Chapter 138

Abby

I woke to his mouth on my temple.

Then on my cheekbone. Then very lightly, at the corner of my eye, where my lashes were, so lightly that I felt it more as warmth than touch. I lay still with my eyes closed and let him do it, because I was warm and heavy and halfway still in a dream, and I wanted to see how long he would go on before he realized I was awake.

Not long.

“You’re pretending,” he said against my ear.

“I’m not.”

“Your heart just did something.”

“My heart does lots of things.” I turned my face into the pillow. “It’s very busy. It has a lot of responsibilities.”

He laughed. Quietly, low in his chest, and I felt it go through me where we were pressed together under the quilt, and opened my eyes.

The fire had burned down to a red glow. That was all the light there was. It came across the floor of the cabin in a long low wash, and caught on the edge of the table, and the two chairs, and the stack of split wood b