As much as I hate him, and as much of a monster as he is for robbing us of our hope, I believe him. I don’t think he will touch me. I know he’s using statements and promises to manipulate me into doing what he wants, but everything he has said so far has been true, even as far back as in the cave. He hasn’t tried to hurt me with his own hands. Fin was safe. The food wasn’t poisoned. He even had Sig search me when he could have himself. He’s been straightforward, even if everything he utters has an ulterior motive.
Can I trust he won’t take any liberties if I am in his bed, just because he says he won’t?
I don’t think I have a choice.
If I am going to play the game and convince him I am on his side, this is a big step. Besides, the closer I am to my dagger, the easier it will be for me to get it.
“Fine. But if you touch me, you won’t just have Dane to deal with, you’ll have me, too.” I narrow my eyes at him and bristle when all he does is chuckle.
“I can handle that.”
What an asshole.
I walk to the opposite side, the side he indicated is mine, and kick off my boots. Peeling back the bedding, I start to climb in when he stops me.
“What are you doing?” His eyebrows draw together as he tilts his head slightly.
“You just told me to sleep here,” I say with a huff, gesturing toward the mattress. “Does getting into bed really need an explanation?”
My body lights on fire as he trails his gaze up and down it. I clench my jaw, angry at him but also at my stupid body. Clearly I miss Dane, and the attention of anyone is sparking something inside me.
“Not in outdoor clothes, you aren’t.”
“I’m not sleeping naked,Captain.” The thought makes my cheeks heat, and I hope he doesn’t notice in the dim lighting.
“Thank the gods for that,” he grumbles with a shake of his head. He walks to the trunk at the end of the bed, pulls the lid open, and digs through it for a few moments before shutting it with a loud thump. He rounds the end of the bed and holds his arm out to me, a dark crumpled piece of fabric in his hand.
“What’s this?” I ask, eyeing the lump warily.
“Something to sleep in.”
I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened it, but I watch as the form of a large long-sleeved shirt falls into place. It’s shorter than any nightgown I’ve ever slept in, probably only hitting me mid thigh. No man has ever seen me in such a state of undress, and Weston will not be the first.
Besides, it’shis. Back at camp, I just slept in the clean clothes the island provided after my shower, making it easier to get up and search at first light.
“I’m not sleeping in this,” I say, dropping my hand to my side.
“Then I guess you can sleep on the floor.”
It baffles me how he can go from seemingly kind and thoughtful, straight back to annoying asshole in the blink of an eye. Now that I’ve got it in my mind how great a night’s sleep will be on the soft mattress in front of me, the thought of sleeping on the floor again doesn’t seem worth it enough to prove a point.
“Ugh!” I groan before snapping at him. “Turn around!” I spin as well, turning my back to him as his steps retreat to the other side of the bed. Peeking over my shoulder to make sure he isn’t looking, I quickly undress.
I lift the hem of my shirt and slide it over my shoulders, tossing it onto the ground at my feet. Slipping the new one over my head, my senses are instantly overwhelmed with fresh air and salt, and something earthy that makes my stomach flutter. I stop myself from pressing my nose into the fabric and inhaling deeper, refusing to believe his scent is this tantalizing. Instead, I focus on sliding out of my pants and socks, and making sure the shirt doesn’t ride up as I move.
Fabric rustles behind me, and I assume he is doing the same. Without turning, I lift the covers and slide between the sheets, keeping my back to him.
Weston blows out the lantern on his bedside table, and the rest of the sconces in the room extinguish, casting us in darkness. The bed is so comfortable, arguably better than mine in the castle, and I want to relax into it, but I can’t. The mattress shifts underneath me as he climbs onto it, and I curl up on my side facing the wall, so near the edge I might fall off in the middle of the night.
My body hums as I lay there, trying to relax and not pay attention to every single noise and movement, anticipating anything and everything. I try not to focus on how close to him I am, and how scantily clad, but I can’t.
Sleeping next to Dane hadn’t felt as intimate as this, and we aren’t even touching. I stare at the wall until I hear Weston’s breathing slow behind me, and then let out a long breath, finally able to relax even just a little.
After fighting exhaustion for hours, I drift off at some point in the night, once I am convinced this all isn’t just a ploy to get me comfortable, then surprise me with an interrogation. It isn’tuntil I wake the next morning that I realize how rested I feel, and I know exactly why.
For the first time since being on Dawnlin, despite sleeping next to the enemy, I didn’t have any nightmares.
Not a single one.
