get frisky, his steady presence and the even rise-and-fall of his breathing lulled me into a more serene state of mind. I took a deep breath and started narrating what happened after I saw the men dragging the tarp-wrapped body into the building.
Dodge grumbled and occasionally smoothed his hand down my arm to calm me when the tremors grew too strong. It made it easier, though. He definitely made things easier. I felt a little bad that he had to sit there with me sprawled all over him as I mumbled and fought back tears. No doubt Dodge had been told to sit there with me.
But I couldn’t force myself to pull away, regardless of my brain telling me I needed to stand on my own.
The detective murmured the occasional question as I stumbled through the story. Every time she spoke, Dodge tensed or a hint of a growl bubbled up in his breathing. It made me feel better that he, at least, felt the same way I did about her dragging things out. My head finally dropped back to rest against Dodge’s shoulder. I breathed in the scent of his skin and his clean shirt, and the warm whiskey cologne that clung to him.
A few shots of whiskey would have been nice preparation for reliving the events of the night before. If I had to talk to Dodge about anything even slightly sensitive, I’d definitely need a drink or three first. I wanted to know why he’d insisted on sleeping next to me but ran away with his ass on fire when I wanted more. Maybe getting drunk was the best way to end the night. Alcohol could definitely give me courage, if not confidence.
When I finally ran out of words and O’Brien ran out of questions, the detective turned her attention to Dodge. “Very well. Shall we run through your experience during the altercation?”
“That’s fine,” Dodge said. His hands caught my waist, as if he meant to lift me off him, then hesitated. He rested his chin on my shoulder and murmured, “Do you want to stay to hear what I have to say, or do you want to go take your nap?”
Him saying it that way made me sound like a cranky toddler, given the choice between time out and bedtime. I kind of wanted a nap but I didn’t want to do it alone. My cheeks ached with embarrassment to know that I wanted him to nap with me, to put his arms around me. It was the only way I felt safe. He was the only shelter that worked.
His arms tightened around me briefly, trying to get my attention. “I don’t want this to upset you, babe. I’ve got to talk about the ugly stuff that happened.”
The endearment sent chills racing through me, as did the gruff affection in his voice. I almost didn’t mind the thought of hearing about our shared and horrible experience, so long as he was the one talking about it. I could listen to that soft, rusty voice all day. All night. I could imagine him saying my name in that gentle tone, murmuring how much he loved me, asking me to stay with him.
My heart tripped and stumbled over the thought. What the hell was wrong with me?
My head still rested against his shoulder, my forehead against his neck, and I sighed. “I’ll stay here.”
“Good,” Dodge said, and kissed my temple before he turned his attention to the detective. “I tracked Persephone to the sanctuary so I could retrieve her for Evershaw. They needed to explain several things to her. I approached the sanctuary in wolf form and arrived at approximately...”
He went on, his voice quiet and calm. His matter-of-fact recitation of events achieved what O’Brien had suggested: it sounded like a movie he’d seen or maybe a book he’d read. It didn’t sound real, just a random collection of facts. Occasionally my interest was piqued by some detail about his wolf senses and the thought process behind how he searched for me and for the bad guys.
Still, though, the smooth cadence of his voice began to lull me to sleep. Everything that day caught up with me and should have sent me running for the hills, but instead I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere but in his arms. My eyes drifted shut and I breathed him in. I didn’t mind at all the thought of drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 22
Dodge
Dodge knew it the moment Persephone fell asleep; she totally