going to sleep with you,” she blurted, again wishing she could control her tongue.
He flinched and then gave her a slight grin. “Ever?”
She couldn’t keep from chuckling at his tone. One second she’d been serious as a heart attack, and the next second, he’d managed to break down her high walls yet again.
Serena returned and set two glasses of clear sparkling liquid on the table. She scurried off immediately.
Caleb never took his gaze off Elena. He looked like he was waiting for a response to his ridiculous question. As he picked up his glass and took a drink, she responded. “Maybe after the wedding.”
The look on his face was priceless, and when he turned his head to one side and spewed his drink everywhere, she couldn’t keep from laughing.
He swiped a hand down his face as he turned back to face her. He was shaking his head and grinning again. “You’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you?”
Elena shrugged. “You’re the one who approached me, if you recall. I didn’t invite you to come over here and hit on me. So, if you want to continue entertaining me while your friend woos Layla, you’re going to have to roll with the punches.” She was surprised by how bold she sounded. Somehow she’d lost some of her shyness in Caleb’s presence. He calmed her.
Unfortunately even though she was doing everything verbally she could think of to ensure he didn’t think she was a sure thing, inside she was failing miserably. He was damn hot. Maybe she was simply curious because he was a wolf shifter and Layla had planted this curiosity in her.
Elena had little doubt Layla would end up sleeping with the man currently making his moves on the dance floor. If not tonight, then by the end of the week. Layla was beyond curious, and she’d verbalized this mission before they ever arrived in Canyon Springs.
Elena, on the other hand, never did that kind of thing. She was too practical. She’d only had a few boyfriends in her life. Two she’d slept with. None that made her think sex was worth getting excited about.
Something about Caleb though… She’d never even considered sleeping with a man she’d just met. It wasn’t in her nature. But she’d be lying if she didn’t admit he had her twisted in a knot. She was having difficulty sitting still. Butterflies were dancing around in her belly. She felt flushed. And craziest of all? Her private parts were tingling. That had never happened. Not with a man anyway. Nor with a woman for that matter. The only times she’d ever been fully aroused had been at her own hand.
For the first time in Elena’s twenty-four years, she stared across the table at an extremely sexy man, who happened to be a shifter, and pondered the idea of throwing caution to the wind.
Chapter 6
Caleb had never before felt as out of body as he did tonight. This entire evening was surreal. This gorgeous, sexy, fidgeting imp was his mate, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. And she didn’t know it.
It happened sometimes. Shifters met their mate and realized they weren’t versed in the ways of his species. Not only could Elena not fully feel the instant connection, but she didn’t even know much about the shifter community. She didn’t seem to be informed that shifters knew immediately when they met their mates. If she had known that, she wouldn’t be acting the way she was or saying the things she said.
If she realized the implications of this meeting, she would be freaking way the fuck out. He knew this just from getting acquainted with her personality. Elena was practical. Conservative. He doubted she dated much and had probably slept with few men. No way in hell would she have sex on a first date and for sure not with a man she just met in a bar.
Caleb’s cock was beyond stiff. His wolf was right at the surface too and had been from the moment he saw her in the grocery store earlier in the day. It seemed like every inch of his skin was electrified, especially when he touched her, and he couldn’t even breathe for the few moments she’d drawn away from him, removing contact.
Thank God she’d given him her hand back. The contact grounded him. Eventually he was going to have to tell her who she was to him. She wasn’t ready yet, but he needed