KOEN
Now
I wake with the first rays of sunlight. I start to push myself up but freeze when I’m met with resistance—a dark-haired girl asleep on my chest.
Briar.
Not wanting to wake her, I slowly relax my shoulders back down to the mattress, all but holding my breath until I confirm she’s still out cold.
Her cheek is snuggled into my chest, one of her legs curls around mine, the other pressed close. She’s clinging to me like her life depends on it. And maybe it does, since it’s fucking freezing in here.
I eye the window, making sure I didn’t accidentally leave it open last night when I climbed in, frowning when I find it shut tight. With my uninjured arm, I slowly reach down to pull the blankets up so she’s fully covered.
I just barely remember waking at some point in the middle of the night, Briar’s shivers sending little tremors through the mattress. She was curled in on herself; her skin was as cold asice when I touched her. I didn’t think twice before dragging her body against mine.
With the blankets fully around her shoulders, my arm wraps back around her, holding her to me. I’m instantly conscious of the way her arm is draped so casually across my torso. Her fingers falling right atop my lower abdomen, lightly brushing my skin as I shift around.
Briar’s breath catches and her fingers curl into my skin, sending a shockwave of warmth radiating throughout my lower body. I stiffen, and she stirs further with the movement.
I should wake her up. Move her off of me and get on with my day. There’s so much shit to work out after everything that went down last night. But looking down at her, she looks so peaceful in her sleep. The usual tension missing from her beautiful face.
My breathing steadies and I keep it even. Lifting my hand, I run a couple of my fingers through the silky strands of her dark hair.
Her body goes tense with the contact, but she lets out a soft sigh, relaxing back into sleep once again.
Fuck.What was I thinking coming here? Last night was a shit show in every way possible. We knew the Russians had set a trap, but that hadn’t stopped Aidan from walking into it anyway. Seeing as how it washisgirl on the line, I guess I can’t blame him.
He got out. Rory was safe. Everybody was safe. But when everything was going down, my first thought washer.
Briar.
That’s probably how I ended up outside her apartment, climbing her fire escape, watching like I’d done every night for the past two weeks. Making sure she was okay. And maybe it was the blood loss, but I just couldn’t stop myself from slipping my knife into the crack in her window, freeing the lock and going inside.
It wasn’t enough just to watch from outside. Ineededto see her. I wanted to?—
I just wanted to see her.
My eyes trail over to my other shoulder. The warmth from Briar’s body and her sweet jasmine scent are a distraction, but overall the wound doesn’t hurt all that much. The bandage Briar had wrapped so carefully is still white and clean; it doesn’t look like the wound is going to need stitches after all.
Briar’s breathing hitches and I feel her stiffen, her eyelids fluttering.
I close my eyes, wanting to see what it is she’ll do when she wakes up on my chest.
All at once, Briar goes unnaturally still. She’s holding her breath before she ever-so-carefully attempts to untangle herself from me.
I relax my right arm, letting it fall heavy, setting a deliberate trap.
Smiling to myself at the existential crisis Briar goes through on my chest, as she tries to work out how to escape the weight of my arm without waking me, only realizing too late there’s no way out.
I decide to put her out of her misery. “Think you can get away that easily?”
“You’re awake.” Shocked blue eyes peer up at me, searching mine.
“Mhm.” I just look down at her. “Have been—for a while now.”
Her brows knit together and her head tilts to the side in the most adorable way. “Then why—?” At the same time, she seems to notice how very much attached to me she is and launches herself away, nearly falling off the other end of the bed like it’s on fire.
She would have too, if I hadn’t rocketed forward, grabbing hold of her arm just before she goes over.
