Emma:
When I woke up, it wasn’t sudden.
No gasp.
No jolt.
No nightmare that snapped me back into my body like a rubber band.
Just warmth.
Warm weight against my ribs.
Soft breathing near my arm.
And for a split second — one perfect, impossible second — I was convinced I’d dreamed everything. The firehouse. The bruises. The kiss. The plan. The panic. All of it.
Then a deeper, steadier breath reached my ears.
Not Avery’s.
Lower.
Rougher.
Close.
My eyes blinked open slowly.
Kaden.
Sitting on the floor.
Head leaned back against the wall, chin tipped down slightly, arms crossed over his chest in a way that shouldn’t have looked comfortable but absolutely did. One long leg bent, the other stretched out. His boots sat near the door, kicked off like he’d decided to stay awhile.
A
