Cruz:
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until she curled tighter against my side, her fingers trailing slow over my chest like she could soothe the storm inside me. No words. No questions. Just the sound of her breathing and the feel of her skin warming mine.
It wasn’t just comfort she gave me—it was surrender. And f**k, I didn’t know what to do with it.
I’d lived my whole life behind armor. Behind fists and silence and bloodstained intentions. I built walls so high even I forgot what was buried under them. But now… now she was here. Soft. Warm. Real. And I couldn’t stop touching her. Couldn’t stop looking at her like she was the only damn thing keeping me together.
Because maybe she was.
She shifted beside me, lifting her head. The light caught her features—golden hair spilled
