Aaron's POV.
Her lips were warm. Familiar in a way that still surprised me every time. Not because we hadn’t kissed before...we had...but because she kept choosing it. Choosing me. Even when she didn’t say it out loud.
When she pulled back, just slightly, I didn’t chase her mouth. I let my forehead rest against hers instead. Felt her breathing. Counted it. Slow enough now. That mattered.
She didn’t realize it, but I had been tracking that since last night. Since the moment I got her out of that house. Fast breaths meant panic. Short ones meant pain. This...this was steady. Not perfect. But real.
I opened my eyes and saw the way she was watching me. Careful. Like she was still deciding if this moment was allowed to exist.
I knew that look too.
“You okay?” I asked quietly.
She nodded
