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With a glare in my direction, Jamie stalked from the room, silent.
“Sit here, please,” I told Callen, leading him to the only chair.
He frowned as he sat. “What’s wrong?”
“Who said anything is wrong? I’m eager to test this massage technique I read about.” Standing behind him, I dug my fingers into the ultra-tense muscles in his shoulders. A hoarse groan of bliss slipped from him, and I grinned. “Besides, I know for certain your mind works better when you’re not trying so hard.”
“You’ve never seen me not tryin’, so how can you know this?” he asked, relaxing into my touch.
“Because everyone’s does.” He opened his mouth as if to argue, but I added, “If you protest, the massage stops.”
Silence.
With a little laugh, I continued working the stiffness from his posture. More groans filled the air, and Irealized helping him satisfied me in a way nothing else ever had.
When the half hour ran out, I bent down and kissed his temple. “Don’t you feel better now?”
“I do.” His thick tone did great things to my insides. He reached up to link our fingers and kiss the top of my hand. “Thank you, Elle.”
“You’re welcome, Callen.” I smiled as I strolled off.
“One day I might chase after you and carry you to our bed,” he called.
I winked at him over my shoulder. “One day I might let you.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Warrior Speak: Learning His Lingo Off the Battlefield
FromA Beginner’s Guide to Berserker Bliss
Author Unknown
The next morning, I woke up from a dreamless night alone and realized Callen had never come to bed. Had he stayed in the map room all evening?
After hurrying to clean up, I checked my phone. No new messages from Isobel or Tavish. That was good, yes? Or bad?
Not that it mattered. They weren’t in charge anymore. I was, and the time had come for my conversation with Callen.
I cleaned up and dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, then went to fetch him.
“Mr. Bruce left two hours ago,” Old Man Butler informed me. “Miss Gavina and Miss Mirren are in the stable, if you’d like to join them.”
Yes. No! Not another delay. In the center of my being, asense of urgency roared to life. A well-oiled engine with an endless supply of fuel. We needed to chat at long last, before Tavish took matters into his own hands.
If Callen accepted the truth of the switch without freaking out, and broke the rule demanding all switchers die, he could use me as bait to capture his greatest enemy. I trusted him to keep me safe. We could start fresh.
If he did freak out–
No, he wouldn’t.
“If I may be bold, ma’am,” Mr. Butler added.
“Please,” I encouraged. At least he wasn’t eyeing me with disdain at the moment.
“Mr. Bruce is best avoided today.”
