The bath is already steaming when he carries me in, arms locked around me like he still can’t bear to let me go. His forehead presses to mine as he lowers us into the water, our bodies sliding together with a sigh, skin to skin.
The heat surrounds us—water, bond, breath. But this isn’t the fire of fury anymore.
This is something else entirely.
Softer.
Deeper.
Holy.
Caden sinks into the tub with me straddling his lap, my chest against his, his heartbeat pounding steady beneath my palms. The steam curls around us like a veil, muffling the outside world. I feel his hands roam slowly, reverently—like he’s memorizing every inch of me all over again.
His mouth brushes against my temple, barely there, his breath trembling.
“I almost lost it today,” he whispers. “When they saw you like tha
