Page 54 of Shattered By the Currents

“Maybe you will be again.”

“I hope so.”

Their gazes held for another few seconds before she shifted her attention back to the TV. And he felt that loss immediately.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “This is relaxing.”

He tried to concentrate on the documentary. Fuck, he tried. But at some point, Raven’s eyes shuttered and her head dropped to the side to rest on his shoulder. Then her body was leaning against his.

That was what made the tightness leave his shoulders. One touch from her and he could finally relax.

He slid an arm around her and just held her. A hum slipped from her chest, and the sound allowed his own eyes to close. He wasn’t sure he’d sleep. Honestly, he kind of hoped he didn’t. Because this, holding her, without the need to focus on the secrets that sat between them, felt good. Really fucking good.

13

Raven woke slowly, the warmth beneath her cheek seeping into her skin. Not the warmth of sheets or a pillow. This was different. This was smooth and solid and rose and lowered in a steady rhythm.

His smell was the next to hit her. That familiar earthy scent.

Oh no…she’d fallen asleep on Connor.

Her eyes shot open. Light shone between the curtains, the TV still on but the documentary no longer playing.

Damn that documentary. It worked too well in helping her sleep.

But it wasn’t just the documentary. It was Connor. His warmth and strength and the safety he emitted.

Had she snored? Dribbled? Made any noises in her sleep that she should be embarrassed about?

Slowly, she tilted her head up to see the underside of his jaw. The hollow of his throat. She could just see his features.

God, he was beautiful, even when he slept. And somehow, he lost all his hard edges. The armor just vanished and he almost looked…soft.

Well, kind of. There was actually very little that was soft about this man.

Her mind flicked back to the previous night, and heat immediately rose up her neck.

She’d slept on him. And there’d been no nightmares. No wakings at all. It had just felt easy. Right.

She swallowed, that tug toward him making her chest ache. Because she did want him. But there was this big black cloud between them that was her past. And she hated that.

A small voice whispered in her head that maybe she could trust him with everything that had happened in North Dakota. Maybe he and his team could help her and no one would get hurt.

But what if she was wrong? The last time she’d trusted someone…

Blood flashed in her mind. Sampson’s blood.

She closed her eyes, taking a second to regulate her breathing. To keep the panic at bay.

“Hey.”

Her eyes flashed open. “Hi.”

The crease between his brows deepened, and he lifted his hand and swiped a lock of hair from her cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” The two words came out fast. She was also kind of breathless.

At his silence, she wondered if he’d push.