Sophia regarded him with a bewildered expression. Sheseemed to be speechless for the first time since they’d been up here.
Didn’t she believe him?He would give a million dollars to know what she was thinking at this exact moment. She was choosing to keep her thoughts to herself, which was fine. They’d already shared a few secrets between them. He wondered if Sophia already regretted her candor. There was something about being stuck in this attic that made the space feel like a confessional. He barely knew Sophia, but it didn’t feel like that. Strangely, he felt a connection to her, which was baffling and a bit alarming.
“There’s an old trick I learned to distract myself from being hungry. Want to know what it is?” Caleb asked.
Sophia eyed him with skepticism. “Sure. Why not?”
He reached over and took her hand and folded her fingers into her palm. “Make a fist,” he told her. His hand lay over hers, and although he was only trying to show her a technique, his skin tingled at the contact.
“A fist?” she asked, knitting her brows together. “That’s supposed to make me forget about lobster?”
“I know it might sound strange, but it’s all about focusing your energy elsewhere,” he explained. “If you clench your fist, your mind focuses on that and not on your hunger.” He still had his hand over hers. She looked up at him, and for a few moments they were gazing into each other’s eyes. All of a sudden, the vibe between them was intimate. He saw the look of recognition pass over Sophia’s face. She felt it too.
“Okay, maybe we should try to bang and shout again.” She took a quick look at her watch and stood up. “I’m guessing we’ve been up here for roughly thirty-five minutes with no sign of rescue in sight.”
She walked over to the door and tugged at the knob before she began to pound on it while screaming at the top ofher lungs. He had to give it to her. She had some serious lung power. Sophia reminded him of one of the scream queens from classic horror films. He stifled the urge to burst out laughing at the sight of her pounding and yelling. Something told him she wouldn’t appreciate the fact that he found the situation amusing. He wasn’t insensitive to her fears, but all in all, he knew they would be fine. His brothers and Hattie would definitely be looking for him. And since Sophia was the official photographer for the evening, her absence would also be noticed.
“Let me know when you’re tired. I can take a turn,” he suggested, sitting back on the crate and leaning against the wall. A few seconds later he felt a burning sensation across his chest. He reached down into his shirt and scratched. The feeling spread to his legs, and he began to vigorously scratch. Heat suffused the back of his neck. A fiery sensation was creeping across his body.
What the hell was going on?
“What’s wrong with you?” Sophia asked, looking at him with wide eyes. “You’re acting like you’ve got ants in your pants.”
He looked down at his chest, quickly noticing red welts on his skin that were spreading by the second. And itchy as hell.
“I have no idea, but I’m itching like never before in my life.” Unable to stop himself, he dug his nails into his skin and scratched. The more he thought about not scratching, the fiercer the urge became.
Sophia left her post at the door to rush over to him. “Let me look,” she said, scrutinizing his chest.
By this time his body felt like it was on fire. On impulse he ripped his shirt off and threw it to the floor, breaking his earlier promise not to take his clothes off.
“Oh, no,” Sophia said, clamping a hand over her mouth.
“What?” he asked, trying not to panic at the situation. “Tell me!”
“I think you’re having an allergic reaction to something. You have lots of… welts all over you. It looks really bad.” Sophia’s expression was a mix of disgust and pity. He wasn’t sure which was worse.
Ugh. Good thing he wasn’t trying to impress the most gorgeous woman in Moose Falls. If she was going to see his six-pack abs, Caleb didn’t want it to be at a time like this when he was covered with strange red bumps. This could be a sign from the universe to steer clear of Sophia.
Caleb didn’t have any known allergies, and he’d never experienced anything quite like this. His mind was racing to figure out what was going on.
Suddenly, Sophia pointed to something behind him. “What are those creepy-crawly things over there?”
Caleb turned to look, immediately spotting the nasty-looking creatures slithering around.
“Those are carpenter ants,” he said, leaning over to get a better look. “I think they’re coming from the wall I was leaning against.”
“Eww, that’s so gross,” Sophia said in a raised voice.
“Seriously?” Caleb asked. “Where’s the compassion? I’m the victim here.”
“I’m sorry. I know that’s not comforting at a time like this,” she said in a meek voice that sounded nothing like her own. “Did they bite you?”
“Well, they certainly weren’t blowing kisses,” he muttered.
Sophia’s lips twitched, and he sensed that she was doing her very best to stop herself from bursting into laughter. Maybe if his body wasn’t on fire, he might find the situation humorous as well. He let out a groan. Feeling itchy was the worst sensation in the world.
“I’m sorry, maybe you should turn around. I’ve got to scratch my legs and I need to take these off.” He undid his belt and shucked his pants off. Thankfully, he was wearing a pair of boxers. Sometimes he just went au naturel.
