Chapter 2
Sighing softly the lone occupant in the bed stretched languidly and then turned to snuggle closer to the warm, smooth chest she had become accustomed to laying her head upon during the night. Smoothing her hand over a cool sheet instead of the warm body she had expected the sigh turned into a muffled groan. Rising up on her elbow Calleigh looked at the clock on the night stand and sighed again when she realized it was only 2 a.m. in the morning. Throwing back the covers she slipped quietly from the bed and grabbed the first garment laying across the chair she passed on her way to the bedroom door. Slipping her arms into what turned out to be one of Eric's red and white print button down shirts, she pulled her hair out from underneath the collar and paused in the doorway for a few seconds until her eyes adjusted to the dark.
Eric had moved into a new condo a few weeks after the Russian mob's first assassination attempt upon him. They rarely stayed here because they knew they were being watched, but Eric had worked a double shift and his place was much closer than hers so she had opted to stay with him tonight. She was still getting used to the layout of the place but she knew it well enough to navigate her way down the hall without having to turn on any lights. Trailing her fingertips along the smoothness of the wall she walked quietly down the hallway towards the main room. Upon reaching her destination she took the three steps down into the living room and paused by the sofa when she noticed the sheers hanging from the patio doors billowing softly into the room from the soft breeze blowing from the open doorway.
Eric's hands and arms were outstretched and gripping the iron railing as he stared out into the darkness. Taking a moment to admire the view, Calleigh couldn't help but think whoever coined the phrase tall, dark and handsome must have had Eric Delko in mind.
He had taken the time to slip on a pair of jeans but from the waist up he was beautifully bare. Even from this distance the faint light from the Miami skyline allowed her to make out his glowing olive skin and the rippling well-defined muscles that were displayed in his arms and back due to the taut grip he had on the railing. While she would have gladly stood there in the shadows to watch him all night they both needed sleep. She was surprised he didn't drop from sheer exhaustion as it was. Eric had become a bit of an insomniac since he had starting working double shifts to take care of the payments for his legal settlement with Carmen Henney. The Russian mob tracking him had only made his sleeping habits worse. He rarely slept well as it was but she thought things had been getting better. This was the first time in a while that she had awakened in the night to find that he wasn't in bed next to her. Of course if his stance was any indication, his lack of sleep tonight had nothing to do with insomnia. She could tell by his body language that he wasn't simply enjoying the night air in an effort to relax himself enough to sleep. Something was bothering him and she could probably guess what it was. Since they were both awake Calleigh figured there was no time like the present to discuss it.
Eric was used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and sometimes that responsibility dictated he take the wrong action. She knew him well enough to know that's what was going on now. He hadn't discussed it with her and he had to learn his martyrdom was no longer necessary. The decisions that he made affected everyone close to him, especially the ones who loved him. They had a right to know what he was deciding on their behalf.