Second chance love

E l e v e n

The next few days passed by in a similar fashion. Holly and Caleb would have breakfast on the bench made up by Beth who was becoming more and more invested in the couple by the day; after all, she was the only one that Holly would discuss him with. She had been avoiding Lisa and Finn, but as they had just moved in to their starter home away from their parents, they were otherwise occupied most of the time anyway. Holly laughed as she remembered a time when that would have broken her heart. Now of course she knew that what she had felt for Finn was nothing compared to the feelings you have towards your true mate. 

Every morning the two of them would talk about everything, from their taste in music to their favourite films. Caleb would become sad often, when he would recall a family trip to the cinema or when his sister would force him to listen to her bubblegum pop music. Holly always felt her heart ache when he would reminisce, but she also knew that he needed this; needed someone who would just listen to him while he remembered those he had lost. 

Every morning would end in a similar way, an accidental brush of the hands, a feeling of lust growing between them, and Holly cleaning the plates and food away in record time so she could run to her room to shower and change. 

“Damn girl, if he gets you this wet after a little bit of hand touching, imagine how he’s gonna make you feel when he lets his guard down!” Lacey’s words had Holly feeling overheated and frustrated. She knew it was because of the mate bond, but she really didn’t know how much longer she would be able to give Caleb the space and time that he needed. One morning she awoke to find herself in a puddle of her own making, breathing heavily and feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. She blushed at the memory and hoped that Caleb would never find out! 

Of course Holly wasn’t the only one feeling these effects. There was a reason Caleb always took off right after they made contact with each other. His wolf, Blake, was getting more and more wound up every time Caleb denied himself the happiness that had been created for him in the shape of this beautiful woman. 

“You’re gonna explode soon, dude. You’re gonna do yourself some lasting damage.” Caleb shut him out as he ran harder on the treadmill, his feet pounding the black belt that was programmed to it’s top speed. It was the night of his initiation into the White Tide pack, which meant he was one step closer to avenging his family’s deaths, one step closer to avenging the death of his pack, and one step closer to - 

“Holly!” His wolf growled, a noise full of love and lust and protectiveness. Holly had been a true angel the last few days. Caleb had smiled and even laughed a couple of times during their breakfast chats, and she was so calm and patient when he would choke up over stories of his family. He regretted that she would never meet them. He knew his mother would have loved her in an instant, and that Holly would have genuinely laughed at his father’s worst jokes. His sister, Jess, would have been her best friend, she would have recruited Holly in her prank schemes against Caleb, and Holly would have loved it. 

A single tear escaped from his eye, rolling down his face and mingling with the sweat that was already there. Caleb glanced at his watch. He had been running for a solid hour. He needed something else. 

***

Holly was stood in the middle of her room with every single item of clothing she owned strewn on the floor around her. She slowly turned to look at the chaos she had created, then sat on the floor with her legs crossed. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingers. She had spent so much time with Caleb, preparing breakfast for Caleb, watching Caleb train in the gym, and just generally thinking about - and dreaming about - Caleb, that she had missed her opportunity to shop for the perfect outfit to wear to his initiation. She hated shopping, but today she was angry at herself for completely forgetting to go shopping rather than refusing to go. 

It was only 1.30 in the afternoon and the ceremony wasn’t until 8pm, but it was Sunday and the clothes shops closed early on a Sunday; she was out of time. She felt rather than heard Lacey grumble, and stood up, stretching first her neck, then her shoulders, working all the way down to her hips. She made her way across the room, stepping over the discarded contents of her wardrobe, and turned the hot tap of the bath on. As she went around lighting a couple of candles and pouring in the honey scented bubbles she knew she needed to smell, she thought once more about what Caleb had said that morning. 

They had been sat at their usual bench, and were talking about Finn and an incident that happened during his training. 

“He really pushed me, and I was mad. I’m the son of an Alpha, and even without a pack I knew I could take him. So I might have gone a bit over the top.” Caleb was studying the lines on the wooden planks that made up the bench intently for a minute, before risking looking up at Holly. He knew the two of them were close, so he wasn’t sure how Holly was going to react. When he looked up however, her face was lit up with a huge mischievous grin. As he caught her eye, she erupted in the most beautiful and melodic laugh that Caleb had ever heard. 

“Oh man!” She cried out between her laughs, “I so wish I was there to see him get his ass handed to him!” Her shoulders shook as she tried to reign in the laughter but she was unsuccessful. Caleb couldn’t help the smile that broke out across his face. Her laughter and enjoyment was really something else. Caleb thought he could stay in this moment forever and be truly happy. Holly finally regained composure and wiped a tear from her eye. 

“I am so looking forward to ripping the piss out of him for this!” She smiled at the man sat across from her, and continued: “I’m so glad that you’re here.”

She had meant it as an offhand compliment, but the second she said it she realised it hadn’t been the right thing to say. Caleb’s smile faded and his green eyes turned grey as he remembered everything he had lost and the reason he was there with her. The good mood had disappeared in an instant, and Holly felt awful. Caleb gave her a small smile, and went to begin clearing the plates. Holly stopped him by putting her hand on his arm. 

“Please, let me.”

The sparks between the two of them were becoming more and more intense. Holly couldn’t believe how just touching his arm could make her body think and feel and want things that she had never experienced before. She felt her stomach backflip, every nerve was tingling, and she felt a warmth spread from her middle down towards her groin, before she pulled her hand away and moved towards the house; forgetting half of the plates in her rush to move away from him. She blushed furiously at the thought that he would be able to smell her arousal at just a moment’s touch of the hands. 

Holly stripped off her jogging bottoms and vest top, stepped into the bathtub and let her body adjust to the searing heat of the water. After a few seconds she lowered herself into the bath and laid down, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She felt her mind wander back to the feelings she had this morning, and moved a hand to rest on her lower stomach. She let her mind drift further, as she thought about what she might feel had it been more than a touch. How his hands might feel on her skin, how his lips might feel against her lips, how his breath might feel against her neck. Her hand moved lower unconsciously, and she imagined what Caleb might do to her once he realised that he was ready to accept her as his mate. She imagined his hands running softly across her stomach, moving to caress her breasts while gently placing kisses along her collarbone. She imagined how he might move his mouth towards hers and begin kissing her gently before becoming more forceful, slipping his tongue between her lips and using it to massage her own tongue and mouth. She imagined his hands moving from her breasts to cup her ass, pulling her closer to his body and allowing her to feel the effect she was having on him through their clothes. As she moved her own fingers towards her intimate area, she imagined they were Caleb’s, teasing his way towards her c**t and away again, leaving her breath caught in her throat and her body wanting more. As she moved her fingers around in a circle, she imagined Caleb pulling his face away from hers to look her straight in the eye as he pushed a finger straight into her. Holly gasped aloud as she did the same, using her other hand to continue circling, rubbing, and gently pinching her c**t, all the while imagining that Caleb’s face was inches away from hers, watching her as she enjoyed herself. As she plunged two fingers in, she imagined what he might look like naked, his d**k long and hard standing to attention, waiting for her to wrap herself around it. At just the thought of that she felt herself reach her c****x and found her release. One that she hadn’t realised how much she needed. 

Holly opened her eyes as she caught her breath back, and found herself in her bathroom, candles still lit and water still hot. She was disappointed that Caleb wasn’t there, but also very pleased with herself and her imagination.