“Are you okay?” Lynn tilted her head to the side.
Dani accommodated her and pulled back just enough for their lips to meet in a soft, slow lock. “Perfect.” Dani’s voice was a barely recognizable rasp, but she smiled oh-so-happily. Her sticky fingers cupped Lynn’s cheek, and she kissed her again, with a bit more strength. “You?”
Lynn chuckled. “I… I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.” Warmth settled in her chest, dangerously near her heart. “Thank you. It was… I won’t forget it. Ever.”
Dani’s smile widened, and she kissed her again. “Me neither.” She groaned as she slid off Lynn and onto her side.
Even though they were still heavily entangled, Lynn missed the weight of Dani’s body as soon as it left. Cold air hit her hot and sweaty skin and made her shiver. She craned her neck to see where the top blanket had ended up at and tugged it out from under Dani until she could cover them both.
Dani didn’t lift her head from Lynn’s shoulder the entire time. Her eyes were closed. When Lynn settled again, Dani snuggled closer and kissed her collarbone. It took a few seconds for her to find a comfortable position, but then she exhaled contentedly and hummed. “I don’t want to fall asleep.”
Lynn smiled and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Tomorrow would bring another grueling day filled with pain and danger. She stroked Dani’s hair and found her braid again to play with. “You told me to think a little less, so maybe you should take your own advice.”
Dani chuckled and tilted her head up for a kiss. “Thank you. That helps.”
“Good.” Lynn brushed her knuckles over Dani’s cheek. “Then sleep.”
Dani settled again and wrapped her arm around Lynn’s waist under the blanket.
Despite her own brave words, Lynn knew she had just opened herself up to heartache. What if something terrible happened to Dani? What if she got killed? She pushed the thoughts away. She would just have to make sure that did not happen, and for tonight, they had each other and everything was as it should be.
CHAPTER 19
LYNN AWOKE TO A WEIGHT on her chest. Her hand shot out to grab her tomahawk beside the bedding, only to find it missing. Her eyes shot open, and she realized the weight came from Dani’s head as it rested on her shoulder. Her tomahawk… She tilted her head and spotted it halfway across the room, beside her backpack. Her knife was probably still on the table by the burned-down candle. I slept without my weapons. Wow. That was an absolute first. Then again, there had been a lot of firsts last night. Memories flooded back, and heat settled on her cheeks. She grinned.
Dani nuzzled closer. “It’s early. Shhhh.”
“Sorry.” Lynn shifted to get a bit of relief from the bruising pain in her hips and shoulder blades. The few layers of leather and wool did nothing to alleviate the ache of a night without moving. She was so used to tossing and turning that her whole body felt tight and cramped now that she’d stayed stationary. She was sore somewhere else as well, but that minor ache only served as a reminder of Dani’s fingers and the pleasure they had brought. She wrapped her arm around Dani’s naked back and held her close as she soaked in this moment of absolute peace. Lynn didn’t have a memory of anything like it.
It seemed as if Dani had fallen back asleep, but then she kissed Lynn’s shoulder. “Did you sleep well?”
Lynn pressed her cheek against Dani’s mushed hair and inhaled her scent. “I thought you wanted to sleep more?”
Dani shrugged. Her hand slid from Lynn’s side to her belly under the blanket.
Lynn tensed for a moment, then relaxed under the touch. It felt good, so why not enjoy it?
“I think I like being awake more.”
That caused Lynn to smile. “Oh really?”
Dani’s fingers traced along her hipbone. “Yeah. This was a pretty… a pretty special night.” She finally shifted and lifted her head up so she could look up at Lynn.
Lynn reached over and stroked some locks of hair out of Dani’s face. “It was. This is too.” It was so foreign to her to lie naked against another human being and let them touch her. She had no weapons nearby, no defense, and—more amazingly—only ruins remained of the walls around her innermost self, even though she’d been sure those would never crumble.
Dani searched her eyes. “Are you scared?”
“Not right now.” Lynn shook her head. “I will be the second we get up, but no, not right now.”
“Good.” Dani leaned in to kiss her.
Flutters filled her belly at the touch of Dani’s lips. She cupped Dani’s cheek and stroked it lightly. “How about you?”
“Scared?” Dani shook her head against Lynn’s shoulder. “No, but I don’t want to get up and face it all again. This is good, right here. You and me. No risks, no questions, no decisions.” She slid her hand to Lynn’s chest and covered—either consciously or subconsciously—her heart.
Lynn swallowed. “Yeah, exactly.” She scanned Dani’s eyes and found questions burning in their depths. Questions such as what happens next? and how do you feel about me? Those were questions Lynn knew she couldn’t answer. “I am so sore, though.”
Dani laughed and groaned. The tension broke. “Me too. Everything hurts.”
“Speaking of which…” Lynn extracted herself carefully and sat up. “How’s your knee?”
Dani frowned. “Oh, uh, dunno. That’s probably a good sign, right?” She pushed the blankets away so she could examine her bandaged leg.
Lynn found herself staring at Dani’s body again. In the soft morning light, Dani was just as beautiful, just as lean and powerful. Her muscles danced under her skin as she undid the bandages. Lynn’s hand itched to reach out and trace them.
“Wow.” Dani whistled as if impressed.
Lynn slid her gaze down to her knee and saw why: the whole area at the base of her knee was a shade of midnight purple, mixed with various hues of blue, green, and yellow, but the swelling had all but disappeared.
Dani bent and stretched her leg experimentally and grinned. “That feels pretty good.” She pushed up with a groan and took a few careful steps.
There was no need to fight the urge to take in Dani’s body, so Lynn didn’t even try. She did focus on Dani’s knee after a few seconds, in preparation of the walls she would have to rebuild in order to make it out in the Wilds.
With the start sign to the day given in the form of an erect human being, Skeever jumped up from Lynn’s jacket and wagged his tail.
Dani bent down to give him his morning hugs and cuddles.
Lynn waited until she straightened out again. “How is it?”
“Much better than I thought it would be. It’s sore, and I wonder how it’s going to hold up, but it could have been much worse.” Dani let Skeever out into the hallway, then returned and plopped down on the bedding again. “All because of you.” She took Lynn’s hand. “You and your medicine.”
Lynn felt her cheeks sting and knew she was blushing again. “The family had the herbs, why not use them, you know?”
“Yeah, yeah, keep being like that. You thought of it, you wanted to help me, you spent time and effort on it, and it worked. That’s pretty damn sweet, and I appreciate it, okay?” Dani squeezed her hand and pulled it onto her lap. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Lynn didn’t mind giving in if the reward was a few more moments together like this.
Dani traced patterns on the back of her hand. “How do we go on from here?” She glanced up but retuned her gaze to Lynn’s hand right away.