“That wouldn’t be smart.”
“But it would be fun.”
“I’m sorry. This is awkward.”
He leaned up on one elbow, looking down at her. “The fact that we had sex or that you want to do it again?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“You don’t want it again?”
“I just meant it’s hanging between us.”
“I could put it someplace else, so it’s not hanging between us.”
“Would you stop?”
“Sorry,” he said, grinning. “I love playing with you, and I mean that in every sense of the word.” His grin faded. He stroked her cheek. “We had sex. I wanted it. You wanted it. I have no regrets, except I wish it had lasted longer. Next time it won’t be so quick.”
“Next time?”
“We can keep on… I don’t know… seeing each other?”
“You mean naked?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t complain, but other people might. I meant like”—he cleared his throat—“dating. I’m rusty. Not sure I remember how. ’Course I was rusty with sex too.” He let his hand drift over her hip. “And I think that worked out.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes would work.” He lay down. The bed was so small they couldn’t help but touch. “You feel like a statue again. You don’t have to worry that I’ll take advantage of you. Like I said in the tower, when you come to my bed, it’ll be because you want to be there, not because you’re running from something. And it doesn’t just go for beds. That goes for walls, chairs, tables, sinks, showers, rocks, the ground, and anyplace else you can think of that we can do it.”
She stared at him. “OK.”
He didn’t know what that meant, but he pulled her into his arms and settled her against his chest. “Night.”
But his brain kept going, and it wasn’t long before a disturbing thought occurred to him. If he was Lancelot in her dream and she was Guinevere, then who was Arthur? Nathan?
A voice woke Kendall in the night. She thought Jake was talking to her until she raised her head and saw that she was sprawled across his chest, one leg draped between his, and he was still asleep.
She tried to move away, but his arm tightened around her. “Lilly,” he muttered.
Lilly? Kendall felt a rush of jealousy, followed by grief. Was Lilly one of the girls in Iraq? She remembered the vision of the grave she had seen when she touched Jake in the catacombs. Shallow, dark, with a swath of blond hair against the dirt. And the wooden doll he carried in his pack. She’d had the sensation of dirt filling her mouth and nose when she touched it. The doll and the grave had to be connected.
She looked at the clock. It was late. Everyone should be asleep. This would be a good time to look for the chalice. She tried moving again, but Jake put his other arm around her, effectively trapping her. A nice trap, she thought, relaxing against him, and gave up the notion of searching for the chalice tonight. She lay there for a few minutes, trying to go to sleep, but the feel of Jake underneath her, his arm wrapped around her, made her think about earlier, him and her, bodies hot with passion and desperation. She squirmed and considered waking him again. All it would take was to slide her hand lower and they would do it again, here in the bed.
No, Kendall. You work with him. It’ll complicate things worse than they already are.
But her resolve didn’t keep her from dropping a kiss on his chest.
When she finally met sleep, King Arthur was waiting for her on the battlefield. It was different this time. She didn’t feel as if she was actually there, but she did see the same scene, the knights and the horses, and this time she heard what King Arthur said.
“Find the chalice. It’s the key.”
She shot up in bed and looked around the room. Jake was gone and the sun was shining through the window. She looked at the clock. Nine thirty a.m. She’d overslept. Kendall jumped up. She had just pulled one leg from her sweats when the door opened and Jake walked in. She did a one-footed dance and grabbed a pillow to put in front of her.
“Don’t bother on my account. I’ve already seen it.”
Kendall threw him a scowl. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“When you didn’t open your eyes after I peeled you off my chest, I figured you needed the sleep.”
Kendall rolled her eyes. “About that knighthood application…”
“I behaved very knightly.” He grinned. “I could have done a lot more than sleep.”
“It wasn’t my idea for you to share the bed.”
“But you didn’t kick me out. Actions speak louder than words.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “Breakfast is ready. I didn’t want you to miss out.”
“I thought we were meeting everyone at nine thirty.”
“They postponed the trip until noon. Alice, Sandy, and Rhonda have headaches, and Halle has the mother of all headaches. Larry has a stomach thing. I’d wait a few minutes before you use the bathroom.”
“I know what King Arthur said.”
Jake frowned. “You saw him again?”
“I dreamed about the vision, but this time I read his lips.”
“Read his lips in a dream? Your gift is damned strange.”
“I know, but what can I do? I can’t send it back.”
“So what did Arthur say?”
“He said, ‘Find the chalice. It’s the key.’”
“Key to what?”
“I don’t know, but we’re in a house with a powerful chalice, so I’m going to find it.”
“Now?” he asked.
“Why not?”
“That’s not a good idea with everyone here. I planned to search last night, but I slept like the dead.”
“I have to find it.”
“You distract them. I’ll look for it. Tell them about this latest dream. They’re here to find Arthur, so give them Arthur.”
Kendall nodded. “Good idea.” She owed them that much.
“I’ll go tell them you’ve had another experience to share over breakfast.” Jake walked to the door. Kendall went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and hair. She pulled it back with the ponytail holder she was still using. It irritated her that she knew more about the anorexic owner of the stupid hair tie than she knew about Nathan’s location and safety. She saw a mark on her face and leaned closer. There was a cross imprinted on her cheek. She stared at it, and then realized it was from where she’d slept on Jake’s chest. She rubbed at it, but it would be a while before it went away. Maybe no one would notice. She hurried to the dining room where everyone was anxious to hear about her new experience.
“Oh my God. There’s a cross on your cheek.” Alice hurried to Kendall’s side, her expression as rapt as if she’d seen the Virgin Mary. “Everyone, come and look. Kendall has a cross imprinted on her cheek.”
Everyone crowded around and Kendall opened her mouth to explain. Jake shook his head no and slipped out of the room. The mark was certainly a distraction. The group was electrified to hear she’d had another dream. She gave them more details about the battlefield and seeing Arthur and his knights fighting, but she didn’t mention the chalice, though she wondered if she should. They might bring the Blue Chalice out sooner. But she needed to examine it in private, not with an audience. She dragged the story out as long as she could to give Jake more time to find the chalice, but it was disconcerting having everyone staring at the imprint of the cross that burned accusingly into her cheek. Jake showed up and rescued her as she was about to come clean and tell them the mark was from Jake’s necklace. She left the group talking excitedly about the day’s events.
“With a little encouragement, you might get them to start a fan club,” Jake whispered as they walked back to the bedroom.
“They think the cross was some kind of sign. We’ll probably burn in hell because of this. Did you find the chalice?” she asked when the door closed.