I should be thinking about tomorrow. About Atlanta, the trial, everything that comes after.
Instead I'm thinking about how his thumb keeps brushing the same spot on my skin. How his heartbeat is slow and steady under my cheek. How, for the first time in months, my brain is quiet.
We stay like that until the movie ends. Until the screen goes dark and the only light is the moon through the windows.
"Come to bed," I say.
He doesn't argue.
***
Later.
The room is dark. His body curves around mine, one arm heavy across my waist, his breath warm against my neck.
"Walk me through it," I whisper.
"Through what?"
"Tomorrow. The plan." I trace circles on his forearm. "I want to know what to expect."
His arm tightens around me.
"Carver picks you up at seven. Ash follows in the Bronco with Maya, in case you need anything medical on the road." His voice is low, rumbling against my back. "Crow and I run backup. Eyes on the route, watching for trouble."
Crow and I.
He's coming. Of course he's coming.
"And at the courthouse?"
"We'll be there." His lips brush my hair. "Every step."
"Okay," I say. "Okay."
His hand tightens on mine in the dark.
I should sleep. In two days, I testify. In two days, the men who tried to kill me either go to prison for life or walk free.
But I can't stop thinking about how this feels. How he feels. The steady rise and fall of his chest against my back. The way his fingers twitch against my stomach, even in sleep. The way I fit here, in the curve of his body.
Seven days. That's all it took.
Seven days to fall in love with an orc who thought he didn't deserve it.
Tomorrow I leave. Tomorrow everything changes.
But tonight, I'm here. In his arms. In his bed.
And for the first time in months, I'm not afraid of what comes next.
I close my eyes.
I sleep.
Chapter Nine
Diesel
