I exhale in relief.
But I’m shaking. My hands are clenched into fists. I try to calm my breath.
“Andrew?” the voice repeats.
I turn. Arès is beside me, his hand resting gently on my shoulder. His presence is solid, grounding. He’s real. I’m okay.
“…Yeah?” I whisper.
He lets out a breath and turns me toward him fully, both hands now resting on my shoulders. All I want is to sink into him. I’m still socold.
“You didn’t answer for ten minutes,” he says softly.“Are you okay?”
Am I? I don’t know. I don’t know what I feel anymore. These fragments… they just hurt.
“Can you… hold me?” I plead before I can stop myself, my voice barely audible.
His brow creases. He scans my face, searching for understanding. And when he sees how lost I am, he doesn’t ask anything more. He just pulls me into him.
I press against his chest and let his warmth soak into my frozen limbs. My fingers fist his T-shirt as I bury my face in the curve of his neck. His scent surrounds me—woody, earthy, calming. He smells like pine and peace. I cling tighter, finding a stillness I didn’t know I needed. His body vibrates softly beneath my fingers, and slowly, my trembling fades.
I canbreatheagain.
I’mwarmagain.
“Talk to me,” he murmurs.
“I remembered,” I finally whisper.
His arms tighten around me.
I look up at him. He watches me, waiting, patient.
“What did you remember?”
I close my eyes. Part of me wants to stay quiet, to sort it out first. But he saw the aftermath. He held me through it.
“Just… a flash. One scene.”
He starts to pull away. I panic and grab tighter. I’m not ready to be alone again.
“I’m just locking the door,” he says gently.“We’ll go upstairs.”
“And your clients?” I ask.
“They can wait,” he replies, reaching for the lock.
He keeps a hand on me as we move through the studio and into the apartment above. He sinks onto the couch and pulls me down with him, settling me on his lap. My cheeks burn. I can’t remember the last time I sat on someone’s lap.
His hand runs slowly down my spine, leaving chills in its wake.
“Tell me,” he says softly.
“It was snowing,” I begin.“I was kneeling outside, and Jace was watching me from inside. I was freezing, and he was just… enjoying the view. All because my shirt was too open. I hadn’t even thought about it. I just liked how it looked. And then he opened the door… and told me to come inside.”
“That son of a bitch,” Arès mutters.
“I wanted to go inside. I was so cold. But I knew if I did… he’d take my body. So I thought maybe I should stay out there. Let the cold finish me.”
