“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
A pleading look entered his gaze. “I can’t say any more than I already have. I know that’s not the answer you want, but it’s the truth.”
I drifted closer. “Beck, please—” A sudden, sharp pain in my head made me gasp. Stopping, I pressed my fingers to my forehead, where pressure stabbed between my eyes.
Beck was at my side instantly, his body heat caressing my skin. “What is it? Charlotte, are you okay?”
The pain faded to a dull throb. “Just a headache. Probably because I haven’t eaten.” I went to the bathroom and flipped on the light. I kept aspirin in my travel bag, and I dug through it until I found the bottle and shook out two pills.
Sudden awareness made me jerk my gaze to my insomnia medication. I hadn’t taken it since that first night in Bear Cove. I hadn’t needed it.
Was that the reason for my headache?
Beck filled the doorway behind me, his bulk blocking most of the light from the bedroom. He swept his gaze over the sink, and he frowned as he studied the amber-colored bottle.
“Is that a prescription?”
I filled a glass with water and swallowed the aspirin. “Yes and no.” And, anyway, why was he asking?
Beck lifted his gaze to mine. “Yes and no?”
Heat crept up my nape, which was ridiculous. I hadn’t done anything wrong. “My PhD advisor, Dr. Henry, gave them to me. I don’t have medical insurance.”
Beck eased inside.
I stiffened even as heat slid lower in my body. “What are you doing?”
He picked up the bottle and studied the label. His scent thickened, filling the small bathroom with something like cologne. But it was all his. If I had to swear, I’d bet everything I owned Beck didn’t own cologne. No, that intoxicating aroma belonged to him.
“What are they for?” he rumbled.
“Insomnia.” I held out my hand.
He returned the bottle, and he watched as I set it on the sink next to my mouthwash.
“You have trouble sleeping?” he asked.
I shrugged. “It started about six months ago. I’d lie awake for hours with my mind racing. Eventually, I was so exhausted that I kept nodding off during Dr. Henry’s office hours.” I waved a hand toward the bottle. “He gave me those, and they’ve been a huge help.”
“Are you sure it’s safe to take them?”
Unease stirred in my gut. Was Beck thinking of reporting Dr. Henry?
He must have seen my discomfort on my face because he softened his voice. “I don’t mean to butt my nose into your business.” A smile touched his mouth. “You can tell me to butt out.”
“Dr. Henry has been my advisor since I was fourteen,” I said. “He wouldn’t give me something dangerous.” But I never got headaches. If the pills caused some kind of withdrawal symptom, maybe they weren’t worth the trouble.
Beck nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.”
We returned to the bedroom. Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the window in its frame.
Beck went to it and looked out. “A storm is coming. We haven’t gotten much snow. This one will be big.”
I moved to his side. Dark clouds rolled across the stars, blotting them out before revealing them once more. Cold seeped through the glass. A shrill beep over my shoulder made me turn.
On my nightstand, my weather monitor had lit up with a red warning. Crossing the room, I picked up the monitor and thumbed through the message. “It’s a severe storm warning. It says to expect up to three feet of snow starting at midnight.” I looked at Beck. “Isn’t that unusual for November?”
He’d turned from the window, and his smile held an edge of apology. “The only predictable thing about our weather is its unpredictability.” He let a beat pass. “You might not be able to go out for a couple days.”
