“You scared the hell out of me back there,” he admitted.
“With the clothes?”
“With the decision.” A pause. “I don’t do things halfway, Ella. And you … you matter.”
The words settled deep.
Dangerous.
Comforting.
My chest tightened slightly.
“You’re very possessive,” I murmured.
His gaze didn’t waver. “Yeah.”
I waited.
He didn’t apologize.
Didn’t soften it.
Something warm spread through me.
“Good,” I whispered.
His mouth curved slightly.
He rolled onto his side, pulling me against him, my back against his chest, his arm draped securely over my waist.
Claimed.
Protected.
Outside, Paris continued as if nothing monumental had just happened in a small bedroom overlooking the street.
Cars passed. Someone laughed below. Life moved on.
But here, in this moment, everything felt different.
Safer.
One last realization settled quietly into place.
I hadn’t just found out I had a niece today.
I’d also found the man who made the chaos feel survivable.
And Kane, his breath warm against my neck, his hold tightening unconsciously, clearly had no intention of letting me go.
24
KANE
For a time that could have been minutes or hours, we just lay there tangled in the sheets, bodies still cooling from exertion.
Her head rested on my chest, blonde hair spread across my skin like silk. My arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close, protective even in stillness. Her leg thrown over mine like she was trying to anchor herself to something solid in a world that kept violently shifting beneath her feet.
