There was no answer; his tap wasn’t loud enough to wake her. There wasn’t even any sound, just the slow steady pulse of a resting heartbeat.
Derek listened carefully and thought that things were okay as he listened to her heartbeat, his eyes refocusing on the book in his hands.
What woke her at last was the chill of the water around her. She flailed upright, shivering, and blinked at her surroundings. For a long minute she couldn’t remember where she was or how she’d gotten there, and panicked, scrambling upright and out of the tub. Her heart pounded, and she snatched a towel, clutching it to her chest and staring wide-eyed at herself in the mirror.