Her fingers brushed against my chest, tracing an idle pattern. “You barely know me.”
“I’m a good judge of character,” I said. “Sheriff, remember?”
That earned a genuine smile, small but real. “Right. Because sheriffs are never wrong.”
“Not this one.” I matched her teasing tone while holding her gaze. “Especially about things that matter.”
Something shifted between us, almost like a bridge forming across the careful distance we’d both maintained. Riley’s eyes dropped to my mouth, holding there for a heartbeat before returning to meet my gaze.
The air between us crackled. If I lowered my head, and if she tilted her chin up just a fraction…
Shaking the thought away, I brushed a strand of hair from her face, letting my fingertips trail along her cheek. Her skin felt impossibly soft beneath my calloused hand, and I marveled at the contrast between us. Her delicate features. My tusks and green skin. Her small frame compared to my much larger one.
If my brothers hadn’t found mates with humans, I’d never believe it was possible.
Did I dare trust this could work out between us?
“We should try to sleep,” I said, though rest was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Yes.” She made no move to put distance between us.
Neither of us slept much that night. Instead, we drifted in and out of quiet conversation, sharing small,safe truths about ourselves while the larger secrets remained hidden. I told her about growing up with so many siblings, about the underground caverns where insects peppering the roofs replaced the sun. She told me about her love of cozy mystery novels and her talent for solving puzzles.
With each passing hour, the connection between us deepened. Heat spread through my body, a reminder of what she was to me, even if she didn’t yet understand.
As dawn lightened the sky outside the small window, Riley’s head rested on my chest, her body curved against mine. I slid my fingers through her silky hair, gently combing.
“The sun’s coming up,” she said, her voice husky with fatigue.
I watched golden light slowly creep across the floor. “Someone will come let us out soon.”
She nodded against my chest but made no move to pull away. “I should probably look more deputy-like when they do.”
“Probably.” I was equally reluctant to end what we’d built during the night.
We stayed where we were as the sky grew brighter. Birds began their morning calls, and somewhere in the distance, I could hear my brother, Sel, opening the bakery with his mate Holly, ready to start their day.
Eventually, the front door of the jail opened and Sel stepped inside, the fresh bag of pastries he brought me each morning in one hand. Halfway across the openroom, he stopped short, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of us lying together on the narrow bunk.
“Well.” A slow smile spread across his face as his gaze dropped to my wrist, where the golden mating mark had taken root. “I see you took the chance to better know our new deputy.”
Riley stiffened, her cheeks brightening. But when I moved to create space between us, her hand squeezed mine in a silent acknowledgment that whatever had started in this cell wasn’t ending with our rescue.
For the first time in my orderly, carefully controlled life, I welcomed the beautiful chaos of possibility.
Chapter 6
Riley
Sel’s knowing grin made my cheeks burn as I disentangled myself from Dungar’s embrace. The intimacy we’d shared during the night felt exposed in the morning light streaming through the jail’s window.
“A child locked us in,” I said, sliding from the bunk and standing, smoothing my rumpled shirt while Dungar rose as well, towering over me. Hovering over me, actually, in a protective way I found comforting. “A boy named Billy took the key. He was here yesterday with his grandmother.”
Sel grabbed the spare off the hook and approached the cell door. “How many outraged calls did you place to me or our brothers for rescue, Dungar?”
Dungar cleared his throat. “Our phones are on my desk.”
The lock clicked open and Sel swung the door wide. “My older brother, defeated by a human child and alocked door.” He handed the pastry bag to his brother. “I brought your usual.”
