THIRTEEN
That day turned into a week,and then two weeks. I managed to stay hidden away, ignoring the damned climax, for fourteen entire days.
And then I got bored.
My eyes had started to hurt, and my body ached, and my wolf was scratching at my insides, trying to get free. I was pretty sure she wanted me to socialize with her mate for her, but the climax seemed to keep her locked away completely, so I was safe.
But I didn’t much like her scratching.
So, when it was nearly midnight on day fifteen, I told myself I was allowed to go to the kitchen. Zed was probably already sleeping anyway, so why not?
I crept down the stairs. The man brought me food like six times a day, always delicious, high-quality shit that I never could’ve afforded myself, and always cooked perfectly. He’d even taken to bringing desserts up as the seventh meal. He always came to my door, and never asked if I was hungry, or if I was ready to talk.
He just… fed me.
It was weird.
And also sexy, though that was probably the climax speaking.
A huge part of me was still waiting for him to break my door down and attack me for daring to hide away from him, but he hadn’t done anything like that. It didn’t mean he was a good guy—it had only been a few weeks, and good guys were almost nonexistent.
A few days earlier, he’d brought me a slice of this incredible chocolate cake that literally tasted like an orgasm in my mouth, and I’d been itching for more since I finished it off. Of course, I hadn’t asked. I did thank him for everything he brought me, but I knew it wasn’t enough—I needed to be nicer, and better to him.
I paused on the stairs when my phone vibrated, and looked down at a picture of Del in a hospital gown, grinning at me and giving me a thumbs-up. A smile curved my lips upward, and I sent her a couple of heart emojis. She was getting induced since her baby was being exit-resistant (her words, not mine). I’d asked if she needed me there, but she hadn’t wanted anyone but Rocco at her side.
I’d go see her when the baby made his appearance, but I was kind of sad that she hadn’t wanted me there.
Maybe Zed was right about sigmas aching for a permanent companion.
I peeked into the kitchen as I slid my phone into the pocket on my old, holey sweats, and then walked down the rest of the stairs when I saw that it was dark, and empty. Lights were flickering in the living room though, and when I glanced over, I saw Zed’s massive body draped over his big couch. His eyes were closed, the TV illuminating that gorgeous face of his, relaxed in sleep.
He looked so damn calm.
I wasn’t sure I ever felt that calm, except maybe for those hours when my wolf had taken charge and went running through the forest.
There was no sign of cake on the countertops, so I crept over to the fridge. It felt weird to do so, after so much time spent avoiding him and the rest of the house. But I wanted the cake, so I did it anyway.
Tugging the doors open as quietly as possible, I bit my lip, hoping the movement wouldn’t wake Zed up. Of course, as soon as the door was open, the whole fridge lit up like a damn Christmas tree.
Swearing under my breath, I quickly scanned the contents of the fridge.
No cake.
Biting back a sigh, I shut the door quietly.
“June?” Zed’s groggy voice had me shutting my eyes and cursing like a sailor in my head.
Turning toward him, I forced an awkward smile. “Hey.”
“Hungry?” he asked, with a tired frown. “I can make you something.”
“No, I—” I cut myself off. “I’m not hungry, it’s fine. I’m just going to go.” I pointed up to the ceiling above me.
An expression crossed his face that almost looked like disappointment. I felt bad for disappointing him, even though I’d never asked him to feed me in the first place.
“I was looking for the cake,” I admitted to him. “The chocolate one from a few days ago. It might’ve been the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Understanding crossed his face. “I had Rocco come over and pick the rest up for Del. She’s the one who asked for it; she heard I finally started baking and was hoping the chocolate would convince her baby to make his way out.”