The moment stretched, fragile and electric, as if the world had paused just for us. Felix’s grip softened slightly, but his eyes never left mine, dark and fierce and utterly devoted.
Relief and disbelief warred inside me, but beneath it all was a raw, undeniable truth: I had never wanted anything, or anyone, like this before. And now, with him here confessing, I didn’t have to hide it anymore.
He closed the distance just slightly, just enough for his forehead to rest against mine, and for a heartbeat, the danger, the alley, the chaos—all of it—faded. There was only us, and the truth we could no longer deny.
“Don’t leave me again,” he murmured, his breath warm against my skin. The words weren’t a command this time—they were a plea.
I leaned into him, letting myself finally relax, finally breathe. “I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered, tilting my head to meet his gaze.
His lips curved into the faintest, almost shy smile, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Good,” he said softly. “Because neither am I.”
And in that quiet, perfect moment, nothing else mattered.
Chapter 34
Tessa
The first thing I felt was warmth. Not the scratchy kind of warmth from old blankets or the kind that comes after too much adrenaline, but steady, constant—him.
Felix’s arm was draped over my waist, heavy and grounding, his chest pressed against my back. His breathing was slow, even, so unlike the sharp edges of the night before. For a moment, I didn’t dare move. I just let myself sink into it, memorizing the rhythm of him, the quiet safety of being here.
Sunlight filtered weakly through the blinds, painting the room in soft gold. It was so ordinary, so painfully normal, that it almost felt unreal after everything.
I shifted slightly, and his arm tightened instinctively, pulling me closer. “Go back to sleep,” he muttered, his voice thick with sleep, the words rumbling against my shoulder.
I smiled into the pillow. “I wasn’t leaving.”
One of his eyes cracked open, dark and hazy, and for once, there was no mask, no sharpness. Just him, unguarded. “Good,” he said, his mouth curving into something small and real.
I rolled onto my back, and he leaned over me, messy hair falling into his eyes. The sight tugged at something deep in my chest. Dangerous, ruthless Felix, undone by sleep and sunlight.
For the first time, I didn’t feel like I was waiting for the ground to drop out from under me. I just felt… home.
Felix shifted beside me, his hand tracing lazy circles against my hip. His voice came out softer than I’d ever heard it, warm with a teasing lilt. “You really thought you could get away from me?”
I turned my head to look at him, his hair still mussed from sleep, his eyes carrying none of the sharp edges he usually wore in the daylight. Just heat. Just him.
“Obviously not very well,” I murmured, a smile tugging at my lips despite myself.
Felix brushed his knuckles along my cheek, his gaze locking on mine. “That’s because I’m never letting you go.”
The words weren’t a threat, not even a warning. They landed like a vow, steady and unshakable, wrapped in the softness of morning.
“Hm, unfortunately you have to sometimes. I have plans for today,” I said, stretching a little beneath the sheets.
Felix arched a brow. “Plans, huh? And what’s more important than me keeping you in bed?”
I nudged him with my knee, suppressing a laugh. “Cleaning. The closet in the hallway still looks like a war zone, and I’ve been putting it off for weeks.”
“Tch,” he gently flipped me over on my back and held himself above me. “You’re not doing that anymore. We’re hiring a cleaning company.”
For a second, I just stared at him, thrown off balance. It was such a simple statement, but it hit me harder than I expected. When I first came here, cleaning was all I was good for. It was my place, my purpose, my excuse to exist under his roof.
But now it was different. I wasn’t just something useful to have around. I wasn’t a maid, or a debt to be collected. Somewhere along the way, I had become something else to him. Someone else.
The way Felix looked at me now—like I was his center of gravity, like letting me go wasn’t even a possibility—told me exactly where I stood. My role wasn’t to keep his house in order anymore. It was to stay by his side, where he wanted me.
And I wanted it too, more fiercely, more desperately, than I knew how to put into words.
