He runs his hand along my spine, slow, grounding strokes. I feel his lips press softly to the top of my head.
Something about the darkness makes it easier to be close. To be honest. To not overthink it.
I sigh, warm and safe and deliciously sore.
“You okay?” he whispers.
“Mmmhmm. More than okay.”
We lie in silence for a few minutes, the air thick with heat and that delicious sleepy haze. I feel myself slipping under, my breath syncing with his.
My last conscious thought before sleep claims me is:
I don’t even know his real name.
But God…I’ve never felt more held.
21
HUNTER
She’s curled against me, her leg draped over mine, breath warm on my chest. One of her hands is still resting on my ribs, like she’s unconsciously staking her claim.
I stare at the ceiling of the cab, one arm tucked behind my head. The candle went out long ago. It’s pitch black. Quiet, except for the occasional chirp of some late-night bug just outside the truck walls.
And her breathing. Even, peaceful.
I should be sleeping too. But I can’t stop watching her. Can’t stopfeelingher. The weight of her against me. The trust in the way she fell asleep on my chest. The image of her blindfolded body burned into my mind.
God help me—I think I’m in trouble.
The kind of trouble that makes you rethink everything. The kind of trouble that makes you imagine a life instead of a weekend.
I don’t even know what her favorite breakfast is, or what her laugh sounds like in the morning, or what kind of music she plays when she’s mad—but I want to. I want all of it. Every messy, beautiful part of her.
I run my hand down her bare back. Her skin is warm. Smooth.
She sighs in her sleep and presses closer.
And I realize something with startling clarity:
I’m not pretending anymore.
Not playing a part.
I’m not just Thor to her now.
I’mme.
And I’ve never wanted to be known by someone so badly in my life.
She stirs.
Shit.
I freeze for a second as her hand twitches against my chest. Then her body shifts slightly, her head lifting the smallest bit like she might be waking.
Nope. Not yet. Not like this.
