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Strong hands turn me until I’m tucked against his chest, his arms just a little surer as they safeguard me against my heartbreak.
Pulling back, he cups my face in his palm. “Don’t cry, little wolf. We don’t let them win. We destroy them.”
“Most of them are dead or in prison,” I explain. “But this? This is what I am now.”
“No.” He cinches his grasp. “This is just flesh. Who you are is Kayla, and Kayla isbeautiful.”
I fight back the endless river of tears as they storm out until they cloud my vision, over and over, blinding me.
I’m naked before a man I’ve never known, and he’s made me feel like I’m floating.
We stand like that together for long moments in unbending time, as though it’s frozen for us while my heart weeps to see his face. To touch it. To kiss every inch. To feel his mouth on mine until my soul aches. But that’s not our reality. He’s a secret keeper, and I’m afraid he’ll never let me know his.
“What now?” I ask, not wanting him to go. Wishing he’d come home with me and hold me until I fall asleep.
But we can’t do that either. Not with Chris around.
“I don’t know.” His arms tighten around me just a little more. “Am I doing it right?” he whispers hoarsely.
“What?” I’m completely unsure of what he’s asking.
“Hugging you. Am I doing it right?”
His voice…it’s so vulnerable, so real and raw.
And achingly beautiful…
I blink faster through the blanket of tears. Has he never been hugged? Never hugged someone in return?
I clasp my arms as tightly as I can around him, wanting him to feel it.
“Never been held better in my life,” I practically sigh.
“You liar.”
I grin and burrow into him some more. “Stop ruining the moment, stalker.”
“What the hell have you done to me, Kayla Jenkins?” he breathes.
I’m not sure. But I think it’s the same thing you’ve done to me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ADRIEL
Her eyes are soft,endearingly gazing at me as she watches me finish cleaning.
And me? I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know what these feelings are or how to process them.
What is it about Kayla Jenkins that makes me want to keep her safe? I’ve never worried about anyone before. Not once. But with her, it’s somehow different.
There’s something stirring within me, something that’s tethered to her, and the more I’m around her, the stronger that feeling gets. And the harder it’ll be to let go of.
I can’t make sense of it. I don’t know if it’s sympathy for her plight or this notion of protecting her, but something is hidden beneath the rubble, and it’s aiming for her.
This obsession is more than just physical, it’s spiritual. I can feel it deep enough where I know it’s there, waiting for somethingI can’t yet name.
I’ve tried to fight it. I’ve tried to keep my distance, but every time I did, I found myself watching her all over again.
