Page 118 of Crave Me

“Uh uh, not happening,” Caleb spoke, rounding the corner in just a pair of his gray sweatpants, and storming across the gym in the next beat, a wild, unstable energy coming off him that had me tensing and the other two staring out at him in surprise.

“Cal, what—” Asher started.

Caleb thumbed me and told him, “Bastian’s a good fighter, been training harder the last two years, you’ll get what you need.”

“And why not me?” Damien asked.

“Because I need you.”

Before anything more could be said, Cal slammed his hands into my brother’s chest, making him jar painfully against the nearest wall.

“What the—” he choked.

Cal was in his space in the next second, sliding his hands up and down his chest. “You’ve wanted a piece of me for a really long time. It’s your lucky day. Now’s your chance, D.”

I saw Damien’s shock give way to a spark of lust. He’d had his eye on Caleb for a long time, his unrequited crush had gone on for years. Having that now seemingly being requited had to be a hell of a mind-fuck.

I was about to step in, when Damien blinked and shook it off, telling Caleb, “That’s not a good idea.”

“What did Caspian tell you?” Caleb bit back, basically seething with it.

“Nothing. Not more than I already know about what happened to you, anyway. But this is about my girl.”

“Your girl?”

“I’m seeing Seb’s friend. It’s going really well, and screwing around with you or anybody else isn’t something I want to be doing because it’ll mess up the first good thing I’ve had going for me in a while. I’m sorry, Cal.”

Caleb stilled for a moment.

When he finally did speak, as Damien watched him warily and with a shitload of concern matching mine, his voice was a pained rasp as he uttered, “So much has shifted. It’s all… different.”

He pushed off Damien and shoved his hand through his hair in clear distress.

“Cal, it’s okay,” I said, rushing to him. “Being back here with all of us in this house with so much going on, it’s a lot after what you endured. It’s gonna take some time.”

“I’m fine,” he muttered, jerking back from me.

And then his gaze locked on Asher.

His eyes flamed.

Asher held up his hand, discouraging what had clearly just crossed Caleb’s mind. “It won’t help. Not like this. Not with me, Cal.”

“I beg to differ.”

“I don’t.”

“This is just because you only had one free pass with your loves. If anyone can get their way, it’s you. Go on, call them up, get permission.”

“I won’t be doing that. And you shouldn’t be attempting this.”

Caleb was in his space in the next moment, glaring down at him, intensity flaring as Asher gave it right back to him, standing his ground as though he wasn’t being challenged with somebody invading his space.

And then he grasped Caleb’s jaw, taking him in a clear submissive hold.

Surprisingly, it had Caleb’s eyes flickering with uncertainty and he squirmed a little.

He didn’t like it.

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