Candy nodded enthusiastically as she pulled my cell phone from my bag. “Yep. I’m going to be bonded with Jeremy in a few years, once I’m twenty-one.” She held up the phone. “Hey, did you know this is dead? You should really keep it charged.”
I flinched at the words—the same words that Jimmy had uttered moments before he died. “Yeah, I did.” I wanted to get out of bed but felt a little self-conscious about being half-naked. “There’s a charger in the bag. Would you mind getting it out and plugging it in for me?”
Candy nodded as she riffled through the bag once again, yanked out the cord and quickly found a plug to connect it to. “There you go.”
“So what does it mean to be bonded, Candy?” I edged to the side of the bed, being careful to keep myself covered from the waist down.
Candy looked over her shoulder at me, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “You mean Cal didn’t bond with you yet?”
I shrugged. How the hell would I know?
“Oh man.” Candy’s pale skin flushed with color and she turned toward the door. “You know, I’d better go. You need to get up. Breakfast has been happening for a while already. If you don’t get downstairs, soon the guys will eat all the food. They’re pigs—they eat everything in sight.” She stepped out of the room but poked her head back in to add, “It’s nice meeting you, by the way. There aren’t any other girls here to talk to so it’s great to have you staying.”
I forced a smile, suddenly feeling like an idiot for not knowing about the bonding process. What did that mean—to bond? Were we about to bond the night before when I put the brakes on? Could it be something as simple as having sex? I rested my forehead on my upturned palm, too many questions rolling around in my head. I needed to find Cal.
After a quick wash up and fresh change of clothes, I made my way downstairs, following the scent of bacon and maple syrup to the large dining room off the side of the main hallway. I stood at the door watching with amazement as a dozen incredibly large men shoveled food into their mouths at an alarming speed. Candy was right—these guys ate a ton.
Ken noticed me first, and hastily stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth as he rose from his chair and motioned me in. “Morgan,” he mumbled through the food, “so nice to see you up and about.” All eyes turned toward me and I suddenly felt like the prized pet on display.
I smiled, self-conscious and barely making eye contact with each of the men before trailing my gaze to Cal, who was seated at the end of the table, a forkful of eggs suspended halfway to his mouth. A moment of electrifying heat passed between us as our eyes locked, broken only when Lance slapped him on the back, sending his eggs splattering to his plate.
Okay, so apparently I still wanted him. That little impulse hadn’t disappeared while I’d slept.
“Cal, don’t you think you should offer Morgan a seat?” Lance was smirking as he pulled his chair out and motioned for me to sit. “Here, take mine. It’s my turn to clean up anyway.” He picked up his plate and moved toward the swinging door behind Cal. “I’ll get you some food. Be back in a jiffy.”
I moved slowly, my eyes still locked with Cal’s. He stood awkwardly and motioned to the seat next to him. “There’s a spot here for you.”
I nodded and eased down into the chair. Lance bounded back into the room and laid a plate piled high with food in front of me. “I hope you’re hungry,” he teased.
I smiled up at him, loving the fact that the man’s playfulness erased some of the awkward tension between me and Cal. “If you think I can’t eat this all, you’re mistaken. I can eat any one of you under the table.”
A whooping round of laughter rang through the room and my smile widened.
Lance beamed. “Well then, sugar, eat up…there’s more of that in the kitchen when you’re done.” He winked. “You know, Morgan, I think you’re going to get along just fine around here.”
I nodded, ignoring Cal’s burning gaze as I dug into the food.
“Come on, Cal, are you at least going to introduce us?” an attractive red-haired fellow asked with a wicked grin.
Cal cleared his throat. “Morgan, that’s James.”
I smiled in his direction. “Hi James. Nice to meet you.” Before I even finished my sentence, Cal was rattling off the names of everyone else.
“And that’s Phenton, Darren, Kevin, Peter, Andr…”
“Whoa man, slow up,” one of the unnamed ones laughed. His smile was infectious, his blond curls and spray of freckles making him look cherub-like. “She’s clearly overwhelmed. I think it might be better if we just introduce ourselves to Morgan over the next few days.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I think I made it up to Peter before my brain started to sizzle.”
“That’s okay.” The cherub rose from his seat and walked over to me, offering his hand. “My name is Andrew. My bonded is the Oracle, Kelly. I’m sure Cal has told you about her.”