I wake to the softest thing imaginable—Caden’s lips brushing against my temple. Slow. Tender. Like he’s scared to wake me but couldn’t help himself.
My body’s still trembling, but the fire’s gone. It’s just a soft ache now, like the ghost of what nearly burned me alive.
When I open my eyes, I find him watching me. His face is tired—eyes a little puffy, jaw scruffed, hair a mess—but he looks calm. Peaceful. Like he’s finally breathing again after hours of drowning.
“Hey,” he whispers, voice rough from sleep. “I’m really hungry, but I don’t wanna leave you. Will you come with me?”
My lips twitch into a smile. I nod.
He kisses my forehead this time, then slips out of bed and disappears into the closet. When he returns, he’s holding one of his oversized shirts and a pair of my soft shorts
