I blink, trying to absorb it. “But you’re…” I gesture vaguely at all of him, flushed and still gloriously naked beside me. “You.”
His expression shifts slightly, something shadowed passing through it.
“Yeah, well. I’ve been a lot of things in my life. A soldier. A brother. A shield. A monster, some would say. But never a lover. Not untilyou.”
Heat floods my cheeks. I roll my eyes but press closer.
“Seriously, though. Never?”
He shakes his head, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
“Had a rough life. There wasn’t time for softness. Wasn’t room for it.”
I stay quiet, waiting. Not pushing. Just letting the silence say it’s okay to share.
He takes a breath.
“My mom left when I was young. My sister, Cassie, is fifteen years younger. I had to raise her.”
His voice is steady, but I can feel the tightness beneath the words.
“My dad was a drunk. Mean when he was sober. Worse when he wasn’t. He racked up debts with all the wrong people. I figured out the only way out was to join up.”
“The Navy?”
“Yeah. SEALs. Got through training on pure rage. The discipline helped. Kept me from turning into him.”
I rest my chin on his chest, fingers trailing over the old scars that cross his ribs.
“What about Cassie?”
A softness replaces the steel in his expression.
“She stayed behind in Jackson Ridge. She’s the reason I kept going. I paid off the debts, sent money when I could. She had to take care of herself. Grow up fast.”
I smile. “She lives there still?”
“Yeah. Married now. Has a kid. Her husband’s Reaper. Part of the Savage Kings. A SEAL buddy of mine.”
“Reaper’s got a name?”
He grins. “Holt. Big guy. Covered in tats. Looks terrifying. But Cassie’s got him wrapped around her pinky.”
My heart aches at the affection in his voice. The protectiveness. The pride.
“She’s happy?”
“Yeah. She’s got her peace.”
I nod and lie back down, resting my head on his shoulder.
For a while, we just breathe.
Then it’s my turn.
“My parents didn’t leave,” I say softly. “But sometimes I think it might have hurt less if they had.”
He doesn’t respond, but I feel his hand tighten slightly against my back. A silentgo on.
