We return to the cozy living room. I see the couch I regained consciousness on—before I was given a guest bedroom to sleep in—and a stone fireplace next to it that I failed to notice yesterday.
There's also a wraparound porch with various entry points around the floor. Callum shows me each of them, including one that jams easily. He shows me how to lift the door slightly to get it to open, then he points out a hidden key under a pot in case I get locked out.
He’s definitely too trusting.
I trail after him, taking in the home gym off the side of the garage. There are weights, a rower, an elliptical machine, and a couple of treadmills. Though I pick up a faint smell of sweat and disinfectant, it's not gross. Black mats cover the floor, and one side is sectioned off for what I can only assume is a sparring zone. I see some boxing gloves dangling from a hook next to some wraps and a haphazard stack of towels.
“We spend a lot of time in here.” He picks up a stray towel and tosses it into a hamper in the corner. “You're welcome to use anything you want. If there's anything you want to change or add, just let us know.”
I nod, like it's not crazy as hell that this complete stranger just offered to let me take over his home gym.
He shows me the rest of the house, including what I now know are five bedrooms upstairs, before leaving me to get ready for the outdoors tour.
I slip into a pair of worn jeans, forcing myself not to overthink things. The rips in the knees come more from rough use than fashion, but they fit perfectly. Tying a flannel around my waist in case I get cold, I shove my feet into the sturdy hiking books I wear on the run. A look at the clock shows it's been almost half an hour since we finished the dishes. I make my way downstairs and out to the porch.
The view takes my breath away.
Since I've been forced to travel so much in my life, you'd think I'd be numb to the beauty of just being outside. Despite it all, I still go misty eyed when I look at the mountains. They are so strong, so old, so dependable. The longer I stare up at them, the more they lend me their strength. Maybe that’s stupid, but I can’t help feeling a little more capable.
The screen door opens with a subtle whine and both men join me. Gideon's cheeks are a little red, and there's something about Callum's smirk that makes me even surer that I’m missing a joke. I search for something—anything—to say, but come up blank. Thankfully, I'm saved when Gideon grins down at me and throws his arm over my shoulder.
“Let's take the ATVs.” Gideon’s deep voice booms with enthusiasm.
I can barely keep up with his long strides. When I try, the raw scrapes on my ribs pull painfully.
“Slow down, you Neanderthal. She's like three feet tall,” Callum shouts from behind us. While I'm grateful he said something about the pace, I narrow my eyes at his wording.
“I’m five foot two, actually,” I sputter. “Probably an inch taller in these shoes.” I stomp the dusty ground to illustrate my point. There’s a tiny pause, then they both burst out laughing.I grind to a halt and their laughter dies down as they exchange glances.
“It's a very respectable height,” Callum backtracks. “Practically average for a woman, I think...” He says the words with a straight face, but my eyes narrow when Gideon can't quite hide how his lips are twitching.
“Yes, yes, Sheena is so tall.” He rolls his eyes as I glare at him. “The only reason I'm doingthisis because I want to...” Gideon hoists me onto his back so quickly my head spins, wrapping his giant hands under my thighs. Suddenly, I’m seven feet tall and riding on the back of a giant with no impulse control. “Not because I'm worried we won't make it back by dark at this pace.”
I gasp and demand he put me down, but he just pretends he can't hear me. Instead, he takes off at a bouncy trot, forcing me to grip his shoulders or risk backflipping to my death in the dirt. When I glance over my shoulder for backup, Callum just smirks and matches his jog to ours.
Maybe a quarter of a mile later, we reach a clearing with a small, well-kept barn. Callum places a steadying hand on my back as I slide down to the ground. When I take a step away and turn to face him, he laughs at my wide-eyed, exasperated look.
“I told you, he's a cuddler,” Callum explains, grinning like that even begins to describe the wild, unsanctioned piggyback ride through the woods.
I shake my head. This day is getting weirder by the hour.
CALLUM
I shouldn’t have touched her.
Sheena’s cheeks are rosy. Her dark hair is a little tangled after the jog through the woods. She looks torn between annoyance and embarrassment, and I want to kiss the look right off her face.
I’m a fool.
This is Gideon’smate. Literally some fated, magical, ‘their souls are designed for each other’ type of shit. Sure, they might not be together yet, but I know what she is to him—what they will be to each other. It’s practically destiny.
There’s just one problem: I still want to kiss her.
I hate myself for it, but my incubus doesn’t care. It's his fucking fault that I want to push Sheena up against a tree and make her moan and scream until her voice goes hoarse. It's definitely his fault that I want to lay her down on top of the ATV and lick her until she's a dripping, whimpering mess, begging for permission to come on my face.
Honestly, that’s all pretty standard issue incubus stuff. But kissing away the embarrassment on her face? I'm not sure I can blame that on demonic nature.
My chest feels tight, the ever-present seed of anxiety in my gut growing exponentially as it feeds on what ifs until I can feel it twisting around my organs like a parasitic vine. What if I ruin everything? What if I lose my best friend? What if I prove everyone right about me?
