ALEX POV
Her footsteps are soft behind me, but I feel every one like a chain pulling taut around my chest. The elevator ride is quiet… too quiet. She keeps stealing quick glances at me, like she's scared I'll disappear if she looks away too long.
I unlock my condo door and step aside, letting her in first. She hesitates at the threshold, dripping from the rain, clutching her arms around herself. My shirt is soaked through on her tiny frame , plastered against her curves in a way that's pure torture.
"You're safe here," I murmur.
She nods, but her eyes are still darting like she expects shadows to jump out and drag her away.
"Bathroom's down the hall. Hot water. Clean towels. I'll get you something dry to wear."
She bites her lip, voice barely a whisper.
"Your clothes?"
That simple question hits somewhere low and dangerous.
"Yes." Too fast. Too eager. I force my expression blank.
Her voice wobbles, "Thank you… for coming back."
I step closer, impulse overriding sanity. "You call, I come. Always."
Her breath catches.
She slips into the bathroom, and the door closes. Water starts running… and I finally release the breath lodged in my lungs.
I'm a fucking mess.
I toss fresh clothes on the bed, pace the length of the room, checking the locks twice, gun by the nightstand. The water shuts off. The door opens.
She walks out wearing nothing but a towel.
I go still.
Her hair is dark and damp against her shoulders. The bruises on her face and ribs are angrier under the bathroom light.
Rage detonates in my veins. I reach for her chin gently.
"Does it hurt?" My voice is barely human.
"It hurts less when you're here." It's honest. Vulnerable.
It kills me.
I hand her my T-shirt and sweats and back up before I snap. She changes, shy but trusting. When she looks up again, she's swallowed in my clothes. Drowning in them.
Fuck.
That does things to me.
"The couch is made up for you. I'll take the bed," I lie.
Her eyes widen in panic. "Alex… please don't leave me alone."
There it is. The crack in my armor I never stood a chance against.
"Okay," I say softly. "I'll stay."
I lie on my back, rigid, every muscle locked while she slides under the blankets beside me. One minute. Two. Then,
A soft palm rests on my chest.
"Alex?" she whispers.
Dear God.
"Yes?" My voice scrapes out of me.
"Can I hold onto you?"
My heart fucking stops.
I turn toward her and gently pull her into my arms. She melts , instantly, instinctively , into me. Her thigh drapes across mine. Her face buries in my throat. Her fingers curl into my shirt like I'm the only solid thing she has left.
Her breathing slows.
Her body relaxes.
She sleeps.
I don't.
All night, I stay awake keeping watch , and making a vow:
Whoever tries to take her away…
I will put in the ground.
CAMILA POV
Warmth.
That's the first thing I feel.
Then the steady thump of a heartbeat under my ear, strong and rhythmic. I don't ever want to move again. I'm cocooned in warmth and the smell of Alex , clean soap, rain, and something masculine and addictive.
My fingers are clutching his shirt. My leg is thrown over his hip. My body is practically draped over him.
Oh God.
Oh no.
Heat floods my face. Last night flashes back , the terror in the dark bathroom… waking to the storm… calling him, begging him…
He came.
He held me.
He didn't let go.
I stiffen a little, worried I've crossed a line. His arm tightens around me immediately, a low rumble escaping his chest.
"Still here," he mumbles, half-asleep.
I swallow. "I'm sorry."
His eyes open , dark, intense, focused entirely on me. "Don't apologize. Ever."
"But I, "
"No." His voice is firm but gentle. "You needed someone. You chose me. I'm glad you did."
My heart stutters painfully. "You're not upset?"
"If I was upset," he murmurs, thumb brushing my cheek, "you wouldn't be in my bed."
My cheeks burn. A whisper slips out before I can stop it.
"I thought I was in your arms…"
One dark eyebrow lifts. "That too."
I should be terrified. I should be embarrassed. Instead… I feel safe in a way I never have before.
His jaw clenches suddenly. "Did you sleep at all before I came?"
I shake my head.
"What about now?" he asks softly.
"I slept," I whisper. "Because of you."
His eyes soften the slightest bit, then his guard snaps back up. He eases away like touching me is dangerous , because it is.
Dangerous for both of us.
"I'll get us breakfast," he says roughly. "You should stay in bed. Rest."
When he gets up, I watch the muscles move beneath his shirt, the tension in his shoulders. He's trying to put distance between us.
But when he glances back , just once , desire flashes in his eyes so raw it steals my breath.
Maybe he needs me too.
Maybe I'm not the only one with a heart on the verge of breaking.
I curl into his pillow, breathing him in, already missing the heat of his body.
I'm falling.
And I don't know how to stop.