Maddie POV
Stephen still held me, my body spasming as I tried to steady my breathing. Every muscle in me was tight, trembling, and yet I felt weightless in his arms. His hands were firm around my waist as he flipped me to face him, his breath hot and heavy against my cheek. His eyes were dark and conflicted, and his brows furrowed in that way that always made him look like he was on the verge of saying something he’d regret.
But he didn’t speak.
Neither of us did, not at first. We stood there, tangled in each other’s presence, the cold night air biting at our flushed skin. My heart pounded against my ribs, the aftershocks of what had just happened still coursing through me. I couldn’t bring myself to move, to pull away from him, not when his hands still lingered on me as though he
