I started the bike, the engine roared, and we pulled away from Junction, leaving the little town behind.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Clove
Ender’s arm was draped over my waist, solid and warm, pulling me against him like it was the most natural thing in the world.His chest rose and fell behind me, steady and deep.His breath brushed the back of my neck with every exhale.
I lay there, still as stone, just listening to him breathe.
It hit me then, really hit me, that I was lying in Ender’s arms.
I shifted just enough to turn onto my side, careful not to wake him, and my gaze landed on the compass tattoo spread across his chest.Black ink against warm skin, the lines clean and sharp, the points stretching toward his shoulders.
I traced one finger along the edge of it, barely touching.
North.South.East.West.
“I can hear you thinking again,” Ender grumbled, his voice rough with sleep.
I laughed softly, my finger freezing in place.“I’m actually not really thinking.”
His eyes cracked open, one at a time, hazel and sleepy and still somehow focused on me.“Yeah?”
“I was memorizing your tattoo.”
He snorted and shifted closer, his arm tightening around me.“No need to memorize when you can see it whenever you want, baby.”
Heat curled low in my belly at the wordbaby.I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the way he said it, like it wasn’t a nickname but a truth.
I traced the compass again, slower this time.“I like this.”
“Good,” he murmured.“It’s not going anywhere.”
I smiled.“Is it to remind you to always take the right course?”
He chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated through me.“Sure.We’ll go with that.”
I lifted a brow.“That didn’t sound convincing.”
“At the time,” he admitted, “I just liked the way it looked.”
“Ender,” I laughed.“You’re crazy.”
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.Unhurried.Familiar already.“Just for you.”
I rested my forehead against his.“I guess your compass led you straight to me.”
“That was cheesy,” he said immediately.
“So cheesy,” I agreed, even as my chest warmed at the thought.“But I kind of love it.”
He smiled at that, really smiled, and it did dangerous things to me.
We lay there for a while, tangled together, the morning light creeping across the room.I could hear the faint sounds of the clubhouse waking up—someone walking down the hall, a door opening, and muffled voices drifting up from the common area.
Reality knocking gently.
“What’s the plan today?”I asked quietly.