Ava’s POV
I woke up with my heart racing, the sheets tangled around me as though they were the only thing anchoring me to reality. My chest rose and fell in quick bursts, my skin damp, my pulse loud in my ears. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. My body felt like it had been dragged out of fire, only to be dropped into silence.
And it was because of him, always him.
Nathaniel Cross
Even as the shadows of sleep faded, his presence clung to me, his voice low in my ear, his hand brushing my skin like a secret, his lips hovering close enough to make me gasp awake. I buried my face into the pillow, but the memory of it burned brighter than the dark.
The worst part? I hadn’t wanted to wake up at all.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, shame and heat curling inside me. Why him? Why
