Page 46 of Compass Points
“My family was attacked and killed when I was a teenager. I miraculously got away, but it was terrible. I was running, stumbling through the woods, when a giant brown bear found me, and”—she remembered the terror of that moment—“I honestly thought it was over. I survived the attack on my family only to be eaten in the woods by a bear. Very fitting,” she said dryly. “But then he spoke to me instead and told me to hop on.”
Her hands inadvertently shook as she relived the night. “I was so scared, and my limbs were on fire from my escape.”
Luc took her hand, and she let him, leaning into the solid reassurance as she continued.
“He helped me find and build a new home. A new life. The one you saw in the Lake of the Gods.” She hesitated again. “He’s not here every second. But he always shows up when it counts. And he asks for nothing in return. We bicker, and he teases me always, but he and Tara are the only family I’ve got now.” She smiled halfheartedly. “He’s the only one that knows me well enough to tease me so accurately.”
Luc’s thumb continued its gentle path from her thumb to her wrist as she spoke. She couldn’t believe a simple touch could be so soothing.
“He sounds like a great friend,” Luc said, reluctantly dropping her hand. She felt the warmth of his touch leave her.
“That’s it?” she asked. “No follow-up questions on”—she fumbled with her words—“on anything I’ve told you?”
She gave him a side eye, and Luc sighed dramatically.
“Rose, of course I have follow-up questions. I want to know everything about you. Who were your family? Why were they attacked? Who did this to you?” He wiped his hand down his face. It was becoming her favorite gesture to draw from him. “I don’t think asking you will get me the answers. I’ll happily continue to prove my friendship to you since Arie proves it can be done successfully. Then maybe someday you’ll trust me with those stories too.” He returned to running his fingers through his hair as he finished.
He nodded at her, almost to assure himself more than her. Then he headed to the closet and pulled out a pile of blankets. She didn’t know what she wanted from him, but she wanted him near her, and sharing some things about herself tonight had gone better than she could have hoped.
Any evaluation of her desires would require her to remind herself what a bad idea they were. He was the Suden Point. She did not want to be at Compass Lake any longer than necessary. His life was at Compass Lake. She processed this list and realized she wanted him in arm’s reach anyway, especially after all they’d shared today.
“It’s fine, Luc. We can share the bed.” She looked from him to the giant bed again. “It’s plenty big enough.”
“I have no problem sleeping in the chair by the fire. It’s quite cozy,” he replied, not stopping his work gathering blankets and pillows.
“Suit yourself.” She decided to try another tactic. “I certainly don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” She glanced at him, and his eyes snapped to hers with barely restrained response to the challenge in her words.
“I would not be uncomfortable sharing a bed with you, Rose.” She could tell he struggled to keep his voice even. “I want to ensure you have your own space while you’re here.”
“To be clear, I mean two people lying beside each other in the bed. This is not a seduction tactic,” she stated.
He stopped trying to appear indifferent; his predatory smile was back.
“Oh, I know. I am confident I will be able to tell when you decide to seduce me.” He shook his head and pulled his hand across his face again, another point for Rose in their little game. “If you’re sure it’s fine…” He trailed off.
“I’m sure, Luc, or I wouldn’t have offered.”
She headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed herself. When she returned, she triumphantly saw that he’d put the extra blankets away.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
With a jolt, Rose flailed her arms and hit something solid. Not the forest floor, so she hadn’t fallen off the bear she’d been riding. Soft sheets, she was in the Suden Point’s bedroom.
Her cheeks felt wet, like she’d been crying. That solid object was radiating warmth around her. Not the heat of the inferno she’d been remembering, but a comforting heat to combat the cold and dark memories she’d been reliving in her dream.
Rolling the side of her head slightly on his thigh, her eyes found Luc’s as he lifted his hands in surrender. He sat on the shared bed, legs folded, and she was sprawled across his lap.
She held his gaze. The corners of his mouth were downturned, like he knew she had been experiencing pain, but he didn’t know how to help. He’d offered the only comfort he could, his arms around her as her dreams replayed her most significant loss.
“I tried to wake you. You were yelling. You wouldn’t wake, no matter what I tried. Then something happened, and you reached for me.”
He wanted to help. She could see it in his eyes.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped, Rose. I didn’t know what to do.”
She closed her eyes again, reopening them to see his gaze steadfastly fixed on her.
“Thanks, Luc.”
