bed and glanced in the bathroom.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw Callie reclining in the tub, her shoulders and a tantalizing view of her cleavage visible above a froth of bubbles.
Sensing his presence, Callie turned toward the door, felt her cheeks flood with heat when she saw him standing in the doorway.
Stifling a grin, he said, “Mind if I join you?”
She stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless.
Quill shrugged. “No harm in asking,” he said, with a wicked grin. “If you don’t want to share the tub, I’d be glad to wash your back.”
Scooping up a handful of bubbles, Callie murmured an incantation and let the suds fly. They multiplied and thickened as they flew through the air and hit him squarely in the face.
She burst out laughing at his surprised expression, but the laughter died in her throat when he advanced toward the tub, bubbles dripping from his chin.
She watched warily as he dropped to his knees beside her.
“Not funny,” he growled. And then he cupped her nape in one large hand and kissed her until she was breathless. “Next time,” he warned, a glint of humor in his eyes. “I’ll yank you out of that tub, bubbles and all.”
He kissed the tip of her nose, took one long, last look, and sauntered out the door, whistling softly.
As soon as he was gone, Ebony padded into the bathroom and jumped up on the toilet lid.
Callie grinned at the cat. “I love him,” she said, not a doubt in her mind. “So if you plan to hang around, you’d better get used to the idea.”
Chapter 25
Later that night, after Callie had eaten dinner and Quill had gone hunting, they sat side by side on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Callie was toasty warm in a long nightgown, slipper-sox, and a velour robe. Quill wore a pair of sweatpants and a black T-shirt.
“Aren’t you cold?” Callie asked. It had started raining earlier, a constant steady downpour.
“ No.”
She lifted one brow.
“We don’t get cold.”
“But you have coats and jackets.”
He shrugged. “People look at me oddly if it’s storming outside and I’m running around in a T-shirt and jeans.”
Callie laughed. “I guess that makes sense. Does the heat bother you?”
“Not much, but more than the rain.”
“How do you stand it, being hunted all the time? Isn’t there anywhere you can go and be safe?”
“Being hunted was troubling when I was a young vampire. But you get used it. The only really safe place to go is back to Hungary.”
“Are there Knights of the Dark Wood all over the world?”
“Just here in the States as far as I know. But there are hunters of one kind or another no matter where you go.”
* * *
In bed later that night, Callie thought about what Quill had said. If she married him, they would never really be safe. Unless they moved to Hungary, and while she liked the idea of traveling to a foreign country, she didn’t want to live anywhere but here, in the good ol’ USA.
Unbidden came the thought that Quill had slept with Ava. She told herself it didn’t matter. It had happened over a hundred years before she was born and only the one time. When he had first told her about it, she hadn’t given it too much thought. It had happened so long ago—what did it matter? Now, she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Could she really make love to Quill knowing that he had made love to her grandmother first? It seemed almost incestuous somehow. Would he compare the two of them?
She tossed and turned for an hour, unable to stop thinking about it, imagining Quill and Ava together. She had to admit, they made a striking couple—Quill, so dark and handsome, Ava so beautiful and fair.
And then a new thought brought her upright. Was Quill staying with her because she reminded him of Ava? Was he trying to relive the past?
She groaned low in her throat, wishing he had never told her.
“Callie?”
Feeling a flush rise in her cheeks, her gaze darted to the door. Oh, Lord! Had he read her thoughts? She’d forgotten he could do that.
He rapped on the door. “Callie, I know you’re awake.”
“Come in.” She didn’t turn on the light.
Neither did he. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“About what?” she asked, her voice little more than a squeak.
“Don’t play games with me. I know what’s bothering you.” He sat on the edge of the mattress. “Is a one-night