Page 47 of Hero's Heart

As she brushed her teeth, a sudden realization hit her. How long had it been since she’d properly cleaned her teeth? Her cheeks flushed as she remembered that kiss—how bad had her breath been?

It couldn’t have been that bad, right? The kiss had seemed…passionate. Her heart fluttered at the memory. Would there be more kisses? The thought both thrilled and terrified her. But it wasn’t likely there’d be more kisses now. Not after she’d just bungled the conversation about Amelia.

Not after it was obvious he was still in love with his dead wife.

She rinsed the toothbrush. She wanted to say it was all for the best, but she wasn’t going to lie to herself. She wanted more kisses with Callum.

Wanted moreeverythingwith Callum.

That thought invaded her mind the whole time she was in the shower, even though she kept trying to push it away. When she came out of the bathroom, she found him arranging a blanket and pillow on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced up, his expression guarded. “Getting ready to sleep.”

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor,” she said quickly. “You can…you can sleep in the bed with me. Like last night.”

He hesitated, frowning. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Please?” Sloane hated how needy she sounded, but she pressed on. “Having you there helped me sleep. I felt safe.”

After a long moment, he nodded.

“Okay,” he said, but his tone was gruff. “Go ahead and get in bed. I’m going to take a shower.”

He brushed past her, and she crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. As she listened to the shower running, a lump formed in her throat.

Gone was the rapport that had been between them when they’d arrived at the safe house. She prayed that somehow she hadn’t irreparably damaged whatever was growing between her and Callum.

She felt more alone now than ever.

Chapter 16

Callum woke slowly, blinking against the soft morning light streaming through the curtains, the world around him blurring into focus. But it wasn’t the light that held his attention—it was Sloane, her warm body once again wrapped around his. Her breath whispered softly against his chest, her dark hair fanned across his skin.

Damn it.

Again.

He swore last night when he went to sleep they wouldn’t wake up tangled together, but at some point, he’d once again pulled her close to him.

He knew he shouldn’t allow it. Letting her stay in his arms like this only blurred the lines he should be keeping clear.

Yet here he was, distinctivelynotpushing her away.

Especially after he’d fucked up last night’s conversation and put that sad look back in Sloane’s eyes. Felt akin to kicking a puppy.

He sighed, his chest rising and falling against her cheek. Last night’s conversation hung heavy in his mind.

Amelia.

Her name felt like a storm inside him—equal parts love and guilt. She had been everything good in his world, and he would love her until his last breath. Yet, when it came to talking about her illness, that silent battle with cancer that he hadn’t been there for at first, the guilt consumed him. He hated himself for being overseas, for missing that first crucial month.

When someone ended up with only six months to live, having missed one of those months seemed unforgivable. Not wanting to add to his burden, Amelia had kept the news of her cancer to herself for three and a half weeks while he was on an undercover mission.

Goddamn it, she should’ve told him from the very first day. They should’ve spent every waking second together. And then they’d lost more time dealing with the grief of her miscarriage.

Callum didn’t even want to think about that. The doctor had said maybe the miscarriage was a blessing in disguise since a pregnancy would’ve complicated Amelia’s treatment.

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