He’s sitting at the edge of the bed in his briefs, still shirtless with his back to me. The sunlight through the truck’s small window halos his broad shoulders. He seems unusually still.
“Hey,” I say softly, pushing up on my elbows.
He turns slightly, and smiles, not letting me see his full face. My heart hammers with anticipation.
“Hey, Luna.”
Something in my chest tugs. I’ve never seen him like this—still and quiet. Not commanding. Not growling instructions or teasing me or lighting me on fire with just his voice.
I reach toward the edge of the bed. “Did I… do something wrong?”
“No. God, no.” His voice is rough. “I just—” He cuts off.
My brows furrow. “Thor?”
He stands suddenly, moving to grab his jeans. “I, uh… need to step outside for a minute. Just to clear my head.”
“Wait—what’s going on?” My heartbeat picks up. “You’re acting weird.”
“I’m not.” His back is still to me. “Just morning fog. I’ll be back in a second.”
But I don’t let it go.
“Is this where you tell me you’re married with a wife and three kids in another state?” I try to joke. It lands flat.
“No. It’s not that.”
“Then what?” I whisper.
He turns to me slowly, and for the first time since we met, his voice is quieter than mine. “You’re going to find out soon. I just— I wanted last night to be about us. Not about… anything else.”
I sit there, sheet pulled up to my chest, a shiver skimming down my spine.
What the hell is going on?
He walks to the door. Before he opens it, he glances back. The light hits his face in just the right angle, and for the first time?—
I catch a glimpse of his jawline.
His profile.
Something familiar.
My mouth opens. But I don’t speak.
He’s gone a second later, the door clicking softly shut behind him.
And I sit there in the silence of the truck, naked under the sheets, my pulse thudding.
Why do I feel like I know that face?
I stay in the bed for a long time.
Staring at the spot where he’d been lying.
Smelling his scent on the pillow.
Heart pounding like a slow war drum.
