Chapter 168

Sofia. His words hit like a sucker punch dressed in velvet. "I’m not letting you run this time." I should’ve had something clever ready to go. A witty comeback. A sarcastic jab. Hell, even a half-hearted "we'll see." But nothing made it past my lips. Because the way he looked at me—like I was gravity, oxygen, and sunlight all rolled into one—stripped every ounce of sass from my bones. My whole body felt like it was on alert, not in fear, but in want. In hope. In a feeling I couldn't find a way to describe. So instead of running my mouth as always, I reached for him. My fingers threaded into his sleep-tousled hair, the strands still warm from our earlier chaos. There was a faint stubble burn on his cheek where I’d clearly been overenthusiastic (zero regrets, by the way), and his lips—plump, smug, and still glistening with leftover kisses—grazed mine like they had every right to be there. And the terrifying part? They did. This—this right here—was what belonging felt like. "You make it h