“I don’t blame her.”
I breathe a small sigh of relief.
“There is only one person responsible for the travesty that happened in that room.”
I hold my breath, waiting for him to mutter my name, to end whatever this is between us for good.
Callum tilts his head up, meeting my gaze. “Me.”
“Callum. No. Nothing about what happened in that room is your fault.”
“I should have been there. I should have been ready the moment the time turned. I was so worried about my own feelings, I left my family and my people in a vulnerable position. I can’t blame anyone else for my own lack of courage and foresight.”
I reach for his hand, needing contact with him before the guilt overwhelms me. “You are one of the bravest people I know, Callum Reid. And you would have been there if it weren’t for me.”
“I made my own decisions, Caterine. I wanted to be with you. I needed to be with you.” He laughs bitterly. “I’m a coward and a fool.”
I inch my way closer to him, making sure to keep plenty of space between us. “I could help you with that, you know.”
He runs a hand through his hair, water dripping through his curls and down his cheek. “I don’t deserve to feel better, Cate. I did this, and now I have to live with the consequences. If I had beenthere, instead of…” He doesn’t finish the thought because he doesn’t need to.
The shame burns through me. I push my way to standing, the water dripping from my bare skin as I make to exit the tub. “I’m sorry, Callum. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
He takes my hand again, gently tugging me down, pulling me closer, positioning me so I straddle his lap. “I shouldn’t have said that. There is nothing you could’ve done differently. I was so focused on you, on us, I couldn’t see anything else.”
I think about Harold’s words. About the Bond. Maybe it is true. Because being here in Callum’s arms, even with everything uncertain still swirling around us, I feel almost at peace.
“Do you regret it?” I brush a damp curl from his face, letting my fingers linger over the quickly fading bruises on his cheek.
His arm wraps around my waist. “I could never regret you, my lady.” He presses his forehead to my collarbone, his shoulders sagging. “It feels so good to be in your arms again, Cate. It’s the first time in four days that I feel like I can breathe.”
“I know.” I dance the words over the shell of his ear. “I thought it was going to be easy to let you go.”
His arms tighten around my waist, pulling me closer to him, pressing our cores together. “I knew it would be impossible to let you go.”
I take his cheeks in my hands, forcing him to look me in the eye. “Where do you want to go from here, Callum?”
“You mean other than to bed?” A hint of a grin tugs on his lips.
I roll my eyes, even though I delight in this hint of humor brightening his face. I tangle my fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck. “I will take you to bed, Your Highness. I don’t like to leave my clients unfulfilled.”
His eyes darken. “Am I still a client?”
“Do you wish to be something else?” I shift my hips the slightest bit, rolling against his stiffening cock.
His hands find my hips, shifting me away. “I wish to be a lot of things, Lady Caterine, but none of the things could ever be good for you.”
I raise my eyebrows. “That sounds a lot like you’re trying to make my decision for me, Your Highness.” Though I know I should let him pull away, let him keep this distance between us, especially if it’s what he wants.
“What decision is there to make, Cate?” Any hint of lightness has disappeared. “What could I offer you at this point?”
I press my lips to his cheek. “You, Cal. You could offer me yourself.” I brush a kiss over his forehead. “And you could let me be the one to decide if I think you’re enough.” I kiss his other cheek before dragging my lips to his ear. “And I do.” I turn my head, this kiss landing at the corner of his mouth. “I don’t know much about what is going to happen over the next few days, or the next few weeks, or the next few months.” I kiss the opposite corner. “But I do know that with you by my side, I think I’m ready to find out.” I brush my lips against his in a barely-there kiss. “But if you’re not ready to find out, then let me have tonight. Let me comfort you and bring you pleasure and help you escape, even if it’s just for a few hours.”
He cups my cheek in his hand, his thumb tracing along the edge of my jaw. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t deny or accept my offer. He just brings his mouth to mine, in a kiss that burns me to my core.
His free hand finds the nape of my neck, holding me to him as he plunders my mouth, our tongues and teeth mingling and clashing as he pulls me closer and closer, until I’m not sure where my limbs end and his begin.
He hoists me without notice, stepping out of the tub and placingme gently on the ground. He grabs a clean dry linen from the stack by the bath and wraps it around us both. It’s hard for the cloth to do its job when neither of us is willing to part from the other for long enough to dry our dripping skin.
