Page 69 of Brody
“You’re right,” he agreed but made no move to release me.
I should pull away.Reestablish boundaries.Remember all the reasons I couldn’t trust this man who had once broken my heart so completely.
Instead, I found myself saying, “Just for tonight.Because of the symptoms.It’s scientifically beneficial.”
The excuse was thin even to my own ears, but Brody accepted it without comment.“Whatever you say, Doctor.”
As I settled against him, his arms tightened fractionally, pulling me closer.He brushed his lips over my forehead in a touch so light I might have imagined it except for the trail of warmth it left on my skin.
“Sweet dreams, Rozi,” he whispered, his breath warm against my hair.
I remained where I was, telling myself it was purely for scientific observation, to help stabilize his condition before our journey to the COL.The lie was almost comforting in its transparency.
As sleep began to reclaim me, I allowed myself one moment of complete honesty in the safety of my own mind.This felt right in a way nothing had in years.My body fit against his as though we’d been designed by the same hand, two pieces of a puzzle that had been separated for too long.
Just for tonight, I promised myself as consciousness faded.Just this once.
My cheetah’s knowing purr followed me into dreams, her certainty a counterpoint to my doubt.The first time of many, she insisted as sleep claimed me completely.The first step home.
That wasn’t just biology.That was something deeper, something uniquely human mingled with something primal and shifter.
I shifted to find a more comfortable position that might allow sleep to claim me.Behind me, Brody’s breathing had deepened, suggesting he’d found the rest that eluded me.
Tomorrow, we would face the COL together, seeking a cure that might save lives throughout the Ridge.But tonight, in this magical dwelling with its glowing gemstones and single bed, we’d begun to heal something just as vital, the broken connection between us that neither time nor distance had managed to destroy completely.
I wasn’t ready to forgive, wasn’t ready to trust completely.But for the first time in years, I was ready to consider the possibility that some bonds weren’t meant to be broken.That some connections, no matter how damaged, could be repaired with time and care.
My cheetah purred with approval at the thought, settling beneath my skin with unusual contentment.Progress, she seemed to say.Finally.
For once, I didn’t argue with her.Instead, I let the gentle rhythm of Brody’s breathing lull me toward sleep, my body gradually relaxing into the living mattress that seemed to cradle us both in its embrace.
My last conscious thought before surrendering to slumber was a grudging admission.If the COL accepted us tomorrow, perhaps it was time I considered accepting some truths of my own.
CHAPTER17
ROZI
Morning sunlight streamed through the Fae dwelling’s windows, illuminating dust motes that danced in golden beams.I stirred, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar warmth surrounding me.When awareness fully returned, I froze.My head rested on his chest, rising and falling with each steady breath, one of my legs thrown possessively over his, his arm a heavy weight across my waist.
My inner cheetah purred with satisfaction.Perfect,she insisted.Mate.Right where we belong.
I told her to shut up before she started picking out curtains and naming our hypothetical children.
Brody’s heartbeat thundered beneath my ear, too rapid for sleep.He was awake, aware of our compromising position but choosing to remain still, probably to avoid embarrassing me.Or maybe, a traitorous part of my mind suggested, he was savoring the contact as much as I secretly was.
The memory of our late-night confessions flooded back, heating my cheeks.I’d told him things I’d never shared with anyone, about Oxford, my mother, the loneliness that had shaped me.And he’d revealed his own wounds, his mother’s death, his father’s abandonment, the fear that had driven him away from me.
“I know you’re awake,” I murmured, not moving from my position quite yet.The warmth was… pleasant.Purely from a thermal regulation standpoint, of course.
His chest rumbled with silent laughter.“Good morning to you too, Dr.Dhahabu.That’s quite a death grip you’ve got on me.Should I be concerned about being eaten?”
“If I were going to eat you, Thornbern, you’d know it,” I replied, then felt heat flood my cheeks as I realized the unintended double entendre.
His laugh deepened, vibrating through both our bodies.“I’ll keep that in mind.For science.”
I finally lifted my head to meet his gaze, prepared for smugness or teasing.Instead, I found warmth and something deeper, more dangerous.His eyes were soft in the morning light, the amber flecks more pronounced, his usual guardedness temporarily absent.
“This is awkward,” I said, because someone had to acknowledge the obvious.
