I sighed. "I'm fine." Not that his attention was a hardship. Far from it. If anything, it was almost too nice. Too soothing. Too—comfortable. Even as the thought settled into place, I found myself tracing the delineation of his abs. While not quite a six-pack, no, he didn't dehydrate enough for that, it was firm and the muscle rippled beneath my fingertips.
Not quite thinking beyond the fact he seemed to be seeking comfort, as well offering it, with the slow runs of his hands up and down my arms, I rested my head against his chest. The hammering of his heart beat out a wild tattoo. It raced even faster than the frantic tone he'd used when he first embraced me.
Fear. Anxiety. Worry. Panic.
These were all emotions I'd grown used to eliciting from others. In fact, I was very good at drawing those out of my targets. Dr. Salinas, for example, was close. I'd whittled away at his emotions until very little stood between him and surrender. He held onto the last fragments of hope like a drowning man grasping at flotsam.
Merrick should not be experiencing any of these. "You're safe here," I reminded him. "No one will hurt you." I would never allow it. My own shock and surprise proved fleeting. The combination of the way his hands roamed from my arms to my back over and over loosened muscles I hadn't even realized were tight.
As I relaxed, so did he. His breathing shifted, almost imperceptibly, as I brought my pulse and respiration under control. Interesting. Aware of it or not, he mirrored what I was doing.
"I wasn't worried about me," he protested. "If you went out without telling me, then I wouldn't know where to find you if you didn't come back. I can't protect you if I don't know you're going somewhere."
Not pointing out he couldn't protect me if he wasn't with me seemed a cruel thing to do, so I kept it to myself. "There will be times when you don't know where I am..."
"I know," he admitted, his tone almost adorably grumpy. "Doesn't mean I like it. But if I know you're going, then I can wait up. I can be ready. I can—do something." His complaint trailed off into a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling. "You have stars up there."
I did. Whole galaxies of stars. Twisting my head, I scooted so I could look up. He loosened his hold only enough to tuck me with my back against his chest, so we could see them together.
"I like this," he whispered, the hushed tone amused me. Who were we going to bother? Then again, the easy intimacy was more than sweet, it was just more.
"The stars?" At this angle, I couldn't play with his abs, so I settled for stroking his forearms. The hair tickled my fingertips.
"Well, yes," he answered, but humor had replaced the exasperation in his voice. "They're wonderful. It's like being in one of those deep caves where you can go spelunking and all the minerals glow in the dark." He ran his thumb in little circles against my waist. The night shirt had rucked up some, which allowed him to stroke my skin. Not really that worried about it, I settled against him.
Too damn comfortable.
"But I meant being right here with you. I can hear you breathing. I can feel your pulse. I know you're alright."
From anyone else, that would probably sound creepy as hell.
Anyone else.
Merrick just didn't have a creepy bone in his body. Then again, my definition of creepy had been established a very long time ago and not much measured up.
Not when your father hunted and killed the monsters. Not when he showed you how. Not when you'd spilled enough of their blood to know that even the worst kind of predator was mortal.
"You can sleep in here. If you want." No idea why I made that offer, except he was already here, and I didn't think he'd go to sleep until I did. That would prove challenging enough. Particularly since I never shared my bed.
Ever.
"You don't mind?" Genuine surprise filled his voice. "You're sure?"
I twisted again and as his arms loosened as though it were the most natural thing in the world, I turned over to face him. The fact he subtly shifted his hips wasn't lost on me. "Rick," I told him firmly. "I will never tell you to do something I mind. Just like I will tell you when I leave. And how I brought you here in the first place. Do you believe me?"
The lights hadn't been on in my room and the lack of street illumination in the abandoned subdivision made for deep shadows. My eyes, however, had already adjusted and there was just enough light from the stars above to give a little girl comfort while Daddy hunted the monsters and a project to keep herself occupied with. The fact I'd added them to every place we'd ever stayed didn't matter.
But even in the dim, low light reflecting off his face, I could make out the wonder in his expression. He raised a hand toward my cheek, but hesitated just bare centimeters away. He waited for permission. I leaned my face into his hand and his smile grew. One that just demanded an answer from me.
"Yes," he whispered. "I beli—"
I cut him off with the answer I had for him. My lips pressed to his as I kissed him. There was an artful way to do this. A seductive way to tease, to tantalize, and to seduce. A masterful way to compel my target to do what I wanted.
I used none of those techniques.
It was me. It was Merrick. It was the fusion of our mouths as his kiss went from tentative to engaged. His tongue stroked the seam of my lips and I didn't need any more requests, I just met his tongue with mine in a fierce duel that ended only when we both needed air.
For a long moment, we stared at each other and panted.