His breath was warm against my skin.
It shouldn’t have felt like safety.
It shouldn’t have felt like ruin either.
But as his words echoed in my ear, the ache in my chest tightened into something unrecognizable. Not hope. Not pain. Something crueler.
Desire.
“Kieran…” My voice was a whisper, dragged over gravel. I should’ve said leave. But I stood still, breaths shallow, mind blank. All I could see was him, haunted and breathtaking and terrible.
He didn’t touch me. Not yet.
His hands slid into his pockets, like he was keeping them from betraying him. His gaze dragged over my face, pausing at my mouth before lifting again, something breaking behind his eyes.
“I can’t offer you more than this,” he said, voice low and brutal. “Not promises. Not names. Not a place at my side. Bu
