Cole doesn’t step back.
Not even an inch.
And the strangest thing is… I don’t want him to.
His hand stays on my cheek, thumb tracing that slow, maddening line. I can barely think, barely breathe, because everything about him feels too close, too warm, too dangerous in a way that has nothing to do with guns or ambushes.
“Ariana,” he says again, quieter this time, almost like he’s afraid of the sound of my name.
“Yeah?” My voice isn’t steady. It’s embarrassing how obvious that is.
His eyes flick down to my mouth. Just for a split second. But I catch it.
And God help me, something inside me answers.
“You scared me tonight,” he murmurs. “More than you know.”
“I scared you?” I let out a shaky laugh. “You’re the one who dragged me out of bed like a lunatic.”
He doesn’t smile. His jaw t
