Page 83 of Dark Night of the Soul

“Once more and I’ll leave you be.”

“No, you won’t,” I countered. “You’ll pester me tomorrow.”

“Probably,” she said with a nod. “One more today.”

“You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”

“Eventually. But not today. So again?”

I relented. “One more and then I’m sending you to your room.”

She laughed. “Ha. A veiled threat.”

I lifted a brow. “Are you sure?”

She froze, indecision playing on her face. Like she was considering whether I’d make her do it. Truthfully, I couldn’t make her do anything. She was a force.

She turned her back. “Let’s try it this way. You come from behind.”

I groaned.

“Not like that!” she exclaimed. Then flashed a glare.

She readied her stance. I counted to ten, hoping for the element of surprise. I took two steps, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and then she elbowed me in the gut in a half-hearted attempt—

Then she went rigid. A small sound escaped her throat. Pain, effort, something caught between the two. Her whole body trembled against me.

Then—

Stopped.

She went completely still, breathing hard.

I didn’t let go. I held her there and felt the tension drain from her muscles, little by little. First from her shoulders. Then from the rigid line of her spine.

“I… did it,” she whispered. “It hurt like hell, but I did it.”

She was so close, I could feel every trembling inhale. Every trembling exhale. My arm clasped around her shoulders as her back pressed against my chest, the slight weight of her settling against me with a recognition so sharp it burned. It had been absent for far too long.

Lavender soap mixed with her natural honey-warm scent lingered on her skin and filled my lungs with a heady, velvety sweetness that begged for a taste.

Neither of us moved.

She turned her head. A breath shuddered out of her.

“You can let go now.” Her voice shook.

I didn’t want to. I didn’t think she wanted me to, either. But I did anyway. Enough for her to step away. When she turned toward me, she looked flustered. Her cheeks were pink.

“Okay, well. That was good progress today.”

I couldn’t help it. The corner of my mouth lifted. “Good progress?”

“Yes.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, not meeting my eyes. “Very scientific. Data collected.”

“Mm-hmm.”

She shot me a look. “Don’t.”