Page 188 of Let Me In

My arms tighten in response, instinctive.

Protective.

Possessive.

And so goddamn grateful.

She has no idea what she’s done to me. How long it’s been since I felt this… whole.

Years. Maybe decades.

I press a kiss to her temple. Whisper it there, quiet as breath. “You’re everything to me, little one.”

My chest tightens as I say it. The words feel too small for what she is—what she’s become. My throat works around theache, my eyes sting. She’s still curled against me, breath warm, soft, and I swear I can feel her inside every part of me now. Like loving her isn’t something I’m doing—it’s something I am.

My voice is barely audible.

But I mean every word.

“And nothing’s ever going to touch you. Not while I’m breathing.”

I hold her through the hush that follows.

Eyes open.

Mind still.

Heart full.

27

EMMY

The first thingI feel is his hand.

Broad and warm, splayed low on my back beneath the sheets, fingers curling gently around my waist. The second thing is the heat of him: chest against mine, legs tangled through mine, the steady rise and fall of his breath brushing the crown of my head.

I don’t open my eyes right away.

His skin warm against mine, the faint scent of cedar and sleep lingering on him, each breath slow and grounding as it ghosts over my hair. He’s still here. Still wrapped around me like nothing could pry him loose.

And for the first time in a long, long time… I don’t want to move.

Not because I’m afraid.

But because this... this hush, this quiet, this safety, feels fragile in the most beautiful way. Like snow that hasn’t been stepped in. Like breath caught between heartbeats. And I’m still a little afraid I’ll somehow ruin it.

He shifts slightly, just enough to pull me closer. I feel the drag of his palm along my hip to my waist, slow and intentional.

“You awake, little one?”

His voice is low. Rasped with sleep and something deeper, something that wraps around my chest and holds.

I nod, barely, before curling deeper into his hold.

His hand rises to brush my hair back from my face, thumb stroking my cheek.

“Good. Didn’t want you waking up alone.”

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