Chapter 5
Havoc
She’sstillasleep.
It’s early, sunlight barely bleeding through the slats of the blinds. The room’s quiet except for the rhythm of her breathing and the soft shift of sheets when she moves.
She’s tucked against me, warm and quiet, one thigh hooked over my hip like she claimed the space sometime in the night and never gave it back.
Like she belongs here.
Like she trusts me.
And that wrecks me more than I expected.
I could stay like this for hours. I probably will. I’m not in any hurry to leave this bed, not with her skin pressed to mine and her body fitted to me like we’ve done this a hundred times.
We haven’t.
Last night was the first.
Her first.
And I still can’t believe she gave that to me. Like I was worthy of that kind of trust.
I’ve done a lot of things in my life. Fought in wars. Took bullets. Buried brothers. Built a club out of ash and grit and turned it into something worth protecting.
But this?Her?It feels like the most dangerous thing I’ve ever touched.
Not because I don’t want it.
Because I do.
Too much.
And now that I’ve had her, now that I’ve felt her shake in my arms and cry out my name while coming undone, I’mneverletting her go.
She’sminenow.
That’s not a line. It’s not even a threat. It’s just a fact.
She gave herself to me. Body, trust, the kind of honesty you don’t get twice.
And if anyone comes near her with anything but respect, I’ll put them in the ground for it.
I brush her hair off her cheek, slow so I don’t wake her. Her lashes flutter but she doesn’t stir. Her mouth is parted just slightly. That soft curve of her lips has already ruined me.
She looks peaceful.
No tension in her shoulders. No shadows under her eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen her fully relaxed since the moment we met.
She’s strong, don’t get me wrong, but she’s been running. I saw it from the start. The way she watched every street corner. The way she moved like she was waiting for something bad to catch up.
Now she’s here, curled into me like I’m safety. Like I’m home.
My mouth finds the curve of her shoulder, brushes softly. She stirs.
I trail kisses lower. Across her ribs. Down her stomach. Until I reach the inside of her thigh. I kiss her there, gently.
