She looked him straight in the eye, pure emotion seeping into her words. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.” They sipped their coffee. “The police told me I was reckless because he had a gun.”
Dalton sensed she wanted his opinion. “The police don’t see too many women like you, Raven. You kept a clear head even though you were scared shitless. You jumped for the opening you had, and you knew going in the back would have lessened your chances of escape.”
“Yes, exactly. It wasn’t about ego or being reckless. I’ve trained with Xavier for a while, and we’ve gone over various scenarios. I went with my gut, and that’s what I’ve always been taught.” She propped her elbows on the table and stared out the window into the darkness. “I told you I traveled a lot. I also partied with strangers, bunked in odd places, and saw a lot of stuff. I didn’t have a college degree, but I had street smarts. I was lucky. I have no bad stories to tell, though something crappy happened to my best friend during our exploration days. She had to learn to live with it.”
“We’re supposed to make a lot of mistakes, or we’re not really living.”
She squeezed his hand. “Yeah. I don’t regret jumping on my opportunity to take down that asshole, and I won’t apologize for it.”
“Agreed. You have the heart of a warrior. Like Xena.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Like Xena? The warrior princess from back in the day?”
“Hell yeah. In that tight black leather, riding her horse. H-O-T.”
A genuine laugh escaped her lips. Dalton smiled back. “I can sleep on your couch tonight.”
The statement was really a question. He ached to fall asleep with her wrapped in his arms, safe and secure. Sex had nothing to do with it. But even though they’d been intimate, Raven might need her space after the highs and lows of the night.
She seemed torn, but then made her decision. “I’d appreciate that. Just for tonight.”
“You got it.”
She left the room and returned with blankets and a pillow. He set himself up on the leather recliner. “Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m perfect. Get some rest, Raven. I’m right here if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
She disappeared down the hall. Dalton shucked off his T-shirt and shoes, leaving his jeans on since he was naked underneath, and lay down.
It was a good hour of tossing and turning before he realized he wasn’t going to be able to sleep and finally gave up. Rolling to his feet, he stretched and quietly went outside to the deck.
He admired the smooth cedar and rustic wraparound. It was obvious Raven spent a lot of time out here. An oversize rattan couch plumped with multicolored cushions brought a sense of feminine fun. The low mosaic table held a Chinese lantern and various scented candles. The two matching chairs and porch swing added to the sense of comfort and peace.
The sky had exploded with light from the stars. Crickets screeched in varying musical tones, and the night was quiet and thick. He dropped onto the couch and stretched out, looking up. No clouds marred the sharp horizon. The humidity had finally passed, leaving a cooler waft of air to float and rise, bringing the heavy scents of earth mixed with smoke and touches of hydrangea. Twigs snapped in the distance, and a long, sad howl rose in the air to linger.
He didn’t know how long he was out there before he heard the scrape of the screen door. “Want some company?”
She shifted back and forth on bare feet. She was wrapped in a thick white comforter that trailed behind her, clad in a black T-shirt with the My Place logo on the front. The fabric hit her knees and swallowed her whole. Her hair was a messy tumble around her face. His heart squeezed. “Always.”
He held out his hand. She opened her blanket and climbed onto his lap like they were long-term lovers, easy with one another, two parts of a whole. She stretched out on top of him and cuddled against his chest, her long legs interweaved with his, her body warmth seeping into his bare skin. An aching tenderness sliced through him. He drew in a breath. Her scent made his head spin.
“What perfume do you use?” he asked.
“Huh? Oh, I don’t like perfume. I use some type of sandalwood body lotion. Same with the shampoo. It’s organic.”
She was too fucking adorable.
Sandalwood. He’d never forget that scent as long as he lived. Arms wrapped tight around her body, he cuddled with her. “When I was young, I had a big fight with my father, who called me useless. My mother lit into him, but the damage was done. I always felt like the odd man out in the crew. Maybe because I was the youngest. Cal was the favorite, Tristan handled Dad in this controlled way that worked, but I was a bit of a hothead. Anyway, my mother came to my room while I was sulking and trying to lose myself in video game world, and gave me a telescope. Nothing big, it was just a simple handheld one.”
The feminine body above him stiffened, but he kept talking.
“She said the world is bigger than my problems, and I needed to remember who I really was. Inside. Not who I wanted to be for my father, or her, or anyone else. She took me outside and showed me the stars. Should have been boring, right? But not the way she taught me. She’d tell me stories of the constellations and the Greek myths. Each night, I’d look forward to more. I finally got a real telescope, and when I got stressed or pissed off, I’d go study the sky and this peace would come over me.”
She didn’t answer for a while, seemingly wrapped up in her own thoughts. Her voice was soft when she finally spoke. “My father loved the stars. He’d take me on these camping trips out in the mountains, and we’d pitch the tent together and look at the sky. He’d make up funny stories for me, and then he got me all these books that explained the constellations. I got hooked. I almost majored in astronomy, but ended up dropping out of college and hitting the road. Saw a lot of night skies in my travels, and though I was still pissed at him, I feel like he was watching out for me in those stars every evening.”
He wanted to ask why she was mad at her father, but now wasn’t the time. They shared so many things from their pasts. Maybe that’s why he felt so close to her? She’d experienced the death of a parent. She’d lost herself for a while and rediscovered her footing. She loved the stars and liked to run her business her way, following her unique vision without compromise. Each quality was a mirror image of his own.
“Dalton?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me a story.”
Her voice was tinged with sadness and memory. He lifted a finger toward the night sky. She wasn’t looking for a lesson, she was looking for comfort, and he intended to give it. “There’s Scorpius, one of my favorite constellations.” He traced the outline, which was right in the center of the Milky Way.
“Why is it your favorite?”
“Ah, I’ll tell you the story. But first we must find Orion.” He made a line to the opposite side of the sky. “Which is right here. There are mixed tales regarding what happened with Orion and Scorpius, but this was the one I was first told. Orion was known as the great hunter, so one day he was out hunting with the goddess Artemis and her mother, Leto. Seems he was feeling quite confident in himself, so he began boasting that he would kill every animal on Earth. Pleasant, isn’t he?”
“Quite.”
“Now, Artemis was a fine hunter herself, and challenged Orion’s skill, but his threat against the creatures of Earth pissed her off. Don’t piss off a goddess. Especially one who is a protector. To make her point and topple Orion from his pedestal forever, Artemis and Leto sent a scorpion to do battle with him, and after an epic fight, Orion was killed. Now, the gods enjoyed their entertainment, much like the Romans adored their Colosseum, and Zeus was so amused by the fight, he decided to raise the scorpion to heaven.”
“Poor Orion.”
“Yes, indeed. But Artemis wasn’t done making her point. She asked Zeus to send Orion up to heaven along with the scorpion, and Zeus agreed. Now Orion is the warning to all peasants below to watch their foolish pride. A warning, I think, we all need. At opposite points of the sky, the constellation Scorpius rises in the east and Orion sets in the west, fleeing from the scorpion for all eternity in a visualization of tragedy.”