Elena’s POV
I woke to the steady thump of his heartbeat under my ear.
For a few seconds, I didn’t move. Just breathed him in. Expensive cologne mixed with soap and something that was entirely him—warm, steady, infuriatingly addictive.
I told myself it was comfort, not safety. Comfort you can leave behind. Safety keeps you trapped.
“You awake?” His voice rumbled beneath me, deep and lazy.
I tilted my chin up. His lips curved faintly. His hair was still damp from the storm, the shadows of the city lights playing across his jaw.
“Unfortunately,” I muttered. “I was hoping this was just a bad dream.”
He chuckled, low and dangerous, like he knew I didn’t mean it.
We lay there longer than I planned. He asked me questions he shouldn’t have cared about—what my favorite foo
