Chapter Five
A feminine voice encouraged Erica to wake up. Disoriented, she blinked a few times before a pretty young woman came into view.
“Where am I?”
“Glad you’re finally awake. I’m Carly. Jake’s girlfriend. Caleb asked me to bring you some things.”
“Right.” Erica pushed herself up to a seated position. “Thanks for helping.”
“No problem. Come have a seat over at the table and I’ll help you with your hair.”
Erica followed the girl to the little table in the corner and seated herself in the chair. Carly dumped the contents of a shopping bag on the table and selected a few items. “I brought some detangler because I figured you’d need some. I know how awful the knots get when you haven’t been able to brush.”
Embarrassed, Erica couldn’t think of anything to say, but Carly seemed more than happy to fill the silence with constant babble as she worked away on Erica’s hair. From her scent, Erica knew the girl was human, and she gathered from the way Carly talked she didn’t realize her boyfriend’s friend was a werewolf. It was probably better for her that way. Erica did learn that Caleb lived in Muskoka, and though she wasn’t familiar with Canadian geography, she thought it was somewhere north of the city. It made sense. Carly also told Erica that Caleb was thirty-four, single, and quite well-off. Really, Erica had deduced all but the age already, but she liked the sound of Carly’s voice. She sounded so happy. Had Erica ever been that content with life? Maybe when she spent time with her kids, but certainly not when Tank was around.
When Erica’s hair had finally been freed of all tangles, Carly laid out the clothes she’d bought for Erica. Leggings, jeans, panties, sports bras, t-shirts, and a sweater.
“You didn’t have to do this for me.” Running her hand over the soft fabric of the sweater, Erica blinked back tears.
Carly threw her arms around Erica and squeezed her tightly. “Oh, sweetie, everyone has rough times, and we all need help sometimes. There’s no shame in that. Besides, any girl who’s gotten Caleb’s attention is so worth it. I’ve been trying to set that boy up for years with no luck.”
Erica blushed. “I don’t know about that.”
“I’ll head out to the living room to make sure the boys haven’t caused too much trouble. Hopefully everything fits. And I’d be happy to take you shopping for more if you want.”
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Erica nodded and then closed the door behind Carly. When dressed, she finally looked into the mirror. She’d lost so much weight the clothes hung off of her. But her hair looked healthy at least. At last, she took a deep breath and headed out to the main room, following the musical sound of Carly’s voice.
As she came around the corner, Caleb caught sight of her and stood. Another man about his age stood beside him, and Carly squealed and ran to give her a hug.
“They’re a bit big,” Carly said as she gave Erica a once over.
Pulling at the sweater, Erica nodded. “I’ve lost more weight than I thought. I don’t always—” She snapped her mouth shut and looked around.
They invited her to sit and Erica picked a single chair. She watched the three friends talking and laughing, and couldn’t help thinking about everything she’d lost. Really, she hadn’t had any close friends since high school, and Tank had knocked her up at eighteen so she really didn’t have much of a life after that.
When the food came, they ate quietly, and Jake and Carly took off soon after, leaving Erica alone with Caleb again. He shifted down to sit on the end of the couch closest to Erica. Before he could say anything, she jumped up and started cleaning up the garbage from their take-out. He followed along and they worked in silence. What would happen next? What was he expecting? He didn’t give her any cues, but awareness of him made her body tingle.
Once Erica had placed the last of the garbage in the bin, she could sense Caleb behind her and knew she couldn’t get out of the kitchen without going past him. So she stood facing the wall, hands braced on the counter, willing him to leave so she could escape to her room.
She could feel the air stirring as he moved toward her, and she held her breath when he stood right behind her. He placed one hand on her shoulder and the other one over her hand. Erica closed her eyes and swallowed. Though only his hands touched her, she could feel the heat from his body and fought the urge to lean back against him.
“Are you going to tell me your name?” His voice was soft, warm breath sliding over her neck. Her body trembled with a horrid combination of fear and desire.
“Erica,” she whispered.
“Erica. Nice to meet you.” He lifted his hands off her, but her relief was short-lived when he spoke in his Alpha voice. “Turn around.”
Unable to resist the power of his voice, she turned. He placed his hands on her hips and moved in closer, pressing his lower body to hers, and showed how much he wanted her. Unable to stop the small whimper from escaping her, she turned her head to the side. She hadn’t meant it to be an invitation, but for wolves, baring the neck was an act of submission, and he took advantage of it.
He pressed his lips against her neck, eliciting a gasp. Desire flared to life inside her as he kissed her neck and nipped at her ear. She slid her hands up his arms and gripped his shoulders, overcome by lust. When he finally settled his lips against hers, she opened to him, allowing their tongues to tangle together.
With a growl, Caleb gripped her ass and hoisted her up to the counter, pulling her legs around his waist. She wiggled against him as he ground his erection against her, his kisses leaving a fiery trail across her neck and jaw. She needed his touch. Needed to feel his skin against hers. She slid her hands under the hem of his shirt, tracing her fingers over the hard lines of his stomach.
Caleb pulled away for a moment and whipped his shirt off over his head, and then grabbed hers and did the same, before coming back in for another kiss. The heat of his body seared into her flesh and fanned the flames of passion even more. Her pussy throbbed and clenched as her body lubed itself, preparing to welcome his steely length. And they weren’t even completely naked. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this turned on. Tank had never—
With a cry, Erica yanked her head away from Caleb and whacked it on the cupboard door behind her. “Fuck!”
She reached up to rub the back of her head, groaning at the sensitive lump that had arisen. Werewolves healed fast, but it didn’t mean they didn’t feel the pain of an injury. And it certainly helped to douse the lust which had taken over her body.
“Are you okay? What happened there?”
Erica looked down and shook her head. “I can’t do this.”
“But, Erica—”
“No. Let me down, please.”
Caleb lifted a hand and Erica cringed back, waiting for the blow to come. Instead, he growled and gripped her chin, and then turned her head toward his. “Tell me you feel nothing.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to shake her head, but he refused to let go. Her stomach tightened, her chest hurt, and she could only manage a whisper. “Of course I feel something. But I can’t do this right now. Please.” At last she opened her eyes to find his inches away, boring into her.
As the moment stretched on, Erica braced herself for his outburst. She winced when he tightened his arms around her and lifted her off the counter, but to her surprise, he set her down and released her. Erica let out a shuddering sigh and moved to go around him. He caught her hand as he went by and she glanced up at him again.
“Someone’s hurt you. I can see that and respect your space. For now. But you will be mine.”
Erica yanked her hand from his and stalked off toward her room, slamming and locking the door behind her. She threw herself down on the bed and took deep breaths as she tried to relax her body. Every muscle had coiled tight. Maybe another bath was in order.
And then she heard his voice outside the door. “Sleep well, Erica. In the morning, I’m taking you home.”