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Miz Edna pops her gray-haired head out of the living room, from where I hear the television going.
“Oh my word! You two look soaked all the way through. You must be chilled to the bone. Hurry upstairs and get in a hot shower, both of you.”
“You don’t mind if my, um, friend here stays the night with me?”
She titters. “Of course not. It’s going to be chilly tonight so you boys bundle up in bed and keep each other warm. After I finish watching my show, I’m off to bed myself.”
We say our goodnights and head upstairs, the staircase creaking under our weight. Once inside my room, we quickly shuck our wet clothes, hanging them where we can to dry, and Callum pulls me into the en suite bathroom.
Mine is quite a bit bigger than his, hallelujah, and we both fit into the shower-tub combo together. It’s real cozy, and we sigh in relief once the spray of hot water starts warming us up.
“London rain is no joke,” I say with a yawn. I shake my head, trying to keep my eyes open. “Sorry,” I mumble. “We’re both naked right now, and I should be jumping at the pleasurable opportunity that the situation presents, but I’m well and truly knackered, as you all like to say. Back home, we’d say I’m plumb tuckered out.”
He brushes back the wet hair on my forehead in an almost tender manner that has my heart all aflutter again. Callum Fraser might be gruff and grumpy on the outside, but there’s a warm, caring man underneath it all. And I’m really hoping he’s starting to care about little ole me, because I already care about him more than I maybe should. But I’m willing to brave the possibility of heartbreak for a chance at love and happiness. I know better than most how fleeting our time here is.
Callum pumps some shampoo into his hand and starts washing my hair for me.
I’m one hundred percent a fan of this kind of treatment.
“It’s clear that what you did tonight took a lot out of you. Orgasms can wait.”
“You’re mighty understanding,” I say.
He arches an eyebrow. “I’m forty-three. My priorities are different from when I was younger. Let’s call it maturity.”
I chuckle. “Duly noted.”
He turns me around and rinses out the shampoo, handing me the soap to scrub the rest of myself clean.
“We’re going to get a good night’s sleep so we can use our new investigative information tomorrow. I want to track down anyone still alive that we can.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
In no time at all, we’re squeaky clean and sufficiently warmed up. We towel off and return to the bedroom. I pull on my flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt, then crawl into the double bed with a sigh, burrowing under the duvet.
It’s been a long time since I last acted as a medium and I am feeling every ounce of exhaustion from it. Callum slides in beside me, still gloriously naked, and pulls me into his arms, making me sigh with contentment.
“You’re always so toasty warm. I love it,” I tell him.
“Aye, I’ve been told I run hot.”
“Ordinarily, I’d make a sexy joke about that, but I’m too darn tired.”
He strokes a hand through my damp hair. “Is it always like this for you after doing that medium stuff?”
I yawn and nod. “It takes a lot of mental and physical energy—for me anyway. I’ve heard it comes more naturally to some folks, but it seems to be a lesser talent as part of The Gift for me. It can come in awfully handy in certain situations, though.”
“Hmm. It did make interviewing all of them a lot easier,” Callum murmurs. “But it was more than a little unnerving to witness another entity use you to communicate.”
“It can be upsetting to some folks,” I admit, “but I figured you could handle it.”
He nuzzles the back of my neck, and I relish the sensation of his warm breath against my skin.
“I don’t want you to do that again unless you have to,” he says quietly.
I yawn again. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything. If an opportune moment arises in which being a vessel for one of our spirits proves beneficial to bringing them the peace they need to move on, then I’m probably going to do it.”
He tightens his grip on me. “I’m beginning to think you’re just as hardheaded as I am.”
