As Calgara laid his eyes upon her in the light, his mouth went slightly dry. He should have expected that she would have been prepared for bed this late in the night, but seeing her in such a state of undress caught him offguard.

Swallowing, he made a valiant effort to regard her eyes completely as he took a seat in the spot indicated, trying to ignore the way the dim lighting accentuated her curves most enticingly.

His eyebrows raised when she in turn asked for his forgiveness. It had never occurred to him that she would have any shred of guilt in this. But her words held weight, and her explaining her standpoint such as this made a great deal more sense than any argument that had had in the past.

"I did not know that your past caused you such pain," he said finally, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. His gaze was intense but regretful. "Had I known, I would not have pushed the subject. But know that I would not have dove into the ocean to save just anyone. To be honest..."

Calgara took a resigned breath, turning a bit red with shame.

"I forgave you several days ago, but I refused to admit it to myself."