And his eyes—God—his eyes are already on me, like he felt my fear before he heard it.
I force a breath. “I’m fine.”
“That’s the worst lie you’ve ever told.”
He closes the door behind him with a soft click. The room shrinks even more. Suddenly it’s just us, two ghosts still shaking from the same fire.
He steps closer.
One step.
Then another.
By the time he’s standing in front of me, I’m shaking so hard my teeth almost chatter. He takes in the way my hands tremble, the way I’m squeezing the fabric of my pants. His jaw tightens. A muscle jumps near his temple.
“Come here,” he murmurs.
I don’t move.
Maybe I can’t.
Maybe I’m afraid that if I take one more step toward him, I won’t stop.
He sees it. Reads it. Then he kneels—kneels—in front of me, big hands braced on either side of my thighs, not touching, but close enough to feel the heat rolling off him in waves.
“Look at me.”
I drag my eyes up. It feels like lifting a boulder.
And the second our gazes meet, everything I’ve been holding in—the panic, the terror, the what-ifs—breaks loose like a dam bursting.
“Axel, I thought—” My voice cracks. “When that roof dropped, I thought?—”
He moves. Not fast. Not slow. Just inevitable.
One hand rises and cups the side of my face, his thumb brushing beneath my eye like he’s wiping a tear I haven’t realized slipped.
“I’m here,” he says, voice raw. “I’m right here.”
That’s all it takes.
I surge forward, fingers gripping the front of his jacket like it’s the only thing keeping me upright. My forehead presses to his. His breath hits mine. The scent of smoke and sweat and something I’ve wanted for ten years fills the air between us.
His other hand slides to the back of my neck, holding me like I’m fragile and fierce all at once.
“Savannah…” It’s barely a whisper.
“I was so scared,” I breathe.
“You think I wasn’t?” His thumb strokes my jaw. “I heard you scream my name. I didn’t care about protocol. I didn’t care about the fire. I just?—”
He breaks off, breath shaking.
I’ve never seen him like this. Never seen Axel Ramirez undone. It unravels something inside me too.
“Say it,” I whisper.
His eyes close for a moment. When they open, they burn.
