Not Bragging

Night came quickly for Rose as her mind continued to replay the conversation she'd had with Caleb over and over. She lay on one of the chairs outside her balcony, staring at the bright moon. She couldn't help but wonder who was going to come stay here to prepare for the wedding. But, no matter who it was, she had come to the conclusion that she would not mingle with them. She knew a lot of his family hated her, and she wasn't stupid enough to willingly walk into their hands.

She had also decided she was going to have Jocelyn stay with her even after the wedding. If his people were allowed to stay here, then so were hers.

"What are you thinking about?" Caleb asked as he leaned over her shoulder to whisper against her ear.

Rose jumped in shock and raised her head to look at him. Her breath caught as their faces almost touched. She immediately scurried away and sat up straight, putting her feet on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

Caleb chuckled. "Well it's already dark, so I was thinking about going to bed. But, if you have something better in mind…" he said as the corner of his lips lifted into a crooked grin.

Rose blushed at the insinuation behind his words. "Can we talk about something?"

He frowned when she completely ignored his playful banter, but walked around the chair and sat on the one across from her. "We can talk about anything you want sweetheart."

"I was thinking about what you said… about your family joining us for wedding preparations. I was hoping I could invite Jocelyn to come as well." She looked up at him, hands resting on her lap fidgeting with her fingers.

Caleb smiled. "I've already called her. She will be joining us in a few days."

Rose's eyes widened in shock. "You did?"

He nodded. "Yes. I knew you would want some support from the people you love. It wouldn't be fair if my side of the family joined us right?"

She nodded. She should have called Jocelyn sooner. Speaking of calling… "Caleb I seem to have lost my phone. Is there any way you could have someone look for it?"

"I will have someone get on it right away. Where did you see it last?" he asked innocently, not giving away the fact that he was the one responsible for its disappearance.

She frowned. "I'm not too sure. I could have sworn I left it on my night stand in the other house, but it's not here so maybe it was left behind."

Caleb nodded. He had already prepared a new phone for her, but he had to wait for her to bring it up herself. He just hadn't expected her to take so long to realize her phone was missing. He couldn't help but wonder if she actually ever used the thing when she had it before. Weren't kids supposed to live off of their cellphones nowadays? Although he had to admit, that Rose was not the same as other girls. She was not obsessed with social media the way most of her generation was. "I will have them check right away. It's not something that can get lost easily."

She nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

"Are you ready for bed?" he asked, changing the subject.

Her cheeks immediately blushed as she turned to look into the room through the glass doors. Her eyes landed on the giant bed and her cheeks turned a brighter red.

Caleb smiled, noting her reaction. "The bed is big enough for both of us sweetheart."

"That's not what worries me," Rose said as she looked away from the bed to glare up at him.

He chuckled. "Then please tell me what worries you."

She bit her bottom lip. "Will you promise not to touch me?"

"No." He immediately shook his head.

Her eyes narrowed once again as she glared at him. "Why not?" she asked indignantly.

"Because I want to touch you," he answered matter-of-factly.

Her cheeks immediately returned to their reddened state with his words. "You…" she trailed off, unsure of what to call him. He was completely shameless, but pointing it out was going to make no difference. In fact, she was almost positive that he took pride in his shamelessness.

He chuckled. "You what?" he asked as he found her reaction amusing. Why was she so cute when she was angry? He couldn't get enough of teasing her.

She huffed. "We're not married yet. You can't touch me!" she said.

"So you're saying as soon as we're married I can touch you?" he asked with a playful grin.

She froze. "What? N-no… that's not what I meant." Her heart suddenly started racing as her mind began to wander in the wrong direction. She was suddenly reminded that once they got married, she would have to sleep with him. Then again, he was gorgeous, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. A picture of Jack suddenly flashed in her mind and her heart tightened with guilt. She shook her head as she realized what she was thinking and cleared her throat. "The wedding is still far away," she said as she tried to find a way out of this hole.

"A couple weeks is not that far away," he said with a smile.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she subconsciously tightened her hands around her dress anxiously. Yes, their wedding was only a couple weeks away. When was Jack going to come for her? Why was he taking so long? Did he even know where she was now?

His eyes narrowed as he noticed the emotions gleaming in her eyes. It was obvious how unsettled she was about the subject. "Are you scared?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'm getting married to the vampire king," she said with a dry chuckle.

His eyebrow lifted. "There are thousands of women who would kill to be in your place," he chuckled.

"Are you bragging?" she asked, eyebrows lifted.

"Not at all." He was bragging a little.

Her eyes narrowed at his coquettish smile. It was hard to miss the pride on his face when he'd uttered that sentence. She scoffed and shook her head, rolling her eyes.

Caleb chuckled. "Hey feel free to brag about all the boyfriends you've had. I'm sure you've got a harem just waiting for you."

She chuckled at his words. "We're not all as popular as you are. I've only ever had one boyfriend…" Her words stopped at the mention of Jack. Her one boyfriend she had been forced to break apart from.

Caleb realized why she had suddenly gone quiet. He knew how many men she had dated, how could he not? He was the one who had chased away most of the scum who had approached her the past few years, the rest had been handled by her own father. Who would have thought she would end up falling in love with the bodyguard? He had been too careless.

He had fought with himself over the years, not sure if he was doing the right thing by meddling in her love life. But, to his credit, ninety nine percent of the men he had gotten rid off had approached her for the wrong reasons and were trash. He hated to admit, Jack was the only decent man whom had approached her with no ulterior motives. Even so, he was not willing to back off and give up without giving it a shot. He would try, and if she really didn't love him, he would let her go free in the end, no matter how much it hurt.

He looked at her and smiled. "So, about me touching you…"

Before he could say more she stood up and walked away from him, leaving with a sigh.