Page 46 of The Edge of Never

“I know ye’re awake.”

Thane’s voice startled me in the chilly morning air. I opened my eyes and stared up into his. I’d been lost in my thoughts, wanting to avoid the very awkward part about waking up on top of him. Neither of us had commented on his erection last night. I wasn’t about to start on about it today.

You thought a lot about it last night though, didn’t you?

I swear my mind was trying to kill me. Of course, I’d thought about it. It was difficult not to. My brain had conjured up very vivid images of what I could do with said erection. And I’d struggled not to physically react to them. My body might want to get it on with Thane, but my head was having a hard time catching up and getting on board with that scenario.

After he’d been acting a little flirtatious yesterday, what with nipping at my fingers, I thought I was going to expire on the spot. It short-circuited my brain and had me struggling to compose myself. Then I was left wondering about his actual thoughts regarding me. His words and actions didn’t match up to each other. It confused the fuck out of me. And I wasn’t sure I would get a clearer picture any time soon.

“Being awake doesn’t mean I’m ready to get up,” I said, as Thane continued to stare at me. “I’m not so great with transitions.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wished them back in. I’d had bad experiences with telling people about my disability. It was never something I blurted out on a whim. I carefully considered whether it was safe before revealing it. I wasn’t sure how Thane would react. Whether he would see me differently. And I wasn’t sure why I even cared when I wasn’t trying to impress him.

“Ye dinnae have tae get up, Kit.”

His voice had that gruff quality to it that most people got when they’d just woken up. And fuck me if it didn’t sound delicious in that accent of his. Not to mention my name. My fucking name on his lips was deadly.

“No?”

“No.”

“Are you saying that because you like having me on top of you?”

What the fuck did you just say to him?

“That’s no… that’s no the reason,” he muttered, looking away as his cheeks flushed.

Your hard dick says otherwise.

I thanked the fucking heavens, which I didn’t believe in, that those words stayed in my head.

“No? I swear you said you’d freeze without me yesterday.”

The way he huffed had his chest pressing further into mine. My teeth gritted against the sensation of my breasts flattening against the solid expanse of him. Fuck how I wanted to rub them over his bare flesh and revel in the stimulation it would bring being skin on skin.

I rubbed my forefinger against my thumb to seek another form of stimulation instead. There was no way in hell I could ask to rub myself all over this man. He would think I was weird as hell. Who asks a relative stranger if you can rub your flesh on his for reasons that aren’t sexual?

I mean, it could be sexual because that would work too. It would scratch that brain itch to help regulate my nervous system. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I had sex. I liked the closeness of it. The release. The feeling of letting go. Being with someone that way made me feel good. But I wasn’t going to do that with him. He didn’t like me. I wouldn’t ask for things he would never be willing to indulge in.

“Ye’ll freeze withoot me tae.”

“Touché.”

Thane scoffed and then looked at me again.

“I wanted tae wish ye happy birthday, no make ye get off me.”

That shut me right up. I’d forgotten it was my birthday. My thirtieth turn around the sun. And here I was, stuck in a tent with an injured man I had very inappropriate thoughts and feelings about.

Fuck. My. Life.

“Oh.”

“Aye.”

I hid my face in his chest as embarrassment licked up my spine.

“In that case, I apologise for teasing you when you were trying to be nice.”

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