Chapter Eighty
The kiss lingered long after our lips parted, the quiet certainty of it settling deep in my chest like something heavy and permanent.
Jake’s forehead rested against mine, his breathing still quick and uneven. The rough, dark stubble on his unshaven jaw scraped against my skin, sending a warm, familiar shiver straight through me. Outside the small window, the golden morning light kept climbing higher, painting slow, warm stripes of yellow across the thick quilt on the bed and the mud-streaked leather of his torn vest. For the first time in what felt like endless days, the loud, scary world outside felt completely still.
I stayed sitting in his lap for a moment longer, my fingers carefully moving over the tender skin at the edge of the cut on his cheek.
"You’re going to le
