The Wolf’s Contract Marriage by Layla Silver

Chapter 12 – Teagan

"We should probably talk," I said quietly to Caelum once Octavia was settled happily in the spare room, wearing some extra, comfortable clothes that I'd packed but hadn't gotten around to wearing yet. Caelum had talked to Camilla over the phone and, amazingly, they’d come to the agreement that Tavi would stay here for the night, seeing as she really didn’t want to go home. My shirt swamped her, so that it looked like she was wearing it as a dress. It was adorable to see, and I had to resist the urge to sweep Tavi up and shower her in affectionate kisses.

Octavia wasn’t my kid, after all.

But she could be,

Or at least I was hoping that she could be.

Tavi had eaten her burger like it was made of pure gold, taking each bite and chewing it slowly and methodically. I got the impression that she didn't get treats very often, and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see.

"Yeah, we probably should." Caelum sighed as he gently closed the bedroom door.

I led him back into the living room and sat down on the couch. He immediately took a seat beside me, so close that we were touching, from our shoulders to our knees.

"Is everything all right, Teagan?" His voice sounded somewhat worried, as did the frown on his face.

"Everything is just fine," I replied hastily and covered one of his hands with my own. "It's just that... there appear to be some pretty strict rules that poor Tavi has to live under."

"Yeah, Camilla is something of a hard ass." Caelum rubbed a hand over his face and sighed tiredly. "Even before we had Tavi, she had a lot of rules for me too. I couldn't wear shoes in the house, or eat sugar, or hang out with anyone but people she knew. I suppose that should've set some alarm bells off for me, but you know how you are in a relationship."

I nodded in understanding. "I get it, I do. I heard horror stories from friends at school who had rigorous parents." I pointed in the direction of the guest bedroom. "But that poor girl looked at her burger like it was made of pure gold... or could run away at any second. I couldn't quite tell."

There were a few moments of easy silence between us before I spoke up again.

"Look, there weren't many rules around my house when I was growing up, so I can't say I understand what Tavi has to deal with daily." I reached out and took one of Caelum's hands in my own, so I could fiddle with his fingers while I said what I needed to. "But if there's anything I need to know, rules-wise, regarding your daughter, I will try and follow them as closely as possible."

Caelum stared at me, absolute shock etched in every line of his face. "What rules?"

"I don't know. But if there are any rules or boundaries regarding you or Octavia, tell me now, and I will try my hardest to follow the—"

In a flurry of movement, Caelum had wrapped his arms around me and clutched my body tightly against his own, cutting off my sentence prematurely. "There aren't any rules regarding Octavia or me. Just keep being yourself," he murmured into my hair.

I nodded as best as I could and melted into his embrace. He felt safe and warm, and I sighed contentedly.

"I'm not very good at voicing my feelings," he continued softly into my hair, "but I appreciate you more than I can put into words, Teagan."

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that statement, so I just kept quiet. I really didn't want to ruin the peaceful moment that had settled over us like a freshly washed blanket straight from the dryer.

After what could've been seconds, minutes, or hours, we pulled away from each other. Caelum looked at me with an intense look on his face that I couldn't even begin to decipher.

"I should probably go to bed," I murmured regretfully as I stood up from the couch.

"Why? We could go back to my room and..."

"As much as I'd love to, I don't think that would be very appropriate, what with your daughter in the guest room."

Caelum ducked his head in understanding at my statement. "Can't argue with that."

I leaned down and kissed him passionately. It was a kiss full of emotion, full of the promise of what we'd do once we were alone together once again.

"Goodnight, Caelum," I whispered as I rested my forehead against his.

"Goodnight, Teagan."

As I walked back to my room a few seconds later, I could feel Caelum's heated gaze on my back with every step I took away from him.

It took everything in me not to turn around and run back to him. To let him do whatever he so clearly wanted to do with me.

Think of Octavia, think of Octavia, think of Octavia...

I made it to my room and closed the door by some kind of miracle.

As I leaned against the door and tried to drag my thoughts away from romping in the sheets with Caelum, I wondered if he knew what he did to me.

I had the sneakiest suspicion that he did.

***

The following day, I woke up alone in my own bed. It took me a second to remember why I was by myself because I'd gotten used to having Caelum cuddled into my back or sprawled out beside me.

I found myself getting up and out of bed as quickly as I could. The temptation to be near Caelum again was way too strong to ignore. Within ten minutes, I was washed, dressed, and on my way to the kitchen.

When I reached the kitchen doorway, it was to find father and daughter trying to make pancakes together.

"Teagan!" they chorused, and identical smiles of pleasure lit up on their faces.

"Good morning, Burroughs. Have a good night?"

"Yes, thank you," Tavi replied politely as she deftly flipped a pancake with a flick of her wrist.

"I forgot how quick of a learner you were. Well done, that was perfect," Caelum said softly to Octavia, who beamed happily. Caelum then raised his voice slightly as he answered my question. "As to the good night, well..." His heated gaze flicked up and down my body longingly. "I was a little cold."

There was no way Caelum had been cold, and he knew I knew it.

I missed you, he mouthed over Tavi's head when she looked down to check on her pancake.

I know, I missed you too, I mouthed back quickly. I closed my mouth just as Octavia lifted her head.

"I think this pancake's done!" she announced proudly.

"Let me check... yeah, you did it," Caelum replied, sounding just as proud of her. "Go get the syrup from the pantry, and then you can eat your masterpiece."

Tavi nodded and disappeared further into the kitchen.

Within milliseconds of the little girl being out of sight, Caelum was at my side. Before I could react to anything, he was giving me the most intense kiss of my life. When we pulled away, I was panting.

"What the hell, Caelum?" I hissed as I realized the fingers on both my hands were tangled hopelessly in his shirt. I didn't remember putting them there.

"Just wanted to give you a proper good morning kiss," he replied with a wink and a smirk. Then he sidled back to where he'd been standing seconds before, just in time for Octavia to reappear.

The kiss couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, but to me, it felt like it had lasted hours. I could still feel the pressure of Caelum's lips on mine and the slightly bitter coffee taste on his tongue.

"Oh shhh..." Caelum muttered as he checked his watch. "We're running late."

"You can swear, Daddy, that's not the worst word I've heard."

Both Caelum and I swiveled our heads to look at Octavia with identical incredulous expressions on our faces.

"What do you mean?" Caelum asked in a voice hoarse with shock.

Octavia shrugged and popped the last bite of her pancake into her mouth. "I'm ready to go when you are, Daddy."

"Let's go," Caelum said as he grabbed his car keys off the hook on the wall and picked up his wallet from the kitchen counter.

"Goodbye, Teagan," Caelum's adorable little girl said as she threw her arms around my waist. "I hope to see you again really soon."

"I hope so too, little one," I replied as I shared an amused glance with Caelum.

Octavia waved at me as she got into the car and then again after she was strapped in. It was absolutely adorable how we'd become friends in such a short space of time.

"See you later," I called to Caelum, who pulled his sunglasses down his nose to wink lasciviously at me.

"Count on it," he replied, and I found myself shivering slightly at the intensity in his voice.

A few seconds later, Caelum's car roared to life, and he carefully pulled into traffic.

I waved until the car disappeared from view, then I turned and headed back into the house to spend the day by myself, working.

For the first time in recent memory, I wasn't looking forward to it much.