ADRIAN
Sleep didn’t come easily, not with the weight of everything Tobias uncovered and the ghost of my father’s voice echoing in the back of my mind. But Isabella curled into me without hesitation, her head tucked under my chin, her breath warm against my chest, and somehow the noise in my head quieted.
Nothing happened between us.
Not yet.
We were both exhausted, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t want anything more than to hold her.
She fell asleep in minutes.
I didn’t.
I lay awake long after her breathing evened out, long after the house settled into silence, long after Vito’s footsteps faded down the hallway. I watched the ceiling, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other resting over her hip, grounding myself in the simple fact that she was here. Safe. Warm. M
