Page 42 of Rough Riding Orc Cowboy

May the fates help me.

“There’s not enough room,” I said, because it was true. The tent barely fit the sleeping bag, and while she was small, I was not. “I can?—”

“No.” Her hands settled firmly on her thighs, her knuckles whitening as she made fists. Was she nervous or frustrated? She still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“I don’t want you sleeping outside with the bugs,” she said.

Maybe she wasn’t worried about herself at all. Maybe she was worried aboutme. The thought made a wild, feral thing bloom inside my chest, but I shoved it down before it could take root. “Alright, if you’re sure.”

“I am.” The tension in her shoulders remained.

It was hard to feel beholden to someone else, as if you had no control over anything in your life. She didn't know where she'd live a week from now, or how. I wanted to tell her I would take care of her, but that would only thrust more obligations on her. If she stayed, a silly thought on my part, it would be because shewanted it as much as me, not because she had no other choice.

“If you’d rather I sleep outside, I won’t take offense,” I said softly, maybe so softly she didn't even hear.

Her head jerked up, her eyes wide, and this time, she did meet my gaze. “That’s not—” Her lips pressed together like she regretted even starting. She exhaled, shaking her head. “It’s fine, Ruugar. Really. It’s just sleep.”

Just sleep. Sure.

I clenched my jaw, nodding before shifting onto my knees, ready to crawl out of the tent before I embarrassed myself further. Beth did the same. We moved at the same moment.

Her head impacted with my chest, knocking me off-balance. My arm slipped across the smooth tent fabric. We fell, getting tangled in the sleeping blanket. In a wild moment, I was on my back, the breath gone from my lungs.

Beth lay on top of me.

I could not breathe, and it had nothing to do with the woman sprawled across my chest.

She was pressed against me from hip bone to throat, her palms cupping my shoulders as if she was going to push me away. Only she didn’t move. She didn’t push. Her lips parted, and her breath brushed my cheek.

I went utterly still. Not breathing. Not thinking. Only feeling. Everywhere we touched burned.

If I focused too hard, I could memorize the weight ofher, the softness, how perfectly she fit against me in a way that should not feel this right.

Her eyes locked on mine. Emotions flickered there, warmth and something dangerous. Something I wanted more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life. I didn’t dare believe it. Didn’t dare hope.

She didn't scramble off me. Her face didn't twist with dismay. She actually leaned closer.

Damn her. Damn me. I should push her away, should get up, should put space between us before this turned into another regret I’d have to carry. But I didn’t move off her. For all the ways I tried to tell myself she wouldn’t want this, couldn’t want this, she hadn’t shifted back.

Hope was a dangerous thing.

And when she leaned in, when her lips brushed against mine like the lightest breeze, I felt as if I’d spent my whole life waiting for something I was never meant to have.

I forgot… everything.

Her mouth pressed harder, truly kissing me.

Chapter 15

Beth

Ruugar didn’t move.

As I lay on his chest, his warmth sunk into me like a brand. His hands rose to hover near my waist, his muscles flexing, as if he was deciding whether to hold me close or shove me away.

Maybe he should push me away. Yet he didn’t do it.

My breath snagged in my throat. His scent, undeniably Ruugar, filled the small space. He was so toasty to lay on. Solid. He made me feel safe in a way that had nothing to do with the tent or the protection I'd found with him at Lonesome Creek.

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