The silence Caleb left behind was violent.
It wasn't just the absence of noise; it was a vacuum, sucking the air out of the room until my lungs burned. My kitchen, usually my sanctuary, felt suddenly vast and exposed, the corners stretching into shadows that shouldn't have been there.
And the smell. God, the smell.
The scent of cedar, rain, and raw, masculine heat was etched into the very air. It was suffocating. It was intoxicating. It made my knees tremble in a way that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the way he had looked at me—like he wanted to devour me and save me in the same breath.
"Ma?"
The small, watery whimper broke the spell.
I snapped my head down. Leo was rubbing his eyes with a chubby fist, his bottom lip wobbling.
I scooped him up, buryin
