She laughed, the sound vibrating through both of us. “Fishing for compliments, Sheriff?”
“Just making sure you’re satisfied.” I stroked her hair, savoring its silky texture.
“Very.” She snuggled closer. “Though I feel like I should reciprocate.”
“No need.” I kissed the top of her head. “Tonight was about you.”
I was so happy I could show her she was valued, desired, and cherished.
She deserved to be worshipped, and I was just the orc to do it.
Chapter 15
Riley
Iwoke to the rhythm of Dungar’s heartbeat beneath my ear, his warm chest rising and falling with each breath. Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, creating golden stripes on his skin. I’d fallen asleep in his arms after what happened on the couch, and somehow during the night, we’d migrated to his bed. I could only vaguely remember him tugging his t-shirt back over my head before he laid me down and tucked me in.
His arm curved around my waist, keeping me snug against him even in sleep. The weight of it felt like the most natural thing in the world, as if my body had been shaped to fit perfectly against his much larger frame.
This was dangerous territory.
I’d spent two years never allowing myself to get comfortable, never letting myself belong anywhere or to anyone. Yet here I was, nestled against an orc sheriff with obsessively organized sock drawers and a heart big enough to make me forget all the reasons I couldn’t stay.
His dark lashes fluttered, then lifted, revealing eyes that reminded me of rich soil after rain. He blinked once, twice, then focused on me with a slow-spreading smile that made my heart flip against my ribs.
“Morning,” he rumbled, his voice rough with sleep.
“Morning.” I tried to ignore how right it felt to wake up beside him. “Sorry for falling asleep on you.”
His fingers traced patterns on my lower back. “I’m not.”
“Still. You could’ve woken me up.”
“You looked peaceful.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
The tenderness in his expression undid something inside me. I’d built walls so high and thick I’d forgotten what it felt like to let someone see the person I truly was. Not Riley Smith, the carefully constructed deputy with a believable backstory, but Riley James, the woman who’d risked everything for the truth and was still paying the price.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, stroking my cheek.
“How strange it is to feel safe.” The admission slipped out before I could filter it. “I haven’t woken up without immediately checking exits and planning escape routes in two years.”
His arm tightened around me. “You don’t have to run anymore.”
I wished that was true. But Blainsworth’s sons had resources, connections, and the kind of ruthlessness that didn’t respect small-town borders or sheriff’s badges.The longer I stayed in one place, the greater the risk became. Not just to me, but to everyone around me.
Including Dungar.
“We should get up,” I said, pulling away from thoughts I couldn’t afford to indulge. “We have luminooks to save.”
He sighed but released me. “We do.”
As I slid from the bed, I hated losing his warmth. Dungar’s gaze followed me as I stretched, heat flaring in his eyes when the shirt rode up.
“I’ll just…” I gestured vaguely toward the bathroom, suddenly awkward despite the intimacy we’d shared the night before.
He nodded, sitting and swinging his long legs over the side of the bed. The sheet pooled around his waist, revealing the muscled expanse of his chest and abdomen. I tried not to stare at the definition of his biceps or the way his dark hair fell across his forehead.
“You go first,” he said.
