Page 27 of Wolf's Providence

“Willow,” he greeted me, his voice low and rough around the edges.

Just hearing him say my name sent a shiver down my spine, goose bumps breaking over my skin. I swallowed hard, my throat dry as I struggled to speak. I felt frozen, and I was scared of what would come out if I spoke.

Caleb didn’t seem to expect me to speak. He was looking me over, looking for what? Signs of my injury?

The bond was strumming between us. It felt alive and electric.

Happy.

That jarred me. It really felt like a living thing, pulsing with every beat of my heart. Did he feel this too? Was it as strong for him as it was for me?

I wanted to ask him, and I finally managed to speak, my voice barely a whisper. “Why are you here?”

I felt my eyes widen in shock. That was not what I had thought I was going to say.

Caleb’s eyes flickered with something—regret, maybe? Or shame? It was hard to tell in the shadows, with the light behind him. He took another step forward, carefully, deliberately keeping his movements slow, like he was afraid of scaring me.

Or maybe he was afraid to come closer.

“I needed to see you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I tried…” He blew out a breath. “I tried to stay away, but…” His hands raised and then fell to his sides helplessly. “I couldn’t stay away.”

The air between us was thick and heavy with so many unspoken things. My heart had leapt at his words, but my body had remained rooted to the spot, wary. It knew he had almost killed me. It knew that it was his blood that was the only reason I was still standing. Still breathing. Once more, I saw the wildness in his eyes as he fought his demons that night, never realizing until it was too late, that the only thing he was striking as he fought…was me.

“Should you have come?” Even when the question left my mouth, I knew the answer was yes. I’d been waiting for this. For him. I’d been aching for him no matter how much I wanted to deny it.

“Honestly?” he asked, his voice a low rasp that made me want to drown in it. “I don’t know.” His look was steady as he watched me. “But I couldn’t stay away any longer.”

Did he know what that did to me? That admission of weakness from him? My stubborn body finally gave in, and I took a step forward before catching myself.

“Caleb…” My voice was barely a whisper, and even as his name left my lips, I longed to be closer to him. The distance, the pain, the betrayal…it was all still there, lingering in the space that separated us.

But so waseverythingelse. That primal and desperate need that pulled us together even when I didn’t want to admit it. But I couldn’tdenyit.

Caleb’s eyes darkened, and an emotion crossed his face that set my heart to racing. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing that was tethering him to this world was causing havoc within me.

“Caleb…” I took a step back. I had to keep my walls up; at this rate they were in danger of crumbling completely. “Don’t do this to me…”

“What am I doing?” he asked softly, his voice one of confusion and something else, something that reminded me of our time in the car. “I never meant to hurt you,” he spoke softly, gently, but the guilt was heavy. “I’m so sorry.”

My feet reclaimed the step forward, and I no longer knew who was in control, my brain or my heart. The pull towards him was like gravity, impossible to fight as I moved closer.

Now I was right in front of him, so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. My heart was pounding out a wild, frantic rhythm that matched the chaos in my mind. I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t know if I should push him away or pull him even closer. All I knew was I couldn’t stand this distance between us.

Caleb’s gaze dropped to my lips, and my breath caught in my throat.

“Why don’t you hate me?” he murmured, the words sounding harsh as he focused on my mouth. His hand reached out, hesitant, doubting he had the right to touch me, but the pull between us was pulsing.

“I could never hate you, Caleb.” My voice was shaking. It made me sound vulnerable, but he heard the truth in my words. It was true, I didn’t hate him.

His thumb brushed across my cheek, the roughness of his skin sending another shiver down my spine. My body once more betrayed me, leaning into his touch even though I wanted to step back. It was too soon. There was so much more we needed to talk about, but…Caleb washere. He had come back. He was here for me, and the way he was looking at me…

“Willow—”

Before I could second-guess myself, I closed the distance between us. Pushing up on my toes, I pulled his head down at the same time, and my lips crashed against his in a kiss that felt like a mix of desperation and surrender.

The kiss was raw, full of everything we hadn’t said, everything that I hadn’t been able to put into words. Caleb’s hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer, keeping me tight against his hard body as I clung to him. It felt like he was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.

His mouth moved over mine, soft but firm, punishing but begging for forgiveness. Our tongues tasted each other, and I felt his hand slip down and squeeze my ass. I wanted to climb his body like a tree. I wanted to lie back and have him claim me once more.

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