She walks over, lifts my arm, and nestles against my side, her head resting on my chest.
“Just a minute,” she whispers. “Then I’ll let you sleep.”
I wrap an arm around her and kiss her hair, breathing in her scent—light, floral, warm.
“You can stay here as long as you want, baby,” I murmur.
She lets out a small breath that sounds like a smile. Her hand rests against my chest, her fingers grazing my skin.
“I missed you, Nate.”
I close my eyes, her words sinking into me like ink soaking paper. “I’m here, Izzy. You’ve always been the safest place I could hide when I felt like everything was falling apart.”
She traces little circles on my chest with her fingertip, each motion sparking embers beneath my skin. “It took me a while to find out where you were. Last I heard, you were sent on a mission.” Her voice trembles. “I was so scared.”
My throat tightens. She looked for me. She cared. Not the shallow pity I’d grown used to—real concern. My heart races in my chest.
“I tried to find you, too,” I confess. “Dad made sure I couldn’t. I got caught and punished for it. Said you were better off. I thought maybe you were promised to someone.”
She gasps, just a little, and I brush some hair off her shoulder, letting my fingers trail lightly down her skin. Soft. Familiar.
“Izzy,” I whisper, “if I had even one shot to have you by my side, I’d be the happiest man alive. Even if it’s just for a while.” I touch her cheek as tears gather in her eyes. “I’m not perfect. Far from it. But with you next to me, I feel like I could take on the world. And I swear, I’ll never let this mess touch you again.”
She nods, nipping at her lip. “Do it.” Her whisper is barely audible.
“Do what?”
“Kiss me, Nate.”
I roll her onto her back and hover above her, my forehead nearly brushing hers. I watch her eyes, her lips, that familiar, tempting mouth. And when I finally lean in and kiss her, it's like the world sharpens into clarity. A jolt races through me—pure electricity.
She kisses me back—fierce, full of unspoken pain and hunger—and for a second, I forget everything else.
I pull away before I lose control completely and tuck her back into my chest.
She doesn’t say a word, and she doesn’t need to. I feel it in the way she holds me like she used to, like I’m something precious, not broken.
I stay still, keeping my breathing steady while she relaxes into sleep.
But I already know I won’t be sleeping tonight.
I’ll keep you safe, baby.
We’ll get out of this together.
I press a kiss to her head, sealing the vow in silence.
Chapter 8
Isabel
Waking up draped across him feels… strange. But also safe. Like my body knows something my mind is still trying to figure out.
Is this what being a couple feels like?
His chest rises beneath my cheek in slow, steady breaths, and I match them without realizing it. I’ve never woken up like this—held, wanted, cherished. The men I’ve been with before? They never lingered. I never wanted them to.
But with Nate… I want.
