The Wolf Cave

CHAPTER 11

I wake up in Colton's bed. My eyelids flutter open and squint from the bright morning sun that's peeping through the drawn curtains. After my eyes adjust, I sit up and stretch out my arms, relaxed from the best sleep I've had in a long time. I'm refreshed and calm, which is different from my usual crankiness in the morning.

Looking down, I see Colton's still sleeping beside me. A smile stretches over my lips because he looks peaceful. No longer broody and haunted. He looks... free. It almost makes me want to lie back down and snuggle into him. But obviously I can't. I'm not at that stage with him and probably never will be.

I think back to last night, unable to help smile wider at the memory. After we stopped making out on his bed, as it was once again speeding over that line, he kept his hands to himself and we talked.

We talked about me mostly, as he wouldn't stop asking questions about my life. Not that I had much to tell him, and I didn't learn much about him. He didn't delve into any questions I asked about himself and only gave me basic answers. Which is okay after everything he told me yesterday.

Everything is like a blur. I can't believe I've met someone like him. He's possessive, yes, but completely captivating at the same time. And I am captivated. More than I should be. I don't know what we're doing or where this is going.

I sigh.

Reality gets inside my head once again and stings me with doubts as I look around his bedroom, my heart slowly sinking the more I see bits of Jenny dotted here and there. Perfume bottles, makeup, a picture of her and Colton in a frame.

Even though he told me why he's with Jenny—something I'm not yet sure I believe—I can't help but be angry. Even if he is pretending, he still has to do all the normal relationship stuff with her to keep up with the lie, right?

My eyebrows knit together at the thought of him kissing her the way he kissed me last night. It makes me sick. I'm playing fire in someone else's relationship and I'm the one who will get burned.

Getting out of bed, I tip toe into the bathroom to get some distance. But, being the klutz that I am, I hit my foot against the leg of the bed. The pain unmercifully rips through me and I gasp out loud, falling back onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" Colton mumbles, his voice husky and deep from just waking up as I squeeze my foot with my hand.

After some of the throbbing eases, I eventually stand, seeing him now sitting up in bed, the buttons of his shirt open. My eyes bulge with shame at the memory of me opening his shirt last night. I remember how my eyes widened at his lean muscles and the ripples along his stomach. How he felt.

He looks at me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing. "Are you running away from me again?"

I bite my lip because I'd contemplated taking off as soon as I got dressed. Obviously, I'm not going to tell him that. He won't let me go. "No."

He smiles darkly and unexpectedly lunges forward. Screaming, I almost fall over again when he tries to grab me. I manage to dodge him, legging into bathroom and closing the door hastily.

"Hah!" I shout with triumph after I turn the lock.

I hear him grunt behind the door. "Very mature."

"Good job I'm not mature then," I reply, smiling to myself.

"I think you're forgetting I can very easily knock this door down," he says coolly, his voice sending shivers through me. I pull a face when I remember Jared's door and realize he's right.

"You wouldn't," I call his bluff.

"Are you sure about that?" I hear him ask, and I think about that for a second. I'm not sure about anything when it comes to him. "Five...four..."