside.
“You didn’t say goodbye,” Josh simply stated.
“Nope,” Caleb answered as he dug the keys from his pocket.
“She’s your mate. Why are you leaving?”
“I can’t get tied up with her. I’m better alone. This way she won’t get hurt.”
Josh paused before he spoke. “Did you kill that girl, Caleb?”
Caleb glared at him. “What the fuck?”
“Her body was mangled.”
“She fell two hundred feet off a cliff onto sharp rocks. How did you expect her body to look?”
“There were only her footprints and an animal’s. They were too big to be a wolf’s.”
Caleb stopped dead in his tracks and faced his younger brother. Like lightning, he wrapped his powerful fingers around Josh’s throat. “Just fucking drop it. The Army was satisfied enough to drop it. You should too.”
“Fine, bro.” Josh raised his hands in surrender. “It’s all good.”
Caleb let go with a snarl. Josh didn’t know what he was talking about. None of them did. He finally got sick and tired of trying to explain himself. They made themselves judge and jury. That’s fine. Fuck them. I know the truth.
The two men stalked the final four blocks to the truck silently. Caleb unlocked his door and hopped in. He eyed the lock on the passenger side for several long moments.
“Come on, Caleb. Unlock it,” Josh whined.
“Little bitch,” Caleb muttered as he reached over and popped it. Josh opened the door and crawled in with a scowl. Caleb slipped a key in the ignition and fired it on.
Welterweight (Hallow Brothers Book 1) Page 6
