Something in his eyes told me he didn’t believe me.
Chapter 10
Lucan
She wasn’t fine. Not even close.
I could see it in her rigid shoulders and the way her fingers pressed too hard against her glass.
And I was about to make it worse.
The thought of coming clean about being the man in the woods had been circling my brain since I’d arrived, but I kept putting it off. I told myself I’d wait for the right moment, or maybe not say anything at all. Except that was bullshit, and I knew it.
What would happen when we ended up in bed together? Would she recognize me then?
I shouldn’t even be thinking so far ahead. She didn’t know what or who I was.
My dragon stirred, and I had to push against the surge of heat that rolled through my chest.
The pressure didn’t ease.
Keeping a secret so big was the exact opposite of what a mate deserved. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to find the right words. There was no good way to do it, no script for ‘hey, remember that traumatic encounter with a naked stranger in the woods? Yeah, that was me.’
I cleared my throat. “Sometimes I pull night shifts.”
The distant look she had on her face evaporated, and her full attention was on me. How could it not be when the proclamation was so out of place?
“Especially this time of year, when the forest is dry and the fire risk is high.” I kept my tone conversational, as if I were talking about something mundane instead of the moment that had probably scarred her for life. “And part of my job is to make sure someone isn’t about to burn down half the forest.”
“Okay…” Her brows furrowed in confusion, and two creases formed between them.
“And sometimes, when I’m on patrol, I get bored.” I paused, willing myself to find the courage to tell her, even if it meant getting a glass of water in my face. “So I pretend I’m onNaked and Afraidto liven things up a bit.”
Her lips parted slightly as she blinked several times. At least she hadn’t lifted her glass to douse me yet.
“Unfortunately, one such night, my app alerted me to smoke, and I went to investigate without stopping to grab my clothes.”
Her expression didn’t change immediately. Then understanding dawned. Her eyes widened slightly, her mouth opening as if she were about to speak but couldn’t find the words.
The color drained from her face, then rushed back in a flush that spread from her cheeks down her neck. Her hands flattened on the table, fingers splayed.
I waited, watching emotions flicker across her face too fast to name. Shock. Disbelief. Embarrassment. A flash of anger.
“It was you?” Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
I nodded, doing my best impression of sheepish regret. It was the kind of look that said I knew I’d screwed up and hoped she wouldn’t murder me in public. “I’m so sorry. That was wildly unprofessional, and I’m honestly shocked you didn’t go to thesheriff. Though I’m happy to report that your campfire was adequately set up to prevent forest fires, so at least there’s that?”
The laugh that escaped her was strangled, caught somewhere between hysteria and amusement. She pressed a hand to her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly, and I couldn’t tell if she was about to cry or lose it completely.
Then her eyes narrowed, the laughter cutting off abruptly as something else clicked into place. “The knife.”
Of course she’d go there. I should have expected it.
I laughed, trying to keep it casual. “Yeah, I found it earlier that day. Figured I’d give it to you as compensation for the emotional scars I caused.”
Her stare burned hot enough to blister. “And now you want to buy it from me? For more than it’s worth?”
I didn’t break eye contact. “Yes.”
