Chapter 14
Mikey
Iam lying here, watching Julia’s chest rise and fall. She is peaceful in a way that I have never seen her.
I know I need to go to sleep. We have practice at six in the goddamn morning. Coach will skate our asses raw if we show up half-dead.
But I can't seem to close my eyes. Every time she twitches… or her breath hitches… I feel it in my chest. She is reliving those nightmares from her past all over again.
And I won't lie. I feel like if I look away for too long… she might vanish.
Kai is on the other side of her, one arm thrown over her waist like he’s claiming his territory even in his sleep. He is in a deep sleep, also, the kind he only gets when he feels safe. But even when he is unconscious, his grip on her is protective and possessive.
Julia shifts, turning slightly towards me. A small sound leaves her throat, something between a whimper and a sigh. Then her brows pull together like something in her dream is hurting her.
I brush my knuckles along her cheek, making sure to be careful as hell not to wake her. The soft, gentle touch has her face relax instantly.
Jesus.
She doesn’t even know what that does to me.
Her lips part, and she nuzzles into my palm. It’s like she does it on instinct, like she’s been doing it for years.
I lean in without thinking and press a soft kiss to her temple. Whispering in her ear, “I’ve got you, princess.”
And I do… God help me, I do.
She breathes out a warm, shaky breath that lands straight to my heart, and she relaxes.
I should sleep… I should turn off the part of my brain that’s wired to her every move. But instead, I lie here memorizing the way the moonlight hits her cheekbone, the faint shadow of her lashes, and the tiny scar above her eyebrow.
Kai shifts behind her, pulling her closer to his chest. She fits between us like she was made to belong right here.
And maybe… she was.
I exhale slowly and force my eyes to close, but only for a moment.
For this split moment, I can pretend that she is ours forever, and tomorrow she won't be gone when we get home from practice.