by Juniper Hart
Kenny charged at Caleb with a loud guttural growl. Caleb smiled and sidestepped the charge, tripping Kenny forward by hooking his leg in front of his chins. Kenny fell against the bar, catching himself and stopping the momentum of his charge. Caleb didn’t wait for him to recover before stepping on Kenny’s knee and pinning it to the ground, which allowed Caleb to bring an elbow down on the bridge of his nose.
Kenny collapsed to the ground, unconscious as well.
When Caleb turned to Stephanie, she was staring at him with her mouth open in shock. This was probably not how she’d expected this to turn out. He smiled slightly and nodded at her before exiting the bar.
A fight in a bar always ended up with someone calling the police, and so Caleb saw people running out of the place, afraid of the cops that might soon arrive, but Caleb knew the owner of the bar well, and this was not the first time he’d had to defend himself in a fight. But he was always able to keep the violence and the chaos, as well as the damage he caused, to a minimum. No one ever had any reason to say anything to him.
As Caleb drove home, he found himself growing tired. It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was plop down and drift off to sleep. He had to get some work done the next day, and he was already starting to dread getting out of bed in the morning to get his workout in before he did anything else. Even though he was a wolf and would always naturally be in great shape, he found that exercise really helped center him in the morning. It was his everyday routine, and he never deviated from it if he could help it.
He wondered if Olivia was all right. He hadn’t meant to leave her alone for so long, but he needed to make an appearance every once in a while—otherwise, his pack would start worrying about him. Besides, he’d really needed some time away from the cabin. He was going a bit stir crazy. He could only imagine how Olivia was dealing with it.
But she was tough. She was special. And as Caleb pulled into the long driveway leading to his log cabin, he knew that he was falling in love with her. He smiled at the thought.
Love. Who would have imagined?
5
The next morning, Caleb awoke just as the sun was rising, put on his running shorts and shoes, and hit the trails. No matter how tired he was, and no matter how much he wanted to take those extra two hours that he devoted to his workouts to catch up on some sleep instead, he rarely ever let it happen. If he did not follow through with his daily routine, he ended up feeling sluggish and half-asleep all day.
Although his routine was a fairly simple one, he knew many athletes who would have trouble finishing it. Caleb always started with a five-mile run, and then he came home to the gym he had set up in a spare bedroom. Afterwards, he would put work on lifting weights for about another hour. Finally, he would take a hot shower and fix his morning breakfast: a bowl of oatmeal with two servings of peanut butter, a protein-packed smoothie, and a cup of strong, black coffee.
Oliva made her way out of the bedroom just as he was finishing his breakfast. Since she’d been there, he purchased some clothes for her that actually fit. That morning, she wore a t-shirt and sweatpants—and she looked adorable in them. Caleb tried not to leer at her as she grabbed a mug and poured some coffee into it.
“How’d you sleep?” he asked her.
Olivia yawned. “Not well. I kept having all these weird dreams. I must have woken up about twenty times.”
Caleb grimaced in sympathy. “Oh, that’s rough. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No,” Olivia said. “I guess I was passed out when you came in. Did you have a good time last night?”
“Yeah,” Caleb replied, “I did. It was good to see Cliff again. He’s a good friend of mine.”
Olivia smiled. “That’s good!” She took a sip from her mug of coffee. “Man, I can’t wait until I can go out and enjoy a good meal. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve been out of this cabin. But then again, everything before that is a total blank.”
“Well, you are welcome to venture out anytime you feel up to it,” Caleb told her.
“I know,” she said. “I do feel a bit stronger today, so I might take up that offer!”
Caleb smiled. “Are you hungry? I could whip up some breakfast for you.”
“No, thanks, I’m not hungry.”
“All right, then,” Caleb said, standing up from his seat. “You ready to get to work?”
Olivia looked at him incredulously. “You never stop, do you?”
Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “It’s the only way to get things done.”
Ten minutes later, Olivia was doing pushups as Caleb knelt down beside her, giving her a few tips. He was impressed with how much more energy she seemed to have today.
Watching her resolve was quite inspiring, and he admired her spirit. As he watched her, he thought about what he’d realized during last night’s drive home: he was falling in love with Olivia. He didn’t know who she really was or who else might be in her real life, but he’d made peace with the fact that he didn’t really care. He was drawn to her. He’d never been drawn to any woman like this before.
Was it possible that she was his mate? It had always been considered strange and socially unacceptable for an alpha werewolf to be without a mate for long. An alpha was supposed to have a mate—it was just the way things had always been. But Caleb had never been much for rules and traditions, something that had always irked his father.
His attraction to Olivia had nothing to do with the pressure of having to choose a mate, though. He knew that Olivia was the one for him. The more time he spent with her, the stronger this conviction became.
Caleb was fairly certain she felt the same way. He’d caught the occasional glance in his direction when she didn’t know he was looking. She was attracted to him, he was sure of it. He could almost sense it. But that didn’t mean she wanted to pursue this right now. Then again, when true love presented itself, who were they to ignore its call?
“Well done,” Caleb said as Olivia finished her set of pushups.
She sat down and caught her breath. “Wow,” Olivia said, “that felt really good!”
Caleb sat down beside her. Her scent was intoxicating. He inhaled deeply, feeling his own desire beginning to stir.
Olivia looked directly at him. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on his, almost like he was her prey. A sly smile spread across her lips, and Caleb could no longer hold himself back. He leaned in and kissed her sweet mouth.
At first, Olivia returned the kiss with a soft pressure of her lips, but then she quickly pushed harder against his mouth, the kiss gaining vigor.
Caleb reached around her and pulled Olivia’s body closer to him. This was what he’d been thinking about since the night he’d found her.
Before anything else could happen, Olivia pulled away from him. “Wait,” she said.
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, his heart sinking slightly.
“I… I don’t think this is right.” Olivia shook her head. “I’m not sure this is the best time for us to… I mean, I think you’re amazing, but I need to get a handle on me first and remember who I am before I can add… anything onto my plate. I’ve still got a lot of recovery to go through.”
Caleb looked at her for a moment. He could see the conflict in Olivia’s eyes. She wanted this, but she was afraid that maybe it wasn’t the right time. Then again, there might never be a “right” time for anything.
“It’s okay to be afraid,” Caleb said. “We can just take our time.”
Olivia smiled. “Thanks for understanding. I’m really attracted to you, and it’s more than just physical attraction, but…” She sighed to herself. “It’s just so strange to have these feelings when I don’t even know who I am. It does wonders to mess up my mind.”
Caleb nodded. “I understand.”
He did. He would give her all the time she needed.
6
Olivia stepped into the shower and closed the glass door behind her, letting the hot water flow over her body. It was he
avenly. As the water soaked her hair and rolled down her back, her mind kept thinking back to Caleb. She tried to fight it, but it was no use. After they’d kissed a few days ago, it was all she could think about. She had thought that there would be a lot of awkwardness between them, but everything had surprisingly remained exactly as it had been before, except Caleb was flirting a lot more. As much as she tried to be annoyed by it, she couldn’t help being amused.
Oliva had meant what she’d said: a relationship was probably the last thing she needed right now. But as time went on, this resolve was starting to fade, and she found herself entertaining thoughts of letting it happen. It was just such a natural progression. After all, she spent all her time with Caleb trying to heal, and she was finally starting to see some real progress. So far, none of her memories had come back, but she was more optimistic than ever. Her work would be worth it soon.
And Caleb was just… so perfect. It was inevitable that being with him was starting to sound okay to her.
Olivia actually couldn’t resist imagining he was in the shower with her. His hard, muscular body pressed against hers; his tight, tanned skin turning slightly darker under the water; his strong hands grabbing her and tightly pulling her towards him, manhandling her any way he wanted. She imagined his thick, engorged shaft pressing into her pool of ecstasy as she grew tighter around his member, wrapping around him and drawing him deeper into her.
Her hands moved over her backside, soaping herself up, and she fantasized that Caleb was the one doing it. She was getting so turned on that it was difficult to even stand, her sex gushing with wetness, her juices dripping down her leg and being immediately washed away by the hot water.
She had to lean against the side of the shower at one point to keep herself from collapsing as her knees grew weak and she became lightheaded. Her teeth were digging so hard into her lip, it felt like it might be bleeding. She took a deep breath and gave herself a moment to ride out her pleasure, letting her body recover from the rush.
Olivia turned off the water and opened the shower door. As soon as she did, she registered that someone was in the bathroom with her, and she immediately grabbed a towel to hold it against her nude, wet skin, leaping back into the shower. She still wasn’t strong enough to shift and defend herself, and a scream caught in her throat when she tried to call for help.
It took Olivia a few seconds to realize that she was not in immediate danger. She’d thought the intruder was the same person who’d tried to kill her. A hunter, perhaps? Had he finally tracked her down to finish her off? Except that whoever was in the bathroom with her hadn’t attacked her yet, and so Olivia peeked her head out of the shower door.
“Hey,” Caleb said, wearing a huge grin. “Didn’t mean to startle you.” His eyes were locked on hers.
Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. “What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded, her heart still racing.
“I thought you might need a new towel,” Caleb said, brandishing one in his hand.
“No, I’m fine,” Olivia said. “Thanks.”
“Okay,” he said. “Sorry to bother you.”
“Are you crazy?” she questioned, glaring at him. “You scared me to death! You could have at least knocked!”
“I did,” he replied, though he sounded very smug about it. “I guess you didn’t hear me. Again, I’m very sorry.”
His tone said otherwise.
He walked out of the bathroom, smiling all the way. Olivia waited a few seconds, and then she slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it, fury coursing through her.
“Dammit!” she scolded herself. Why hadn’t she locked that door? She was about to start blaming herself for what had happened until she realized that it hadn’t been her fault at all.
Who just saunters into the bathroom when they know their guest is taking a shower? Olivia thought. How dare him?
She finished drying herself off, put on a pair of shorts and a tank top, and stormed out into the hallway. She was going to give Caleb a piece of her mind, alright. She wasn’t going to tolerate this sort of crap. He thought he could just do whatever he wanted and she was just going to put up with it? What the hell was wrong with him?
“So, is the shower free?” Caleb asked as he walked past her and closed the door behind him. He was just beaming, wasn’t he?
Olivia couldn’t remember being so angry, so enraged before. She felt as if she’d just been violated. Caleb had come so close to seeing her naked, and right after she’d just had that beautiful fantasy. He’d had no right to just barge in like that, and it made her furious.
She wondered how he would like it if she stormed in on him in the shower later; maybe give him a good dose of his own medicine. No, she wouldn’t do that. She was not him, and no matter how irate she was, she was going to conduct herself respectfully. She wouldn’t sink down to his level just to be petty.
“Caleb,” she said, her voice raising with each word she said until she was shouting. “This is not going to happen again! Do you understand me?”
Olivia didn’t think he heard a word of what she was saying, but it made her feel better to shout it anyway.
There was silence on the other side of the bathroom door, and she wondered if Caleb was listening to her at all. Was she really just wasting her breath?
Suddenly, the door swung open. Caleb stood in the doorframe, totally nude, his muscular body still glistening as the beads of water rolled down him. It was as if the Caleb that Olivia had just been daydreaming about had stepped out into the real world, and now he was standing right in front of her with a smile on his face.
She could not believe her eyes, and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she couldn’t keep her gaze from moving down his body, appreciating and desiring every rippling muscle, the tattoos that decorated parts of his arms and his back. Her eyes then landed upon his huge member, standing almost fully erect: it was thick, with a large head that stood up a bit at the end, as if to say it was ready for whatever came next.
Olivia closed her eyes and tried to look away. She wanted to run, but her feet would not cooperate with her. She was frozen stiff, embarrassed, very turned on, and still enraged.
“I thought I apologized for this already?” Caleb told her.
He looked right into her eyes, waiting to see what she was going to do next. Olivia didn’t know. Every impulse she had was to grab him and let him take her. Oh, she wanted that pleasure from her fantasies. She wanted this strong man to make her feel more like a woman than she ever had before. She deserved some bliss, some pure joy in her life. It didn’t even have to mean anything.
But she knew it would be a mistake. It was beyond inappropriate, and she had to put an end to it. One of them had to. She just hated the fact that it, apparently, had to be her.
“Is everything a joke to you?” Olivia demanded. She was starting to get angry again. This jerk really thought he could have her, didn’t he? Did he even care about her own personal feelings about the matter?
“I just don’t take everything so seriously,” Caleb said with an infuriating grin. “And you shouldn’t, either.”
Olivia wanted to slap that smile off his smug face so badly, but she found the restraint to hold herself back and stormed off. She was tired of Caleb’s games… whatever they were. She slammed her bedroom door behind her and sat down on her bed.
She grabbed the novel she had been reading for the past couple of days, hoping that maybe it might take her mind off things and get her back to a somewhat calm enough mood to drift off to sleep. She’d been exhausted a short while ago, but now she was so angry, she had to restrain herself from pacing around the room.
Caleb was so mysterious. Sometimes he was so serious and introspective. Other times he would act like an immature brat. It was like having slings and arrows inside of her, pulling and pushing her back and forth.
His sexy body...
God, she couldn’t get that image out of her head. She wanted him so badly…
; Even when he acted like a jerk, she still found herself craving his touch. He was starting to wear her down, and she just wanted to let go completely, to give in to him entirely and let him take her.
As much as she tried not to think about it, though, she couldn’t forget that someone out there was coming for her—that someone had tried to kill her, and whoever it had been, they were probably going to come after her sooner than later. She’d tried to ignore this line of thinking, but the moment she felt that she was moving on, the fear and paranoia came back with a vengeance, and she found herself curled up under the blankets in a cold sweat, shaking all over.
But Caleb was here with her. He was even crashing on the couch and letting her have his big bed all to herself. She was well protected. As much as she disliked his arrogance at times, she also appreciated his confidence and self-assured nature. She intrinsically knew that he was a guy who could keep her safe. Of course, that was a given, since he was an alpha. He had that commanding presence and dominant gestures, all the while remaining fun and relaxed to go along with it. He was a big, bad, alpha wolf. No one was going to hurt her on his watch.
She’d tried in vain to resist her feelings, but they were too present to ignore. It was useless to try to pretend otherwise.
She was starting to fall hard for Caleb.
7
“God, I’m an idiot,” Caleb muttered to himself as he plopped down on the couch. He kept replaying the scene in the bathroom over and over again in his mind. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t been thinking anything, that was the problem. What had started out as a funny little joke had turned into him acting like a total jackass.
But it had been… amusing, if nothing else. He couldn’t help laughing at the look on Olivia’s face as she struggled with her mixed emotions. He knew she cared about him. He also knew she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She was just confused and afraid.