Chapter 28 The Breath

• Her pulse kicks so hard under his thumb it feels like a bruise waiting to break open.
• Knox crowds her back against the cold porch rail — not rough, not gentle either. Both hands frame her jaw, thumbs ghosting her throat where her pulse pounds under skin too thin to hide what’s clawing out.
• “Breathe, Vale,” he murmurs — softer now, rough around the edges where his chest shudders too. “Just breathe, sweetheart. Look at me.”