His arm tightened around me again.
“I thought I was about to lose another person I cared about,” he mumbled softly into my hair. “That I might not make it to you in time.”
“You made it just in time,” I said softly, lifting my head to meet his eyes.
His gaze held mine.
Steady. Searching.
And I realized something then.
He hadn’t just been trying to save me tonight.
He’d been trying to reach someone before it was too late.
But unlike two years ago… this time, he did.
26
THEO
I woketo the sound of something soft and steady.
Breathing.
For a second, I didn’t know where I was. The living room lamp still glowed dim in the corner. The television had long since gone to its black inactive screen.
And Nora was asleep on my chest.
Her cheek was pressed just below my collarbone, one arm tucked between us, the other draped loosely across my ribs like she’d anchored herself there without meaning to.
I must have dozed off.
My neck already ached from the awkward angle of the couch. If I stayed like this much longer, I’d feel it tomorrow.
“Okay,” I murmured quietly. “Let’s get you to bed.”
But she didn’t respond.
Just shifted slightly, nuzzling closer as if she was chasing warmth in her sleep.
I stilled.
She was not aware of who she was curled up against. I wasfairly certain of that. Because if she’d been fully coherent, she wouldn’t be tucked into my side like this.
But… it felt nice.
Too nice.
But I also knew that if I didn’t get upstairs soon, I’d wake up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
Carefully, I slid my arm out from beneath her shoulders. She made a small sound of protest but didn’t wake. I eased forward, then slipped one arm behind her knees and the other around her back.
She was warm.
Lighter than I expected.
When I stood, she stirred, lashes fluttering.