Darian's POV
I stay still, letting the quiet stretch between us, letting it hang heavy and raw. Every nerve in me is alive, every inch of my skin humming with her presence, and I can’t quite believe this is real. We’ve been here before, yes, but not like this—not with her cheek pressed warm against my chest, not with the soft, fleeting brushes of her fingers that ignite something in me I’ve kept coiled and contained for too long. Her pulse flutters beneath my touch, subtle but insistent, and it sends sparks up my arms, down into my legs, deep into my bones. I inhale, deliberate, slow, taking in the scent of her hair, the faint trace of her skin, smoky and earthy, lingering just enough to make my teeth tighten.
My fingers drift into her hair, gentle, threading through the strands, twistin
