Chapter 16

• He set me down gently onto the plush mattress, the stark contrast between his earlier feral intensity and this delicate care almost dizzying. Before I could pull away or complain about feeling handled, Ryder climbed up beside me, pulling the heavy wool duvet over us both and dragging me firmly against his side.
• My head settled naturally against the hard plane of his chest, the steady, rhythmic thudding of his heart echoing beneath my ear like an anchor. The cabin was deathly quiet now, save for the low whistle of the mountain wind pushing against the glass panes and the soft, heavy hum of our shared breathing.
• "Where did the big bad Enforcer go?" I murmured, my voice raspy and barely louder than a whisper, my fingers absently tracing the harsh line of his collarbone. "I thought you only knew how to break things."