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‘Eric’s death wasn’t your fault, Hailey.’
‘I know.’
Callum came round the coffee-table and sat down on the edge, facing her. ‘Do you? Really?’
She looked into his grey eyes, so close now. His knees were centimetres from hers. ‘Yes, really. On an intellectual level, yes.’
‘And on an emotional level?’
Hailey sighed. Boy, did he know how to ask the right questions. ‘Emotionally, things aren’t so clear cut.’
Callum nodded and took another swig of his beer. ‘Ain’t that the truth.’
Hailey looked at him sharply. ‘You blame yourself for Tom?’
‘No.’ Callum gave a decisive shake of his head. ‘I was onto that very quickly.’
Then that only left…‘Annie?’
Callum looked away from her probing gaze. He rolled the beer bottle against his forehead. ‘You’re not going to tell me not to blame myself? That there was nothing I could have done?’
‘I think you know that,’ she said gently.
He glared at her. ‘I’m a doctor, damn it. I save people’s lives. That’s what I do. And yet I couldn’t even help my own wife.’
‘I know.’
‘She wouldn’t let me help her. She was so determined to do it herself.’
‘I know,’ Hailey murmured again, because there wasn’t anything else she could say.
Callum rubbed his hand over his hair. ‘Annie’s parents blame me.’
‘Oh, Callum, I don’t think—’
‘They do. They don’t say it but I know they feel that way. I know they think I should have been onto it sooner.’
Hailey nodded, the denial dying on her lips. Paul had never said it either but she had known. ‘They need someone to be mad at.’
‘Yes.’ Callum threw his head back and finished the beer in a few deep swallows. He looked at her and smiled. ‘Fine couple we make.’
She gave a half-laugh. ‘Yes.’ The smiled faded. He was looking at her intensely, his gaze on her mouth. Her pulse stuttered to a halt for a brief second before resuming in triple time. Their moment on the balcony seemed an age ago now but when he looked at her like that, it was as if it had been yesterday.
She picked up his empty beer bottle, pleased to be doing something, breaking the eye contact. She headed into the kitchen, desperate for space. She discarded the empty in the bin under the sink and almost jumped when she realised he’d followed her.
Callum stood in the doorway, suddenly clear about why he’d come tonight. He wanted her. He had since the ball and he didn’t want to pretend he didn’t any more. ‘I want to make love to you.’
Hailey’s pulse roared in her head as his husky words stroked across her abdomen like trailing fingers. She held on tight to the bench, not trusting herself when her head was saying no but her body was saying game on.
She wanted to make love to him too. In fact, she couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever wanted something so much. But without analysing them too deeply, she knew her feelings ran much deeper than sex, and she wasn’t sure she could play with that kind of fire. She was still sporting scars from the last time. And Callum was vulnerable tonight. After what had happened yesterday, they both were.
Not a good idea.
Hailey swallowed. ‘No, you don’t. Tom is away and you had a dream about Annie and you don’t want to be alone tonight.’
Callum pushed away from the doorframe and walked towards her. ‘No, you’re wrong. This is nothing to do with Annie or Tom and everything to do with the attraction that we’ve been ignoring too long. I know we said we shouldn’t do this but I can’t pretend any more. I see you at work and I want you. I see you in the lift here or lying by the pool and I want you. Even yesterday, when you gave me such a fright, I wanted you. I can’t deny it any more.’
Hailey closed her eyes, shutting out his progress towards her, willing him back. Back to the doorway. To the lounge room. To the other side of her front door. To his house. To Melbourne.
‘Hailey.’
His voice was near and she opened her eyes to find him standing before her. He was so far up, towering over her. She wished the distance was greater but at the same time her fingers tingled to pull him closer.
‘Callum.’
He heard the note of pleading in her voice. But was it beseeching him to stop or was it asking him not to? ‘You know you want this,’ he said huskily, gently cupping the side of her face in his hand, tracing his thumb over the contour of her bottom lip.
Hailey sighed, turning her face into his palm. She inhaled his smell and dropped a kiss there. She looked at him. ‘We’re not teenagers, Callum. Sometimes what we want isn’t good for us, sometimes—’
