Caleb sat next to her and realized how far away she sat. It was almost as if she were scared to touch him.
The silence as they ate wasn’t terrible, but it was far from a comfortable silence. A TV, a radio, or anything would have helped to take some of the awkwardness from the room.
“Sorry for crashing your getaway.” Caleb reached out to take her plate.
She handed it to him. “I’m sorry you had to come all the way up here and get stuck. This is all my fault, but that’s nothing new.”
“What’s that mean?” His brows pulled together as he tried to figure out what she was talking about and carried the dishes to the sink.
“If I had just remembered my phone, you wouldn’t have needed to come up here.” She stood up and walked around the couch to face him.
“True, but it’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything else but waiting on the storm, anyway. Besides, I did remember my camera, and the shots up here will probably be better than at my house.”
“You’re a photographer?”
“Amateur, but I enjoy it.”
“That’s fun. Still, you’d be in your own bed and not stuck here with me. I’m sorry you had to come up here.”
“Stop apologizing. I’ve got a warm place to sleep and good company. It could be worse.” For no reason he could pin down, he hated hearing her apologize so much.
“And a tiny couch for a bed.” She walked toward him.
As she moved, the power blinked once, twice, and went all the way out, plunging them into complete darkness. He heard her hit something, and whatever it was, it slid on the floor. Probably the end table.
“Shoot,” he heard her mutter.
Caleb moved toward the sounds, hoping to get close enough to steady her. “You okay? Oof.”
Grace crashed right into him, and they both tumbled to the floor. Caleb made sure to keep her above him as they fell, cushioning her fall.
They couldn’t see each other, but he could tell she was looking down at him, feeling her breath on his own lips. She tried to wiggle her way off of him, which stirred him up, his cock hardening instantly.
“Grace,” he ground out. “Stop moving.”
She froze. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Caleb closed his eyes as he tried to push down his frustration, sexual and otherwise, and keep it out of his voice when he spoke again. “Stop apologizing. Shit happens.”
“Sor—” she cut herself off with a small laugh.
“Now, I’m going to slide you off of me to the side, and I’m going to get up and find us some light, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Caleb brought his hands to her hips and couldn’t resist giving them a small squeeze.
Grace’s breath hissed out of her lips that were so fucking close to his.
He took another second to slide her off of him before he took advantage of her and did something that would make this night even more awkward. Once she was clear of him, he went to the table and grabbed the flashlight he remembered seeing just a minute ago.
CHAPTER 7
Grace wokeup covered in a million blankets and stared at the ceiling. She should have taken the couch. It was definitely warmer on the other side of the door.
She’d tried to talk him into taking the bed last night, but he’d refused. He told her he’d need to get up a few times and stoke the fire, so she’d relented.
It was time to get up and see what the storm had done overnight. That and face him in the light of day after she’d knocked him down last night.
