“Did you know Felix can see in the dark?” he asked.
She stopped kissing and moved his face to look at her. “He can?”
Drake nodded. “He has a reflective tissue called a tapetum lucidum in his eyes. It allows him to see in blue light.”
“Moonlight,” she clarified, thinking of the way the forest looked like it was blue and gray at night.
Drake nodded, then bent to trace his lips over her cheek. “He can see just as well at night as in the day.”
“But humans can’t. Which means we’ll be harder to spot at night,” she finished for him. “Handsome and smart,” she mused.
“Are you talking about me or Felix?”
“Felix, of course,” she teased.
He pinched her sleeping bag at her side. Lucky thing it was so thick or she’d be shrieking and giggling. As it was, the implied tickle was enough to send her into a fit of giggles. Sometime over the last 48 hours, she’d come to understand how he felt about the oddity of being so happy when they had so little and their days were difficult and trying.
She drew in a breath and they both settled. “Will it always be like this, do you think? Will we always be so happy?”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “That’s a heavy question for my brain this early. But since I’m handsome and smart, I’ll take a whack at it.” He winked. “I’d have to say no. But only because my parents aren’t like this—at least not in front of us.” He chuckled. “We used to moan and groan if Dad kissed Mom while we were in the room. Dad would growl at us to be quiet.” He cleared his throat and did his best impression of his dad. “I’m setting a fine example for you all so keep your traps shut—he’d say. Then he’d kiss her again.”
Clove smiled softly. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Oh, you’ll see plenty of it when we get to the ranch. I almost feel bad for Pax because he’s the only one who doesn’t have someone to kiss goodnight.”
Clove grinned. “Are you counting on a kiss goodnight every night?”
He nodded. “Every night.”
She ran her hand up his arm and cupped the back of his neck. “I don’t understand why you love me, Drake.” He opened his mouth to tell her exactly why, but she put her finger over his lips, silencing him. “I’m scared, and you need to know it. This part is easy. Kissing you. Being away from real life. It’s fun and an adventure and I’m easy to love right now.” Her eyes dropped, and so did his stomach. “But I’m hard to love sometimes and I just don’t know what will happen.”
He moved her hand but held it tight. “I don’t know all that you’ve been through. I can’t answer your worries, but I want the chance to try and grace when I fail.”
She sucked in a breath, her eyes shining. “I don’t deserve this.” She went to roll away from him, but he grabbed her around the middle and slid her back against his chest. “Breathe, darlin’. Just breathe for a minute.”
She struggled against him. “I can’t!” He let her go, and she moved to the far side of the tent. Which wasn’t all that far, but it gave her enough room to breathe. Her chest heaved with the effort.
“What is it?” He wore a wounded look. One that she’d put there by rejecting his comfort. Regret tore through her like a jagged piece of ice.
She was a horrible mess, and she would hurt him if she wasn’t careful. Working to slow down her breathing, she scooted closer. “I’m not comfortable with all this.” She swirled her hand around between them. “I like it. But then the feelings get too strong, too real, and I want to jump out of them.”
He frowned as he worked out what she was saying. “You think I love you too much?”
She shook her head. “I think any love is too much for me. I’m broken, Drake. A hot mess.”
He lightly touched her hand. “May I?”
She nodded, and he laced their fingers together. “Then we take it slow and get you used to all this.” He swirled their clasped hands around between them. “I’m not in a rush. Are you?”
She shook her head quickly.
“Okay.” He kissed the back of her hand. “Slow. Steady.” He kissed her fingers, this time lingering. “Sultry.” He smoldered.
She laughed, the tension bubble in her chest bursting open. “Subtle.”
“Seductive?” He pumped his eyebrows, making her laugh harder.
“Smooth,” she teased even as she scooted into his arms. “Snuggle.”
