Page 35 of 'Til All the Seas Run Dry

Callum smiled wolfishly. “She hasnae ever dropped by to see me in my birthday suit, if that’s what you’re implying.”

Jory rolled her eyes, her gaze catching on a drop of water that dripped from his hair and sluiced down his neck, following the muscled lines of his chest and disappearing into his chest hair. She didn’t allow herself to follow it further, couldn’t allow herself to look back down at those obscene, damp sweatpants. She came here to talk to him, and if she let her eyes follow that water drop where it was about to lead, she’d forget about talking and try to climb him like a tree.

Instead, she stared hard at his Adam’s apple, at the stubble of beard that dotted his neck. It felt safer than looking up at his piercing eyes or down at…Stop it, Jory.

Callum cleared his throat. “Would you like to come in?” He opened the door farther and stood out of her way, giving her space to wordlessly pass into the cabin.

When he had closed the door behind her, he said, “If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll be right back.”

She’d been here before. She’dlivedhere before, and so she was confused when he disappeared into what Jory knew was a closet. She followed him and saw a hatch door that had been cleverly disguised by the planks of the wood floor, which opened to a staircase. She knew she shouldn’t follow him. And yet before she could stop herself, she was on the stairs going carefully down.

“I never knew this was down here,” she said, her boots sounding heavy on the wooden steps. She reached the bottom of the staircase in time to see the muscled lines of Callum’s back as he bent over a suitcase on the floor in the corner. Her mouth went dry. This was a bad idea. No, this was a terrible idea. Hadn’t she learned her lesson last night?Always so thirsty, lass.

He straightened and pulled a white T-shirt over his head, his big, tanned hands yanking the hem down.

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, realizing that she was still wearing her heavy coat. She was too warm. He crossed the room, and her gaze fell to his feet. She’d always marveled at them, at how different they were from her own. He stopped a respectful distance from her and waited, quiet, as if he was afraid to spook her.

She looked at him and saw how tight his jaw was, how wary his eyes looked.

“I came to talk,” she said. “I think… I think we need to talk.”

“Aye,” he replied. “I agree.”

They stared at one another for a few spans of breath, in this vault that Magda had never told anyone about. Jory hadlived here. When she’d first come to World’s End. Had the vault been there then? How many other secrets did Magda have? Jory’s gaze travelled around the room, to the quilt-topped iron bed frame. To the little sofa and the desk and chair, the rumpled pile of clothes underneath the desk. The laptop and tablet, cell phone, and watch on top. Retail was her business. Designer brands. Vintage. All of it. She knew a Vacheron Constantin Tourbillon Chronograph when she saw one.

“Nice watch,” she said.

“Aye. It is.”

“Expensive.”

He sighed. “Aye.”

“Very expensive.”

“Aye.” He rubbed his neck, as if uncomfortable. “I’ve made a lot of money,” he said flatly. “My assistant told me that a man with as much money as I have should wear a watch to match.”

“Do you agree?”

“I dinnae care,” he said, his voice tight.

“About what? The watch or the money?”

“Both.”

“And yet you bought it anyway.”

She was needling him. She knew it, but it felt so good, so familiar in a moment where nothing else did. When they’d lived in the cottage by the sea, she could have packed all of their essential belongings into two rucksacks and all of their earthly possessions in a small cart. Now, he wore a watch that cost more money than some people made in their lifetimes.

“Aye. I bought it anyway. ’Tis a good watch.”

“For as much as you paid, it should be.”

He dragged a hand through his wet hair. “Did you come here to harangue me about my finances? Should I pull up my accounts? Do you want to see what I’m worth now? I couldnae give you anything before. Maybe I can make up for that now?”

“I don’t give a shit about your money,” she said.

His jaw was tense. They were getting nowhere like this. Struggling for calm, Jory took a deep breath.