Page 71 of Shardless
Something moved beside her, and Taly froze when she felt an arm tighten around her waist. As she swept away the last of the mental cobwebs cluttering her sleep-addled brain, she became aware of a warm body lying beside her. A very warm, verymalebody. His breath fanned out across the back of her neck, sending small shivers up and down her spine.
What the… How did that happen?! Shards, what’s the last thing you remember?
She and Skye had been drinking and… and what? There were large chunks of last night that she simply couldn’t remember. She still had all of her clothes on—that was a good sign. So did the man behind her—also a good sign.
Wait—she was starting to remember something, faint glimmers from the evening before. Skye had continued prying embarrassing, personal information out of her, and his questions had gotten more and more pointed as the night wore on. They were both pretty far gone by the time he had started asking her about the butcher boy—an adorably awkward lowborn teen that she had briefly dated when she was 17. The childhood fling had never gone anywhere, and their almost-kiss behind his parents’ shop constituted both the beginning and end of Taly’s pitiful excuse for a love life.
That was the last thing she remembered clearly, so that meant the man behind her had to be Skye. After all, it’s not like she would’ve beenable to pick up a guy with Skye lurking close behind. Overprotective bastard that he was, it didn’t surprise her in the least that he had decided to stick around.
Skye shifted, pulling her closer and pressing his face into her hair. As the initial surprise at not waking up alone started to fade, Taly found herself relaxing beneath his touch. The way he had his body almost wrapped around hers, the way their legs tangled together, felt so very,verygood—warm and safe and…
Woah there, Caro!Taly thought, her eyes popping open. She shouldnotbe feeling whatever it was she was feeling. This wasSkye, after all. These butterflies in her stomach were completely unacceptable. The way she thought their bodies fit together perfectly… Nope! That thought didnotjust happen.
She needed to get out of here. Shit, shereallyneeded to get out of here.
If he woke up…
She didn’t want to think about that. She might actually die from embarrassment. And if by some stroke of luck she didn’t expire right there on the spot, Skye would more than likely help her along. Knowing him, he would never let her forget this incident. He would tease her endlessly—mercilessly—until she eventually died from humiliation.
Gently uncurling the fingers twisted in the fabric of her nightgown, Taly lifted the arm that was draped across her waist before she attempted to untangle their legs. It took her a few moments, but eventually, she was able to extract herself from Skye’s grasp.
Her muscles groaned, stiff and sore, as sheswung her legs over the side of the bed, and the floor was cold underneath her bare feet. She tried to stand, but the floorboards gave a loud creak, eliciting an incoherent grumble from the man beside her. Her heart pounded in her ears as she watched Skye’s hand reach out, searching the empty space next to him, and for one brief, agonizing moment, it looked as though he might wake up.
Thankfully, one of the Shards must have been looking out for her that morning. That’s the only explanation she had when she saw his face relax as he grabbed at her discarded pillow and pulled it closer, sinking back into a deep, if somewhat fitful, sleep.
As she sat perched on the edge of the bed, Taly couldn’t stop her eyes from raking over his sleeping form. He looked almost boyish in the dim morning light, and his mouth curved into a slight frown as he rolled onto his back. The motion tugged at the blanket, pulling it down and revealing a small sliver of skin where his shirt had ridden up. He had always been (and still was) a little lanky, but years of combat training had gifted him with lean, sinewy lines of muscle that flexed when he moved. Even though she would never tell him this, she couldn’t deny that he had grown into a very handsome man.
A warm blush spread across her cheeks at the errant thought. When had she started thinking he was handsome?! This was Skye, after all. He wasn’thandsome! He was just Skye. Stupid—yes. Uppity—check. Attractive—objectively, but not to her.
Shit. She really did need to get out of here.
Rising to her feet, Taly took a cautious step,and then another, saying a silent prayer of thanks to the Shards that the floorboards didn’t give her away a second time.
“Ow! Damn it!” she yelped—her voice barely above a whisper—when she stubbed her toe on a piece of Skye’s armor. She hobbled as she tried to find her balance, but her foot caught in the strap of his scabbard. His sword started to tip, and she dove, just barely managing to stop it from clattering to the floor. Carefully leaning the weapon back against the wall, she kept her eyes trained on the bed and Skye’s motionless form.
I’ll find somewhere else to change into my clothes, she thought, grabbing her pack. Skye had always been a deep sleeper, but there were far too many obstacles and potentially squeaky floorboards between her and the washroom door. She wasn’t about to press her luck. Not today.
Just as she was placing her hand on the doorknob, a gravelly voice mumbled, “Wow. Just… wow. After last night, this is what I get? You were just going to sneak out without saying anything?”
Taly froze, and her breath caught in her throat. Her head slowly turned. Skye was no longer asleep. No—he was very much awake and staring straight at her.
“I… I was just going to get coffee,” Taly stuttered softly.
“In your nightgown?” Skye asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“I… um… well…” Taly pulled at her nightdress self-consciously, wishing she knew where her robe had gotten to. She didn’t really have a response to that.
Skye glared at her through narrowed eyes. “And here I thought that last night wasspecial,” he said moodily. “But, no. I guess I just get the privilege of being your first one-night stand.”
“Huh?” Taly shook her head, her mind rebelling against the implication of what he was saying.Nothinghad happened between them. He was just trying to fluster her. “From what I remember, the only thing special about last night was how especially nosy you were being.”
“Wow. And now you don’t even remember? That hurts, Tink. That really hurts.”
“Stop messing around. There’s nothing to remember,” Taly retorted, hoping that her voice sounded more confident than she felt.
He sprawled on the bed, one hand covering his eyes. “Heartless woman. One would think that after a night of suchpassionate—”
“Oh no,” Taly groaned as she leaned against the door. She didn’t believe it. Sherefusedto believe it.
