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Ellie sat on the edge of the bed, her arms curled protectively around herself. “What just happened?”
Cal shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips, then crossed to bed and sat down close enough beside her that their thighs touched. He put his lips next to her ear. “I think they’re listening.”
Her eyes rounded behind her glasses, but she didn’t panic like he half-expected her to. Instead, she leaned in until her exhale tickled his ear, sending a very inconvenient bolt of lust straight to his cock.
This is an act. Not real.
“Can we trust Vigil?” she whispered.
“We can’t trust anyone.” He pushed her glasses up and brushed a wayward curl behind her ear. His fingers lingered, tracing the freckles that sprinkled her porcelain skin. This was a dangerous place for them to be in so many ways.
He stood and turned away so she wouldn’t see how her nearness was affecting him. “Serenity’s right. We should sleep. I’ll take the floor.”
Ellie’s voice was soft but firm in the dim, flickering light. “No, you won’t.”
He turned to find her staring at him, determination in her blue eyes. “We’re supposed to be together, remember? We sleep in the same bed. It’s plenty big enough for the both of us.” She hesitated before adding, “And it’ll be safer that way... in case something happens.”
Their proximity would certainly not be safe for his sanity, or his heart, but he couldn’t deny the practicality of her words.
“Okay.” He nodded toward the small bathroom. “Do you want to clean up first?”
She nodded and stood, hesitating for only a beat before picking up the plain cotton nightgown the commune had provided. She disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
While she was gone, he told his body to settle the fuck down, then studied his assigned pile of clothes. They reminded him of some of the costumes he’d seen when his cousin dragged him to a renaissance faire—long linen tunics and loose pants.
Ellie emerged from the bathroom, and, despite his mental pep talk, his body once again betrayed him. The nightgown was modest, shapeless even, reaching down to her ankles but the way it hugged her curves as she moved made his mouth go dry. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and he found himself yearning to bury his fingers in those curls.
“Your turn,” she said, sliding under the covers.
He nodded and quickly gathered his clothes, retreating into the cramped bathroom. He turned on the cold shower, hoping to shock his cock into behaving. It worked. Mostly.
When he returned, Ellie had already snuggled under the covers, her blonde curls fanned out on the pillow. She looked impossibly small and vulnerable against the crisp white linen.
He climbed into bed beside her, his every nerve ending aware of their shared warmth in the cool room. The mattress creaked softly under
his weight, and Ellie turned her head to look at him. Her glasses were off, leaving her vulnerable blue eyes wide open to him. They watched each other in the flickering light for a long, lingering moment.
“Cal?” Her voice was soft and uncertain.
“Yeah?” He forced his own voice to remain steady, despite the pounding of his heart that threatened to betray his feelings.
“Do you think Hope is really here?”
The question hung heavily in the air between them. He could see the hope flickering in her eyes, but also the fear. The fear of what finding her sister might mean.
“If she is, we’ll find her.”
She nodded and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he didn’t trust himself not to cross a boundary they couldn’t afford to blur.
Instead, he lay on his side, watching her silhouette against the dim light.
“Goodnight, Cal,” she murmured.
“Goodnight, Ellie.”
Her breathing slowly evened out, indicating sleep had claimed her. But for Cal, sleep was elusive. He lay there in the darkness, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts about their current predicament and the woman beside him.
He waited a while longer before allowing himself to look at her again, studying her features in the glow of the fire. The faint frown line between her eyebrows as she slept, the gentle rise and fall of her chest beneath the blanket, her lips parted slightly as she breathed. He resisted the impulse to tuck that one rebellious curl behind her ear.
