Page 40 of The Edge of Never

“Yer mooth is trouble.”

“No one has ever told me that before.”

He blinked before narrowing his eyes as if he didn’t believe me.

“No?”

I shook my head and lowered my hands back down now he’d finally released them, resting them in the narrow space between our bodies.

He was so warm. I could stay pressed against him like this forever. There was something comforting about being held by Thane. It shouldn’t make me feel that way. As if I was safe. I barely knew him. He’d been a grumpy prick most of the time he was in my presence. It made no sense. And yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I was no longer cold. Not yet anyway.

“Am no sure whether tae be flattered or offended ye only like tae be a problem for me.”

“I haven’t been going out of my way to annoy you or anything.”

“Ye’re a natural.”

“Now who’s the one laying on the flattery.”

I tried not to laugh as he rolled his eyes and let out a huff. And I almost squirmed when he rested his hand on my hip. The way his fingers splayed out, tips touching my thigh and behind, had me taking a breath. His hands weren’t exactly small. None of him was. Especially not compared to me.

It had been a miracle that I managed to pull him out of the water last night. Then again, my need to survive had kicked in. Thane was the key to that. Being out here alone without all of his supplies would have left me with worse odds. The ones we had now weren’t great to begin with. I hadn’t thought about that while we were lying here together. It was nice to forget about our situation for a little while.

“Come on, I’ve shared stuff about me,” I said, wanting to stay in our little bubble, so I didn’t have to worry about everything else. “Just tell me one thing.”

“Just one?”

“Yeah, but also the age thing. You have to give me that.”

He ran his top teeth over his bottom lip as if in deep thought about what he wanted to reveal to me.

“I like tae go foraging… and I turned thirty-two last month.”

He wasn’t much older than me. I didn’t think he was, but I preferred being sure about these things.

“What, like picking wild plants?”

“Aye.”

“Can you be any more of a walking cliché for someone who likes the outdoors? You’re into mountaineering, you work in forestry, and you like to forage. Next, you’re going to tell me you live in a hut in the woods.”

The way he grunted and gave me another signature scowl had me trying not to laugh.

“Aye, something like that.”

I snorted. That only made him scowl harder.

“Wait, you’re not serious? You live in a hut?”

“It’s no a hut.”

“But you live in the woods.”

“Aye.”

“Figures.”

It honestly didn’t surprise me that Thane lived away from other people. He didn’t seem the type to want to be around anyone. Except maybe Callan, but they were friends.

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