Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Caleb is lying in bed, his laptop resting in his lap. The screen is dimmed, but the brightness still irritates my eyes as I lift my head to peer at it. He’s scrolling through his emails.
They’re never-ending.
“How long have you been awake for?” I ask.
Instead of answering, Caleb squeezes my thigh over the comforter. I assume that means he’s been awake for a long, long while. Too long. The sun is only just now rising, early-morning sunlight peeking through our open curtains.
“I have connections with the Australian, Norwegian, Portuguese, and UK governments,” Caleb says. “I’m looking to see if they would be willing to offer citizenship to any of the humans who wish to leave the pack.”
“None of them have asked to leave…” I point out.
Caleb nods. “I know, but I still want to secure them options.” He blows out a breath. “I’ve also arranged for us to view a house this evening…assuming you still want to move.”
He shoots me a sideways glance. It’s tentative. Hesitant.
I slip my hand out from underneath the blankets, reaching for Caleb’s laptop.
“Yes, I would still like to move into a new home and, yes, I would still like to adopt Chunk,” I say. I move slowly, giving Caleb ample time to stop me, before shutting the lid. “You need to rest, Caleb. You may be a shifter, but you’re not above sleep.”
Caleb wordlessly turns and sets the device on his bedside table, then settles back into bed with me. Still, he’s tense. I pull him into my arms, selfishly enjoying the way our bond explodes to life.
“Can I see your marking?” I ask.
“Always.”
Caleb slips his marked hand between us. I fight back a smile, my heart thundering as I take in its color. It’s a pretty, light pink. Beautiful. I take a long second to enjoy it, then bring his marking to my lips.
Caleb shivers as I kiss it.
“It’s going to be white in no time,” he promises.
“I can’t wait.”
Caleb inhales. “I received an email from Sash in the middle of the night. Three of the humans requested to meet their mates after our conversation with Jack yesterday.”
I freeze. Is he serious? That’s incredible. I was worried nothing would come from those files. Hopeful, sure, but I wasn’t counting on anything.
Caleb runs his hand down the back of my head, playing with my hair. He’s careful not to catch any knots. “Logan has been monitoring the human news outlets,” he says. “The Americans are demanding that HPAW be investigated. They want answers, and they’re tired of waiting.”
Caleb slides further into the sheets, his legs brushing against mine. I shiver, my skin tingling as Caleb works a hand underneath my shirt, resting his palm against my bare skin. A second later, his hand travels to my ribcage.
“Tell me something good,” he requests.
I pause, thinking. “One of the marked humans has asked Doctor Greg to place her on birth control. Antonio’s mate. The blonde.”
Caleb snorts. “How do you know this?”
“Humans talk,” I say. Caleb shoots me a look. I let out a defeated sigh. “Adam heard it from Sash, who heard it from Antonio.”
Caleb lolls his head to the side, a small smile toying at the corners of his lips. He pretends not to care about intimate, juicy details, but he’s a damned liar. He loves it.
“I have a secret to tell you, too,” he admits. “But you can’t tell anybody.”
I live for these moments with Caleb. Most of our time lately has been spent talking or thinking about HPAW. I miss what it feels like to relax and joke around with him.
“Do you promise not to tell anybody?” Caleb asks.
I’m going to lose my mind. “Yes!”
Caleb smiles so wide, his eyes crinkle shut. “Sash is pregnant.”
I sit up. “How do you know?”
“My wolf can detect hormonal changes before most others,” Caleb admits. “I don’t think Logan knows. She’s only a few weeks along.” Caleb excitedly taps his fingers against my waist. “I’m going to be an uncle.”
“Are you serious?” I ask.
Caleb nods, his head bobbing. “I smelled the change the last time I saw her. She’s been avoiding me since. I think I was too aggressive in smelling her. She thinks I’m going to give the surprise away.”
Too aggressive in smelling her? I can picture it. I bet he stalked up to Sash and stuck his nose in her personal space, eager to confirm his suspicions. He’s not always discreet.
“I’m sad I wasn’t there to see your sniffing,” I say.
Caleb shrugs. “There wasn’t much to see.”
I highly doubt that. Sash is never subtle when she’s angry with Caleb, and it’s entertaining to watch them bicker. It’s taken a while for things to return to normal between them, but it has.
Things between Sash and me have been great, too. My heart doesn’t pound and my hands don’t sweat when she’s nearby. I look forward to seeing her. I consider her a friend. Grace and Rosy, too, even though I haven’t seen much of them lately.
Caleb throws himself on top of me, his chest pressing me into the mattress and his thighs caging in mine. I drag my hands up Caleb’s torso, feeling every rippling muscle. He does the same to me, taking his sweet time exploring every curve.
He lingers at my hips, his fingers digging in.
“Please,” I whisper. “Touch me. I miss you.”
It’s been so long since we’ve been intimate.
Caleb makes a quiet noise in the back of his throat. I’m wearing one of his shirts, and he fists the fabric before pulling it up and over my head. It’s tossed aside, landing silently on the floor.
His lips are back on mine, his kiss demanding, and heat travels down my torso as he drags his mouth down my neck. He takes a minute with each breast, lavishing one nipple with his tongue as he uses his fingers to play with the other.
I shiver when he switches sides.
He grunts. “Don’t move.”
“Easier said than done.”
Caleb grins against my skin, then continues lower, his hot breath warming my belly button. I spread my thighs wider, making space for him to fit his torso between them.
“So eager,” he teases.
His stubble tickles my lower belly. Then my inner thighs. I fight back a whimper.
“Please,” I whisper. “Don’t be cruel.”
Caleb ignores me. He kisses up and down my left thigh, then does the same to my right. He’s so close to where I want him.
I shift my hips, moving closer to his wet mouth, but a sharp pinch to my nipple stills me. God, Caleb is mean. He shoots me a devilish smile, clearly taking pleasure in my desperation.
“Tell me where you want me,” he orders.
I whine, a noise that’s punished with a light bite to the inside of my thigh.
“Tell me,” Caleb repeats.
Why is he doing this to me? I pant, my chest heaving as I drag my hand down my torso. Caleb sits back, watching with a slack jaw as I slide a finger up my slit. I’m already wet.
“Here,” I say. “I want your mouth here.”
Caleb nudges my hand aside. “Look at me.”
I do. I stare into his heavy-lidded eyes as he finally brings his mouth between my thighs.
His lips just barely ghost over my slit. I’m ready to scream, but then he opens his mouth. His tongue darts out, and his eyes hold mine captive as he drags it over me. Fuck. This man is going to kill me.
Caleb takes his time, licking from my entrance to my clit. I practically jackknife off the bed, but Caleb’s hands fall to my hips, holding me still.
He moans against me, his eyes fluttering shut. It’s too much, and within only a few minutes, I begin rocking against his mouth. I cry out, my hands sliding to his head as I drag myself against his tongue in short, jerky motions.
“Please don’t stop,” I beg. “Please, please, please.”
Caleb rubs my thighs with his thumbs, silently soothing my fears. He isn’t going to stop. I get to cum.
It’s all the permission I need. My eyes slam shut, and my thighs clamp around his head as my pleasure peaks. My orgasm is explosive, and Caleb licks me until I shiver and push his face away, oversensitive.
He kisses the shallow bite marks he left on my thighs, then crawls back up my body.
It takes all my strength to flip him over. I’m unsuccessful.
Caleb raises a brow as I push at his shoulder. “Can I help you?”
I grunt. “Roll over.”
He finally listens, flopping onto his back. I’m sure he knows what I’m planning, and he makes no attempts to stop me as I begin kissing my way down his torso.
His abs flex as I ghost over them. I take my sweet time kissing every muscular inch of them before finally slipping a hand in his underwear. The fabric is stretched tight over his erection, and Caleb gasps as I curl my fingers around his cock.
I stroke him from base to tip, loving how he twitches in my hand.
I’ve only ever given one blowjob, and I don’t enjoy the memory of it. Caleb and I were in a bad place, and I was a wreck. I suspect he wasn’t in the best mind space, either. When Caleb thinks about having a mouth around his cock, I don’t want that memory to be the one he recalls.
I want him to forget everything that came before this.
Caleb lifts his hips as I tug his underwear down, tossing the fabric aside.
His cock is beautiful. It lies hard on his stomach, and a bead of precum is already leaking from the tip. Without hesitation, I dart forward, taking him into my mouth.
Caleb gasps. “Shit!”
His hips twitch, but I can tell he’s trying hard not to thrust upward. His hands are fisted at his sides, and his abs are clenched. How thoughtful.
My movements are slightly awkward as I grab the length of him that my mouth can’t reach. Then I begin bobbing my head. I’m not practiced, but Caleb doesn’t seem to care.
His hands eventually find their way to my hair, and he gently cups the back of my head before tightening his grip and guiding me up and down. I like the direction, happy to let him take control.
I peer up at Caleb as he rolls his hips underneath me.
“You’re so pretty with my cock in your mouth,” Caleb grunts. “My dirty fucking mate.”
Caleb urges me to take him deeper. He never pushes me so far down that I gag, and he’s careful to pull me up when I splutter. I tighten my grip on his length, eager to stroke every part my mouth can’t reach.
“Can I finish in your mouth?” Caleb asks.
I mumble as much of a yes as I can when my mouth is full, a sound that seems to please Caleb as he twitches against my tongue.
He guides me over him three more times before growing still, and I greedily suck on the head of his cock as he cums. I like his taste, probably a perk of our mate bond, and I swallow around him before pulling away.
I wipe at my mouth. “Did you like that?”
I’m eager to know how I did.
Caleb takes a second to recover, then grabs me under the armpits and hauls me up the bed. “That was fucking amazing,” he says, peppering my cheeks with kisses. “You’re incredible. You always are.”
Good. That’s really good.
I’m still beaming when Caleb’s phone starts vibrating on the nightstand. He ignores it at first, too busy nuzzling into my neck. He’s making his quiet purring sound. I love it.
His phone buzzes again.
And again.
Caleb snatches it off the nightstand and brings it to his ear with a low groan. “What do you want?”
There’s a moment of silence as Caleb listens to the person on the other end of the line, then he sits up, all playfulness gone. His expression hardens with every passing second.
“Yes,” he finally says. “Please do.”
Another pause.
“Agreed. I’m ready whenever they are.”
My stomach tightens. Who is he speaking to?
Caleb ends the call and exhales. “That was Logan. The Americans want a conversation.”
My stomach drops. This is it.
He continues. “Private, with no intermediaries.”
Caleb threads our fingers together, the corner of his mouth lifting. It’s hopeful.
I feel the same way.