Callahan is still in my bed. Eyebrows furrowed. Eyes still closed.
Shit. I don’t want to move, don’t want to disturb him, even though we’re inmybed.
“Cal?” I whisper.
And Cal…groans.
Growls.Low, rumbling, almost needy.
I jerk away, heart rattling, mouth dry, pulse suddenly throbbing below my waist…
And that wakes him up.
Callahan’s eyes blink open—slowly, at first, sleepily, and then fully, in an urgent panic.
“Gwenna?”
His voice sounds craggy, and that’s somehow even worse.
“I…” I squeak. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t…I thought…”
Callahan’s pale behind his freckles. Callahan hasfreckles. How have I never noticed that before?
Helikesyou likes you.
He goes very stiff and still. “I…”
Then his face goes pink. His eyes dart down his body, and back. Then he shifts uncomfortably.
Oh.Oh.
I shake my head vigorously. “It’s okay,” I say. “It’s okay. I’m just going to…” Awkwardly,soawkwardly, I push up to sitting and sort of…roll over the foot of the bed, over his long legs and to the floor, averting my gaze the entire time until I can get my bearings andrunfor the bathroom.
Once I’m in there, I slam the door and lean against it, breathing hard, my reflection staring back at me in the mirror.
Bedhead. Eye bags. An oversized Caliburn University T-shirt and plain black sleep shorts. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, maybe the absurdity of the whole moment, but I almost have to laugh.
This?I want to say.Me?
Outside, in the living room, I can hear scuffling, thumps, footsteps. I take a deep breath—in, out—and decide I’m calm enough to emerge.
“Cal?”
The door bangs and he’s gone.
TWENTY-FOUR
CALLAHAN
I consider just jumpingin the lake.
It would certainly cool me off. Maybe stop my heart from the shock, if I was lucky.
But then I remember the lake is frozen. So I settle for the coldest shower Camlann House has ever seen.
When it’s over, and my teeth are chattering, I wrap myself in a towel, shove my glasses back on, and grab my scapular back off the hook. I drop it over my neck and the two pendants settle strangely cold against my skin. Like they’re just of the freezer.
It’s almost a relief.
