“I’m not a coward,” I heard myself saying. “And I’m not some guy’s punching bag. I never will be.”
Caleb’s fingers traced a feather-like path down the sides of my face. “You shouldn’t be.”
His words were spoken quietly, still they held so much power, so much authority I had to open my eyes, to look up at him then, trying desperately to blink away those pesky tears. Caleb was staring right at me, his face so close to mine his breath warmed my cheeks. It was so intense, this look he was giving me, these feelings I was experiencing, that I felt like I had to tell him, like I owed him some sort of explanation for ending up on his couch battered and bruised.
“Long story short, Dex was being an ass inside the bar. I went outside with him only because I was tired of making a scene. I should have seen it coming, should have recognized the signs,” I said, feeling the sting of tears against my eyes and hating the inevitability of crying in front of this guy. “He was going to … going to …”
I had to stop, had to take a minute to breathe and just accept what had almost happened, to me of all people. I’d lived this bull crap most of my life and swore I’d never, ever, be in this predicament, and now look at me.
“I refused to let him hurt me anymore,” I said so quietly I didn’t know if Caleb had even heard me.
“He won’t,” was Caleb’s whispered response. “He won’t.”
I knew that tone. No matter how quiet and how lovely his voice sounded at this pitch, I knew what was lacing those words. Pity. And I hated it.
I tried to sit up, also hating that the room did a little tilt-a-whirl as a result.
“Whoa, slow down,” Caleb said, bracing his hands on my shoulders to keep me down.
I blinked, tried desperately to focus on his face and not the background that was still spinning a bit.
“I sprained my ankle kicking him in the neck after I finally got away from him. I didn’t lie down and let him beat me.” I took a quick breath because it felt like those few words had taken all the air out of me. “And I didn’t want to go home because I knew he’d come there looking for me. I’m really not in the mood for more fighting and I’m in less of a mood to have the cops in my face.”
Caleb only nodded in response to my diatribe. I couldn’t tell if he believed me or was just humoring me because he was quiet and his face alone didn’t give anything away.
I lay back against the cushions, closing my eyes again and holding my breath as I waited for him to respond. He was probably going to think I was some type of lunatic female, kicking guys in the neck. Or he was going to think he didn’t need to be all “knight in shining armor” with me because I could obviously take care of myself. Either way his next step would surely be to pick me up and deposit me outside on the front steps of this gorgeous duplex where he lived on the top floor.
But that’s not what happened …
His fingers raked through my hair, the blunt tips rubbing softly along my scalp. Tentatively I opened my eyes and stared directly into his as he was even closer to me now, so close the tip of his nose brushed over mine as he tilted his head and … finally, touched his lips to mine.
My eyes fluttered closed once more and I imagined I was between the pages of one of my romance novels, that the warm lips pressing against mine were of my hero. He—my hero—would hold still there, just enjoying the contact … no, he, Caleb’s tongue demanded entrance and I didn’t resist. With a flash of heat that pierced all the way down to my crotch his tongue rubbed against mine. I lifted my arms to wrap around his neck and pulled him closer. I wanted so much more of this because reality was winning hands-down over my romantic imagination.
When he pulled away we were both out of breath, but he spoke first.
“I’m sorry.” His words were a whisper over my face.
“No. No, don’t be,” I replied immediately. “I wanted you to kiss me.” Admitting that seemed oddly easier than admitting that I’d tried to crush Dex’s larynx with my foot.
Pulling back slightly, Caleb gave me that look, the one where the left side of his mouth lifted in an almost smile and his deep brown eyes looked soft instead of foreboding. “I wasn’t apologizing for kissing you.”
“Oh.” Now didn’t that make me feel like a big idiot?
“I was apologizing for not putting a stop to him sooner. I should have as soon as I figured out what he was,” he finished.
“What he was?”
Caleb’s lips thinned, his brow wrinkling as he pulled away.
“You shouldn’t go back to your place,” he continued. “That was smart of you not to want to. He might try to find you there. I’ll go and get whatever you need, just make me a list.”
He’d stood while he was talking, moving away from me. The loss was staggering. I wanted him back here on this couch with me, I wanted his hands in my hair, his lips on mine. Okay, I guess all those years of never having anything but pain and grief turned me into a selfish brat because all I could think about was what I wanted right now.
“No! You shouldn’t go there.” I was pulling myself up on the couch, ignoring the pain and letting my left leg fall to the floor. I totally forgot about the condition of the right one and pulled that one along too. The ice fell and pain radiated throughout every part of me that could feel. I yelled, couldn’t help it, and Caleb came running.
“What are you doing?” he asked, hurrying back into the room and grabbing the ice pack.
“I don’t want you to go there alone. What if Dex and his friends are there?”
Caleb smiled this time, an eerie kind of smile that might have scared me had I not already seen the gentle side of him.
“All I want you to worry about is getting some rest and keeping the pressure off this ankle.” He lifted my legs again, positioning the right one on the pillow he’d brought out from his bedroom. Once again, he put the ice pack on top of my ankle and looked at me sternly. “Do not move until I get back.”
“What if I have to go to the bathroom?”
“Hold it,” he replied. Then he winked at me and my nipples instantly grew hard. “Down that hallway to your left.”
I couldn’t speak. Well, I had to when he asked for my house keys and what I wanted him to pick up for me. If I was embarrassed at my admission to him about my kinda-sort-of abusive ex-boyfriend that I’d just injured, then telling him which drawer my panties and bras were in was mortifying. Absolutely so as I saw him write the word “thong” on the notepad he’d been holding, I covered my eyes and groaned.
CHAPTER 9
Caleb
Her taste filled me even as I drove through the dark city streets with murder on my mind. I loved the flavor and hated the feeling. It was like fingers drumming up my spine, the beast within moving, awakening, readying itself for battle. Clenching my teeth so hard my temples throbbed didn’t help, grasping the steering wheel with all my strength also did nothing but press the animal further, rubbing against its already brewing rage.
It had never been this way before. I’d never felt so ready to hunt and to kill my prey. If I let myself I could probably taste the blood of the rogue I wanted to destroy. It would be such a simple task as they lacked the focus and intensity to their fighting that Shadows properly trained possessed. Since the rogues had defected from the tribes to follow the now infamous Sabar Tavares, they relied only on him for their guidance. Considering Sabar was a sadistic killer, it stood to reason the extent of their training was to kill first and never ask questions.
That worked fine for me, especially tonight. I wanted Dex to be at Zoe’s place. I wanted him to be there waiting, expecting her and getting me instead. Oh how I wanted that to happen.