Page 31 of Origins

He mocked me under his breath, but I let it go. Normally, I would have made him apologize, but I had more important matters to tend to.

I headed to the chipped white door, knocking twice before cracking it open enough to peek inside.

The scent of lavender and the sound of a true crime podcast greeted me. My gaze finally landed on Callie. Her long blonde hair was tied in a messy bun at the top of her head, and her eyes were closed. Bubbles clung to the sides of the tub, but most of the ones in the middle had popped, leaving her exposed.

“Quit staring at my boobs,” she warned, slipping further into the water.

“I wasn’t,” I lied.

I was only looking a little. But I was a man; she was a woman—what did she expect?

“Your thoughts told on you.”

I smirked as I stepped into the bathroom, making a point to focus on her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at your tits.” I tried to sound as robotic as possible as I folded myself onto the bathmat and rested my cheek on her hand. “How are you feeling, Sunshine?”

Her eyes fluttered open, locking onto mine. “Just tired… and pruney.”

Water dripped off her hand as she lifted it to show me. Instinctively, I took it and brushed her fingers with my lips. A blush crept up both our cheeks, and I quickly looked away.

“You’ve been in there a while. Are you ready to getout?” I asked.

She nodded. “I don’t have a towel, or PJs for that matter… So unless you want me to parade around your apartment naked—”

I took a deep, pained breath. “Jace would have too much fun with that.”

Her laugh filled the room, making something warm blossom in my chest, and my lips tingled. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but somehow, that felt too intimate for what we were.

“You wait here. I’ll get you a towel and one of my shirts,” I promised, reluctantly pulling away.

I headed to my room to grab one of my worn-out shirts and a towel. Jace and Kane kept some towels in the bathroom, but I wasn’t allowed to use them—they were too flammable.

With the towel and shirt in hand, I jogged back to the bathroom, pausing only to order Jace and Kane to make the living room more comfortable. I wanted every pillow and every comforter spread out so the four of us could relax together.

When I opened the door again, the tub was empty, and Callie was now standing, water droplets clinging to her skin like rain on a window. A bigger man would’ve looked away, but a bigger man I was not. My eyes followed the droplets down her shoulders, around her supple breasts, before they traced the subtle curve of her stomach—wait. That was new. Or at least, I thought it was. When Callie and I had last been together, her—

“Sulien.”

Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts, forcing me to look back up. I knew better than to say anything—my dad would kick my ass if he knew I even thought about commenting on a woman’s body. But the slight swell of her stomach hadn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, it was all I could think about.

Callie rubbed her temple, closing her eyes. “If you keep thinking like that, I’m leaving.”

“Like what?” I feigned ignorance as I offered her my hand.

She took it, letting me help her out of the tub before reaching for the towel. I snatched it away, plopping it on her head instead, and began rubbing it across her still-damp skin.

She glared up at me but didn’t try to take the towel. “Just because I’m a little bloated doesn’t mean I’m pregnant.”

The plainness of her comment caused me to tense. But I guessed that she’d been listening in on my thoughts. So, if that wasn’t enough to get me in trouble, I might as well buckle down.

“Well… are you?” My hands stilled in her hair as I gave her my complete, undivided attention.

But no matter how much I concentrated on her, I wouldn’t like any answer she gave.

I didn’t want kids; my existence was what killed my mother, and I wasn’t risking that happening to Callie. Plus, we weren’t in a place where kids were a good option for us. She was in school, I had to focus on my career, and I’d only known her for like a month. But… deep down, part of me craved that level of connection with her. It was a primal way of marking her as mine, something that would undeniably link us forever.

Callie sighed before taking the towel. “Get out.”

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