“I got that,” she said quietly.“Part of me is aggravated that you won’t explain.Another part of me realizes it’s probably hard to talk about.”
He swallowed against the knot in his throat.She wasn’t wrong.
“I’m even a little embarrassed to say this,” she continued, “but I’m jealous that everyone knows that about you except for me.”
“It’s not that I’m hiding something from you.”But retelling the story triggered the mental hell all over again.
“I’m not trying to coerce you into sharing.I just thought I should tell you I asked Vivian.It wasn’t fair to you.”
He let out a long breath.“We’ll talk about it at the safe house.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.Sure.I don’t want to talk about it.It’s hard.It sucks.It’s a goddamn nightmare.”
“Callum—”
“Trust me, there’s nothing to feel jealous about.Just a story of something that happened.It won’t change who you think I am as a person.At least, I don’t think it will.”
“I don’t think you’re harboring an awful secret like you shot up a village of civilians or something.”
He grimaced inwardly.She was closer than she realized.He had to change subjects, or the stress that was pounding at his temples would turn into a headache.He checked his mirrors and changed lanes.“I’ll tell you.It’s fine.But not now.”He focused on the road and thought about the seeds Vivian had planted in his head.“Back to this whole damsel situation.Can I ask you something?”
“Would I say no to my knight in shining armor?”
He groaned.“When I asked you about who you’d dated, you said no one.”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“But you had friends on your list.Male friends…”
“I didn’t.”
He frowned.“Didn’t what?”
“Get physical.I said I didn’t date.I didn’t…do anything in that department.”
He looked over quickly, dragged his eyes back to the road, then looked at her again.“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean?What do you think I mean?I was in a horrible marriage, and after that, I abandoned my life.Dating or hooking up with a friend or whatever else you’re thinking about didn’t come up.”
“So you didn’t—you haven’t—”
“Oh my God, Callum.You’re such a guy.”
“Yeah.I am a human, Grace.With human needs.Last time I checked, which was very recently, you had those too.”
“Human needs,” she muttered, half-embarrassed.“That’s one way to describe me ripping my clothes off.”She drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.“Those needs were long buried until recently.Do with that what you will.”
“No one?”he asked.
“I told you.No one.”
No one had touched Grace in years.Grace hadn’t touched anyone either.Callum wasn’t sure which he liked better.Both, he decided with every possessive fiber of his body.
But that was a problem for the damsel-in-distress concern.If she hadn’t been with anyone since her ex-husband, Vivian’s theory took on a whole lot more credence.
As for him, did he have a savior complex?Vivian thought it was an automatic part of the job that he had to manage.But she hadn’t taken into account their past.This was his second chance, and he wasn’t fucking it up.
