His eyes sharpen. “You heard that.”
“I did.”
Heat crawls up my neck, but I don’t drop my gaze. “You said my name.”
A muscle jumps in his cheek.
“You weren’t supposed to hear it.”
“Why?”
He exhales slowly, like he’s choosing his words instead of letting them spill.
“Because I needed it handled so I wouldn’t cross a line with you.”
The words land heavy between us.
“You didn’t cross a line,” I say.
“I kissed you.”
“I kissed you back.”
His eyes darken at that.
I take a small step closer. My pulse is loud in my ears, but it doesn’t feel like fear anymore.
“I watched Ava with Viper,” I tell him. “The way his eyes soften when he looks at her. The way she looks back. She’s not afraid of him.”
“She shouldn’t be,” he says, voice rougher now. “He’d burn the world down before he ever let her feel that way.”
“She isn’t.”
I swallow.
“When you opened the door last night, you didn’t look at me like they did. You didn’t look at me like I was something to assess.” My throat tightens, but I push through it. “You looked at me like I mattered.”
He goes very still.
“You cut my clothes but kept the blanket on. You told me what you were doing. You turned away from me in bed.”
His gaze locks on mine.
“You could’ve taken advantage,” I say quietly. “You didn’t.”
His voice drops, hard and certain. “That was never on the table.”
“I know.”
And I do.
That’s the difference.
“I don’t feel alone right now,” I whisper. “Not with you.”
Something shifts in his expression. Something steadier than hunger.
“They tried to decide what my body was worth,” I say. “They talked about it like it was inventory.”
