Runaway Rogue

Chapter Eleven: Indigo's POV

Indigo slept on the couch, though Caspian repeatedly insisted on her taking his bed, offering to wash the sheets and tidy if it made her more comfortable. As if being in his home wasn't hard enough. She couldn't fathom being in his room, with his scent on everything. She knew that she would like his smell, it was hardwired into her brain, but it was worse and more wonderful than she expected. Like tobacco leaves and bergamot, maybe something sweet and floral too. Whatever it was, she wanted to sink into it.

She wanted to sleep, knew that she should have slept. There was no reason to be lying awake. But he was so close. And he was not Andrew. She knew she shouldn't indulge, that any weakness could be turned against her, but all she could think about is sneaking into his room. He would murmur something sleepily to her, but lift the sheets so she could crawl under.

Or maybe she was kidding herself. She wasn't blind to the way his nose wrinkled when she got too close or how his eyes narrowed on her with distrust every now and then. The mate bond between them was strong, but it seemed that his hatred of rogues could be stronger.

it wasn't uncommon. In fact, she might be able to use it to her advantage. The less attached he was to her, the less questions he might ask, the easier it would be for her to slip away.

In the dark, when her eyes finally started to drift closed, his scent grew stronger, sharper. She had been away from men of her species for so long it took her a second to understand what it was. Arousal.

Well, it seemed that he was having trouble sleeping too. And now, it seemed her rest would have to wait for another hour or so. Just his scent was enough to kick up her heart rate by a few beats. And when she thought of his lying in his bed, his mind on her and his hand...

She groaned softly and rolled onto her stomach. Why did he have to be so attractive and why did her wolf have to be so vocal now?

It didn't matter. She would be out of here soon enough.

When the morning did finally arrive, she was surprised to find that she had in fact fallen asleep and somehow, had stayed asleep when Caspian was moving around in the kitchen. If this had been a movie, he would have been humming to himself, whipping up something wonderful, better than she had ever consumed before.

Instead, she heard an egg crack and heard him mutter a curse. Against her own wishes, she felt herself smile a little. Then she felt the grittiness on her teeth and the state of her hair.

"Hey, do you mind if I have a shower and maybe borrow some clothes?" she called out.

Caspian appeared like he had been summoned by a god, not a woman. "Of course. I don't have anything in your size, but I can grab some stuff. You are welcome to use whatever is in the bathroom. I think there's a spare toothbrush in the top drawer."

The bathroom was nice enough. Indigo had casually dated around enough to know that the bar was low and Caspian surpassed it with ease. He didn't have extensive skin and hair care products like a house of three girls might, but everything was clean, the folded towels smelled fresh, and his shampoo and conditioner were separate, not like the twenty-five-in-one products many other men favored.

When she finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out. "Hey, I was just thinking—"

Apparently she wasn't thinking at all, because she just walked into her mate's kitchen with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. Caspian froze behind the counter, his green eyes flaring wide, his pupils dilating. The hands that had been violently assaulting a ketchup bottle froze. Neither of them moved, until, finally, Caspian swallowed hard.

"You were thinking," he prompted, his voice thick, eyes unable to move off her bare collarbones.

For the briefest second, Indigo debated dropping the plush towel and seeing if he could finish a sentence then. Thankfully, her rational mind won out. "I was wondering if we could pick some things up for me, you know, if you want me to stay for a while. I would need some clothes and stuff."