Jessica's POV
After Caleb knotted inside me, exhaustion claimed him completely. He collapsed against me, still buried deep within my body, his breathing heavy and labored. The previous time we had been intimate like this, he hadn't lost consciousness, which made me suspect that whatever substance Bonita had given him was still affecting his system.
"That damned woman," I murmured under my breath, carefully shifting my position to look up at his face. In sleep, his features were serene, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
He truly was magnificent to behold. Like this, with all his defenses lowered and his expression peaceful, he appeared almost vulnerable.
"I love you."
Those three words echoed endlessly through my thoughts.
The tenderness in his voice when he spoke them, the way his heartbeat had quickened beneath my palm. Every syllable had been genuine.
So why had I been unable to return those words?
