I didn’t mean to fall asleep.
Hell, I never sleep like that. Not deep. Not peaceful. Not with my guard down.
But last night… holding her after that nightmare, her breath hitching against my chest, her fingers clutching my shirt like I was the only thing keeping her tethered to this world—I couldn’t let go. Didn’t want to.
And somewhere between whispering that she was safe and brushing her hair back from her face, I slipped under. No alarms. No shadows. Just her warmth and the quiet rhythm of her breathing.
Now I’m waking up alone in her bed, sunlight bleeding through the curtains. The spot beside me is cold. She’s been gone a while.
I sit up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, trying to shake the disorientation. My boots are still on. Jacket half-off. I look like I crashed here af
