Avery:
The morning light barely spilled in, soft and golden, brushing against the curtains and crawling across the hardwood floor. I blinked against it, disoriented for a moment, heart pounding in that brief, terrifying moment of not knowing whether Cruz stayed or was gone.
Then I turned my head. The rise and fall of steady breathing. The weight of an arm around my waist. The solid warmth of a body pressed behind mine.
Cruz.
My breath caught. Last night—God, last night—came back in pieces. The diner. The stars. His arms around me in the dark. Him carrying me to bed like I was something precious. His chest against my back. The way my heart settled when he pulled me close.
But now… now the stillness was dangerous. What if he left? What if I woke up and he was gone?
My fingers twitched.
