Love Bites (Bitten Book 4) (10 page)

Once the first episode was over, I glanced over at him. “Well, what do you think?”

“If you told me before we started that this show was about a space cowboy, I would have told you there was no way I would like it. But that was actually pretty good.”

I rolled my eyes. “So does that mean you want to watch episode two?”

He grinned. “Sure. Why not?”

“Really? So it’s like that? You can’t admit that I picked out something good?”

His grin widened. “Okay, so it’s a great show. And yes, I would like to watch the next one.”

I smiled triumphantly. “Joss Whedon is a genius. You’ll see.”

We spent the next three hours binge watching
Firefly
and trading quips. Though I was tired and still a little hungover from the night before, I didn’t want to call it a night and go upstairs to bed.

To my surprise, Calder was great company. I thought that maybe our first night together was a fluke, that he would prove himself to be boring or asinine, but I was wrong. He caught the subtle sarcasm and lightning quick one-liners in the script immediately. He also made me laugh with his observations about the characters and plot.

I found myself leaning into him more, even resting my head on his shoulder as we watched another episode. It seemed nice…..right. I noticed it at Donna’s Halloween party, the deep level of comfort I felt when I was around him, as though I could tell him anything. I’d never had a relationship with a dynamic like that before, easy and free. I liked it.

After my fourth yawn, Calder suggested I go to bed.

“Just one more episode,” I insisted, shaking my head. “I’m not that tired.”

Within five minutes of the opening credits, I was fast asleep.

Ricki

T
wenty-four hours later,
I stared at the room that would be mine for the next however long I was stuck in hiding. The last day had been a blur, beginning when I woke up this morning and asked Calder for a burner phone. He’d refused, which pissed me off all over again.

Then Lachlan, Belinda, and
Chloe
all arrived at the house, informing me that we would be having lunch at the safe house where Kerry was staying with Finn. Chloe was polite, well, beyond polite. She actually seemed delighted to see me, a huge smile on her face and a wicked gleam in her eyes. She was so beautiful that all my insecurities began to plague me and I suddenly felt like an ugly stepsister. It wasn’t until we were on our way to Finn’s that a plan began to form in my mind. Calder didn’t hold all the cards here. I was certain that neither Donna nor Kerry would let him take me back to the pack compound if I told them I didn’t want to go.

Needless to say, I’d managed to get what I wanted; a safe place to stay without Calder. I only wished it didn’t make me feel even shittier than before.

When I arrived at her house after the lunch fiasco, Donna had a bottle of wine open and ready, as well as a sympathetic ear. We chatted for a few hours, until I’d managed to pour out all my frustration and confusion. I was also tipsy. By then, Conner had finished cooking dinner.

If I hadn’t loved him already for the way he cherished one of my best friends, I would have fallen during dinner that night. He kept the conversation flowing easily, making both Donna and I laugh. He seemed to understand exactly what I needed and endeavored to give it to me.

After dinner we all watched a movie and now it was just a little after nine. I could tell that my friend was interested in sexy time with her man, so I begged exhaustion and went up to my room.

Now that I was here, I was unsure what to do with myself. I wandered into the bathroom and started the water to take a bath. I added scented oil from a bottle perched on a shelf by the claw foot tub. It wasn’t very late, but I was ready to climb into bed and cuddle up to a good book. I only hoped that a bath would relax me enough to sleep.

Stripping off my clothes, I sank into the hot, scented water and sighed. I tried to will away all the worries of the day. Suddenly, tears welled behind my eyelids. I kept seeing the look on Calder’s face when he realized I really did intend to leave without him. He looked hurt, almost agonized.

I hated that it made me feel badly. He’d practically kidnapped me. So what if he was so sweet during and after dinner last night? He acted like he was entitled to take me wherever he wanted just because we had sex that one night. It became painfully clear this morning that I was little more than a prisoner and he was my warden.

A few seconds later, I realized I was running my finger over the pink skin of the scar Calder left on my neck, remembering the night he’d given it to me. I jerked my hand away from my neck. Curling my fingers into a tight fist, I slammed my hand down on the water.

Why was I pining for the pigheaded werewolf? I wanted to get away from him, right? He bossed me around, refused to help me stay in touch with my friends, and didn’t listen worth a damn.

Obviously my bath wasn’t relaxing me as I’d hoped, so I pulled the plug, literally. Sighing heavily, I rose from the tub and grabbed a huge bath sheet to dry myself with. I wrapped the soft cotton towel around me and walked to the bathroom mirror. I looked tired and sad.

Shaking my head in disgust, I brushed my teeth, then took my hair down from the messy knot on top of my head, brushing out the wild waves. After I moisturized my face, I headed into the bedroom and slipped on the tank top and cotton sleep shorts I’d laid out earlier. Pepper was curled up on the padded bench at the end of the bed, staring at me with sleepy green eyes. I ran a hand over her head and she purred softly.

The only light in the room came from the lamp on the side table. With exhaustion dragging at my limbs, I climbed into the bed, settling into the heavenly mattress. Earlier in the evening, I browsed in the library until I found a book to read. It was a paranormal romance series that I loved and I’d missed the release of the last book. When I saw it on the shelf, I’d actually laughed. I couldn’t believe that Donna and Conner stocked the library with books about vampires and werewolves. It struck me as extremely funny.

I managed to lose myself in the story, at least until the heroine met her love interest, who happened to be a werewolf. By then, my eyelids were drooping and the idea of reading about werewolves suddenly lost its appeal.

Slamming the book shut, I switched off the light and curled up under the blankets. The stress of the last few days was taking its toll on me so sleep came surprisingly easy and, as a result, so did the dream.

In my dream, I heard the soft click of a door. There were no footsteps, just the blankets lifting, and his weight snuggling up against my back. The warm, clean scent of Calder filled my head. Since it was only a dream, I pressed myself against him so that we touched from shoulder to knee. He surrounded me with his body and his heat. One arm pillowed my head and the other wrapped tightly around my waist, curving around my breast.

Feeling safe in my dream world, I whispered, “I didn’t really want to leave. I just couldn’t be around her.”

The arm around my waist tightened almost painfully. “Her?” he asked softly.

“Chloe,” I answered on a sleepy sigh. “She’s perfect.”

“Not to me.”

*     *     *

I stretched slowly,
feeling well-rested and relaxed. It was amazing what a top-notch mattress and a decent night’s sleep could do for a girl. Pepper sat in front of the door, her eyes accusing me of making her wait too long for breakfast.

With a huge yawn, I climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Tossing a robe over my tank top and shorts, I opened the door and trudged downstairs to the kitchen. I wanted coffee and orange juice, pronto. Pepper trotted down in front of me, her tail high in the air.

I met Donna and Conner at the bottom of the stairs, both of them already dressed and carrying cups of coffee.

“You look like you feel better,” Donna commented, smiling at me.

“I do.” The smell of their coffee was making my mouth water. “Where are you two going?” With everything happening with the Faction, I assumed that they wouldn’t be going into the office, but maybe I was wrong.

“We’re going to work in my study today,” Conner answered.

“And probably until this entire situation is resolved,” Donna chimed in.

I nodded, relieved that she wouldn’t be leaving the house and possibly putting herself in danger. I was also jealous she had something to distract her from all the stress. I had no job and no one else to talk to while Donna and Conner worked during the day.

My eyes flicked over to Conner and I knew he could hear what I was thinking. When he grinned at me, his blue eyes twinkling with humor and something that looked like satisfaction, I frowned when I realized that Donna was smirking at me also.

“What?” I asked defensively.

They both shook their heads. “Nothing.”

Deciding it was too early to deal with their mysterious bullshit, I shook my head. “Fine, whatever. I need coffee.”

Conner’s chuckle followed me down the hall as I neared the kitchen. Rolling my eyes in disgust, I opened the door to the kitchen and stopped in my tracks.

Wearing ragged faded jeans and a snug grey t-shirt that hugged the defined muscles of his shoulders, Calder stood in front of the stove, stirring something in a pan.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” I asked, my voice shrill. Though I was shocked to see him, my heart still leaped with something that felt suspiciously like happiness.

With a flick of his wrist, he turned off the burner and began dishing eggs onto two plates on the counter. “Making us eggs.”

My eyes bulged out of my head at his simple answer. “What?”

“Conner mentioned that you didn’t eat very well at dinner last night, so I’m making you some breakfast,” he answered, glancing over at me. “And you’ll eat it.”

“I don’t understand. What are you doing
here
, at Conner’s house?”

Calder placed the plates with eggs and toast on the bar, gesturing for me to sit. I stumbled to a bar stool, staring at him with utter confusion. Ignoring my question, he filled a mug with coffee and added sugar and a touch of milk, the way I prefer it. When he placed the cup in front of me, I grabbed it and took a huge sip, burning my tongue.

Hissing in pain, I tried not to stare at his taut ass as he turned to grab a glass of orange juice and set it next to my coffee.

“Answer my question, Calder,” I demanded, staring down at the food, coffee, and juice in front of me. Did werewolves have mind-reading capabilities too? He seemed to know exactly what I wanted the moment I walked in the door.

Smiling slightly, he came around the bar and sat down on the stool next to mine. “I’ll tell you what. You eat your breakfast and I’ll answer your questions,” he offered, propping an elbow on the counter.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

Picking up my fork, I scooped up some of the scrambled eggs and forced myself to take a bite. They were actually very good. I washed them down with a sip of coffee. Calder waited until I took a few more bites, then he began to eat as well.

A few minutes later, I finished off a slice of toast and the last of my eggs and put down my fork. I still had another piece of toast left but there was no way I could finish it. I’d drained both my coffee and orange juice and I was full. Until I began to eat, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.

Noticing that Calder’s plate was empty, I slid my last piece of toast onto it and got up to carry my dishes to the sink. After I rinsed them and stuck them in the dishwasher, I refilled my coffee cup.

Calder lifted his cup. “May I have some please?”

Considering he’d made me breakfast, I couldn’t very well flat out tell him no, even if I wanted to. Even at my most irritated, I couldn’t be that rude. It went against the first rule in the Southern girl’s manner book.

As I poured coffee into his mug, I shot him a level look. “Are you gonna answer my question about why you’re here?” I asked.

Smirking, he sipped the steaming liquid before he answered. “I’m here because you’re here.”

I carefully placed the carafe back on the warming plate in the coffee maker. Why did my traitorous heart turn over at his admission? I came here to get away from him.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned back against the counter, staring at him from across the room. “But I thought I made it clear I wanted to get away from you.”

When he flinched at my blunt words, I felt like shit but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything to comfort him.

“Ricki, I know I’ve fucked this up, but I’d like a chance to fix it.”

I wandered back over to the bar where he sat and picked up my coffee. “Are you going to stop trying to control me?”

He had the gall to look offended. “I’ve never tried to control you,” he responded, sounding so affronted that I laugh.

Tapping my finger on the counter, I started the list. “You kidnapped me. You destroyed my phone and refused to get me a burner. Essentially, you were holding me prisoner. Should I continue?”

Calder glowered at me. “It wasn’t like that.”