Suddenly, Michael shifted beside me, his body going rigid in a way that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. It wasn't the gradual return to vigilance I'd observed before. It was something more immediate.
He sat up, head tilting as if listening for something I couldn't hear. His eyes narrowed as he processed something beyond my perception.
"What is it?"
He didn't answer and slid out from beneath the sheets. I watched the muscles in his back flex as he pulled on sweatpants.
He crossed to the window and shifted the blinds just enough to peer through the narrow gap. The pale light carved shadows beneath his cheekbones, highlighting the taut set of his jaw.
He stood there for a long time, silent and still.
Unease pooled in my stomach as the minutes stretched. I sat up, drawing the sheet around me.
"Michael? What is it?"
"Nothing." He didn't turn away from the window.
I considered pressing him, demanding the truth, but something in the rigid line of his shoulders stopped me. He wasn't being stubborn. He was acting as a shield, placing himself between me and whatever danger lurked.
After a final survey, he turned from the window, his expression carefully composed. He came back to bed and wrapped himself around me. His body curled against mine, chest to my back, legs tangled with mine, holding me with a fierceness that bordered on desperation.
We both knew the moment was slipping away, but we stayed inside it as long as possible. The rain continued its steady patter against the windows.
Michael's lips pressed against the nape of my neck. I couldn't shake the certainty that we'd reached a breach point—where the shoreline cracked under the weight of the tide, and something long-contained threatened to flood through.
Chapter fifteen
Michael
Icheckedmyphoneforthe seventeenth time in thirty minutes. No messages. No calls. My thumb hovered over Alex's name. The urge to contact him was almost overwhelming.
He'd only been gone three hours. Contacting him again would cross the line from concerned to controlling.
My tactical vest lay across my kitchen table, freshly checked, alongside the small go-bag I'd packed after spotting a mysterious sedan outside my window in the morning. It was black, with tinted windows and government plates poorly concealed with mud.
I hadn't mentioned it to Alex before he left for the university archives. What was the point of scaring him?
I raked my fingers across the top of my head. "He's fine. He's in public spaces. They wouldn't try anything there."
I'd let Alex walk out alone because he'd insisted. I wanted to respect his autonomy.
One knee bounced in an erratic rhythm as I sank onto the couch. I kept one eye on the clock—3:47 PM. Alex promised to be back by five.
I rose again, unable to remain still. Survival training taught me to conserve energy, but I didn't know how to process the adrenaline spiking through my bloodstream. Every car that passed on the street below drew my attention. Every shadow on the wall raised the hair on my arms.
The apartment was a hollow space without Alex's presence. In the short time since he'd crashed back into my life, the space had transformed from a place I slept to somewhere that echoed with his laughter, sharp insights, and sexy sounds he made when we touched.
I opened the drawer where I kept my father's backup service weapon. The responsible thing would be to leave it locked away. The trained SWAT officer in me knew better than to arm myself while on administrative leave.
Unlocking the drawer, I checked the magazine and chamber before tucking the weapon into my waistband at the small of my back. Its weight was a steady anchor against the rising tide of dread.
I kneaded the muscles at the base of my neck, trying to ease the tension building there.
"Come on, Alex," I whispered to the empty apartment. "Just come home."
Home. It wasn't Alex's home—only a temporary shelter against the storm. At least, that was the idea, but I couldn't negate the fact that he was the only person outside of me who lingered for more than one night.
The waiting was the worst part. When the threat finally materialized, I'd know what to do. Until then, all I could do was pace, watch, and calculate all the ways I might fail to protect him.
