“Your father might. The rest?” He shakes his head. “Amelia looked proud. Ramirez looked like he wanted to start a slow clap. Sienna actually did start clapping before Cameron stopped her.”
That elicits a soft, wobbly laugh from me. “This is a disaster.”
“Maybe.” He brushes hair back from my face. “But I’m right here with you.”
We lie there in the darkness, his thumb tracing circles on my wrist, the same pattern I’ve caught myself doing for years. When did he pick that up? Gradually, my breathing evens out. The shaking stops. The tears dry on my cheeks.
“I should probably go back,” I whisper. “Check on Amelia. Make sure?—”
“No.” His arms lock around me. “Not tonight.”
“Julien—”
“Tonight, you stay here.” His voice leaves no room for argument. “With me. Let someone else take care of things for once.”
“But—”
“No.”
“Ju—”
“Shush.”
I huff. “Okay.”
“Good girl.” He kisses my forehead again. “Sleep. I’ve got you.”
And I believe him. I’m not worrying about who needs me more, what I should be doing instead, or whether I’m being selfish.
I just let myself be held.
Sunlight slices through a gap in the curtains, warming my face. I blink awake with Julien’s solid warmth wrapped around me, his chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep against my back.
I don’t need to check the time to know it’s late—the quality of the light streaming in speaks of mid-morning, not dawn.
Usually, I would be gone by now.
His arm lies heavy across my waist, giving me a reason not to move, although I should check on Amelia and face the aftermath of last night’s explosion. Instead, I burrow deeper into his warmth, stealing just a few more seconds of peace before reality crashes back in.
His fingers splay possessively across my stomach as he leaves kisses on the back of my neck. “Morning.”
“It’s late. I should go.”
His lips trail over to my shoulder. “Why?”
“Because—” I turn in his arms to face him, and the sight of him steals my breath. Sleep-rumpled hair, stubble darkening his jaw, eyes soft in a way they rarely are in daylight. “Shouldn’t you be on patrol or something?”
“Took the day off.”
I prop myself up on one elbow. “You what?”
“Told Ramirez and Cameron I needed a day.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, fingers lingering on my cheek. “After everything that happened last night, I didn’t want to leave you alone.”
“You shouldn’t?—”
His mouth covers mine, cutting off whatever protest I was about to make. The kiss starts gentle, almost chaste, but when I sigh against his lips, it shifts. Deepens. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, and I melt into him, letting the heat building between us burn away the worry.
“I absolutely should have,” he says against my lips.
