I checked in with my friends, but they hadn’t discovered anything about the missing younglings yet.
When Riley emerged from the bathroom in my oversized t-shirt, her hair damp and her face scrubbed clean, something protective and possessive roared to life inside me. She belonged here, in my home, in my life.
“You look tired,” I said, closing my laptop. “Hungry?”
“Famished.”
We heated up some leftovers from the night before and ate quickly at the table. After cleaning the kitchen, we walked to the living room, settling on the sofa together.
“We should probably get some sleep,” I said after we’d stared at the bookcase long enough my hands were twitching.
“Eventually. Any new insights from the evidence?”
“Not yet. I’ve added the information to our case file and sent alerts to my brothers to increase security around the luminooks in town. Ruugar’s going to bring the wild ones in and pen them separate from the others. Then we can keep a closer watch on them all. Tomorrow we’ll interview anyone who might’ve seen something suspicious.”
“We need to find those babies.” She tucked her legsbeneath her. “And bring them back to their families as soon as possible.”
“Exactly.”
We fell silent, the only sound the ticking of the mantel clock I’d set to precisely the right time. Riley’s presence beside me felt both exciting and comfortable, like she’d always belonged in this space.
“Thank you,” she said after a while, her voice soft.
“For what?”
“For not looking at me differently after what I told you.” Her eyes met mine, vulnerable in a way that made my chest ache. “Most people would.”
“I’m not most people.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “No, you’re definitely not.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“It’s…” She puffed out a breath. “It’s exactly what I need.WhoI need.”
I’d spent too much of my life being told my preciseness was too much, my systems too rigid, my attention to detail overwhelmingly excessive. Yet here was this remarkable woman, looking at me like my differences were strengths, not flaws.
“Riley.”
She leaned closer, her eyes dropping to my mouth. “Yes?”
“I’m going to kiss you now.” I reached up to cup her cheek. “If that’s alright with you.”
“I was hoping you would.”
The first brush of her lips against mine was electric, sending heat cascading through my body. She tasted likemint toothpaste and something uniquely her, something I’d been craving since our first kiss by the sorhox paddock. This time, there was no hesitation, no holding back. Her arms wound around my neck as she pressed herself against me, making a soft sound of approval when I deepened the kiss.
My hands found her waist, spanning it easily as I lifted her onto my lap. The weight of her, warm and perfect against me, made my head spin. She fit in my arms like she’d been made for me, her smaller frame nestling perfectly against my larger one.
“I’ve wanted this since I first saw you,” I said against her lips.
“Me too.” Her fingers tangled in my hair. “I tried to pretend I didn’t, but…”
“But?”
She pulled back enough to meet my gaze, her eyes dark with desire. “But I’m tired of denying myself what I want. Who I want.”
The words sent heat surging through me. I kissed her again, harder this time, letting her feel the full force of my desire. She responded with equal passion, her body arching against mine, her breathing turning ragged as my hands explored the curves hidden beneath my borrowed shirt.
