Page 186 of Let Me In

Because he thinks of everything.

He cleans me gently.

Tenderly.

The warmth of the cloth, the sure rhythm of his hand—it makes something deep in me soften. My body aches in the sweetest way, and yet the care he shows now undoes me more than anything that came before. It’s quiet and slow and reverent, like he’s tending to something sacred. Like I’m something sacred.

The cloth glides between my thighs, slow and warm and unhurried.

I jolt once.

He hushes me again.

“You’re okay. Just cleaning you up, baby.”

I nod, tears suddenly pricking at the corners of my eyes for no reason I can name.

It’s not pain, not shame.

Just… Being cared for.

Once he’s done, he tosses the cloth aside and pulls the covers up around us. And without another word, he gathers me in. Lifts me onto his chest, lies back against the pillows, and holds me there. My cheek over his heart, my legs tangled with his, sis arms wrapped tight around me.

He doesn’t speak for a long moment, just strokes my spine with one hand. His other finds my hand and brings it to his mouth, kisses each knuckle like a prayer.

“You okay, little one?”

This time, I don’t hesitate. “Better than okay.”

He kisses my temple.

Then murmurs—

“You’re mine now. You know that, don’t you?”

His voice is soft, but there’s an edge beneath it—a hush of urgency, of something fragile and raw. His brow tics like he’s holding back more than he says, and for just a second, he looks almost unsure. Like this moment means more than he knows how to carry. Like needing the answer costs him.

I nod again, but I whisper it this time too. “I’m yours.”

His arms tighten. And for a long moment, that’s all we are.

Us.

His thumb strokes my back in slow, steady lines, each pass a tether, a grounding. My cheek is still pressed to his chest, right over the steady beat of his heart.

He hasn’t let go once, and I don’t want him to.

Not tonight.

Not ever.

His hand brushes my hair back behind my ear, fingertips lingering there for a moment before trailing along the line of my jaw.

“You were perfect,” he murmurs. “So damn brave. Letting me in like that.”

I shiver.

Not from cold.

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