Free Restored by Kari Alice

Lexi’s focus. Benjamin lay in the middle, tucked into a ball. He was in obvious bliss, but he still looked minuscule in the fluffy covering. Lexi walked over to the bed and laid back, which made Benjamin shift ever so slightly. His tail twitched in annoyance.
    “Your bed is so comfortable,” Lexi said as she fanned her arms out on each side in a stretch.
    Caleb looked just as uncomfortable as Lexi was relaxed.
    When Lexi noticed his expression, she pushed herself up and moved off the bed. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” Apparently boundaries were crossed, but why would he not want her on his bed? She hadn’t meant to taunt him, but the bed was so fluffy that it had been impossible to deny.
    “I know what you mean, Lexi. I can’t always help myself either,” Caleb said in a mutter.
    Lexi cheeks burned, but she didn’t comment.
    “There’s the bathroom toward the left,” Caleb said as he headed that direction.
    There was a soaker tub, stand-up shower, and long double-sink vanity. The floor was tiled, and the same tile ran up the walls to the ceiling. “The floor feels really good in here,” Lexi said.
    “It’s the heated tile. It’s especially nice after a bath.” His cheeks reddened.
    Lexi took off her flip-flops and stood on the tile in her bare feet. “That is nice.” Lexi had sensed his unease ever since they’d come into his room. “Why are you so nervous up here?”
    He smiled ruefully. “It’s not that I’m nervous. I just have to control myself when it comes to you…I’m not sure how strong I really am.”
    A ripple of unexpected excitement swirled in her stomach. “What are you afraid of?”
    “You, I guess. I just don’t want to do anything to turn you off from me.” He looked her in the eye, as if trying to tell her what he felt telepathically.
    “How could you possibly do that?”
    “Don’t you know that you’re irresistible?” He took a step closer to her. “I’ve never had difficulty with self-control before, but then you showed up, and it has been a battle ever since.”
    Lexi took a step closer to him. “Don’t you know how irresistible you are to me? I’ve been fine in my fragmented relationships, but here you are, and I don’t feel in control of myself around you either.” Lexi slowly pushed her body against his. Caleb stiffened, his unease only intensifying as she drew closer to him.
    “What is it that you do to me?” His eyes looked confused, as if he really didn’t understand the attraction himself.
    Lexi closed her eyes and blinked back tears. “I could ask you the same question,” she said as her lower lip trembled.
    Caleb glanced toward his watch. “It’s getting late. I’ll take you home.”
    ***
    Physical separation would be the only way to keep him from having her right now. He didn’t want to scare the poor girl off. He’d keep himself in check. Sacrifice was nothing new to him. His needs could wait. Besides, she still didn’t know…
    “I’d rather be with you,” she pouted.
    “I don’t want to turn you off of me that quickly. A girl like you…if you stay around too long, you’ll get tired of me.” He grinned to lighten the mood. “It’s for the best.”
     
    Caleb drove Lexi home in his SUV; the ride was painfully silent. Lexi’s face was set in a hard grimace.
    As he pulled into her driveway, Lexi asked, “What is it about me that revolts you? One minute you’re hugging me—the next you’re almost shoving me away.” Her controlled, almost stoic voice caused him to grit his teeth. Had he made a mistake?
    “What?” Caleb asked. She made no sense, but it was obvious that he’d hurt her feelings with his attempts to protect her.
    “It’s just that you sometimes recoil when I get too close. Did someone make you take me out, or are you gay?” Lexi asked with a sharp edge to her voice.
    He wrinkled his forehead. He hadn’t meant to confuse her, yet there were things he wasn’t ready to reveal—his painful past. But