Page 89 of Bound in Ashes

Then he rolled to his side, pulling me against his chest.

His fingers traced idle patterns on my shoulder.

We lay there in silence, listening to the sounds of the town outside.

Hayes’s town.

Where we were trapped.

But for now, in this room, none of that mattered.

For now, I was his.

And he was mine.

Even if admitting it terrified me.

FOURTEEN

Jack

“Think he’s going to let us go today?”

Asia sighed, but didn’t answer, and that was answer enough.

“I think he will,” I said.

She shifted, then looked over at me.

“Why?”

I shrugged as I pulled on my T-shirt.

“That whole thing yesterday was just a power play. Hayes wanted me to know who was in charge. Take me down a peg for embarrassing his baby boy.”

“You think this was all about you, huh?” Asia said, a little smile playing on her lips.

“I know you and him have history, but…”

“Yeah. A juvenile delinquent is nothing compared to a super soldier,” she said.

There was no sting to the words, only a soft smile playing on her lips, but I knew what she was getting at.

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s plenty afraid of you,” I said.

She looked incredulous, then shifted, the light filtering through the curtains, casting her in an ethereal glow.

Looking at her at that moment, it was almost possible to forget that the world was over.

Being with her at this moment, the night before, was perfect.

Comfortable.

I felt…content.

And it took me a while to even pinpoint the word.

It wasn’t something I was familiar with.