Chapter Eighty-Seven
The walk back across the courtyard was completely silent. The fresh snow crunched softly beneath our boots, keeping time with the heavy, uneven thud of my heart.
When we reached our bedroom, Jake held the door open for me, stepping in behind and letting the heavy wooden frame click shut. He didn't lock the bolt, but he didn't leave either. He just stood near the foot of the bed, unbuckling his heavy leather vest and hanging it over the wooden post.
Without the leather armor of his cut, he just looked exhausted. The dark ink covering his broad shoulders and arms stood out starkly against his white shirt in the pale moonlight.
I took off my forest-green jacket, hanging it carefully over the back of the desk chair. For weeks, that jacket had felt like a lead weight pr
