-Ezra:
His lips were still on mine when everything settled into something deeper.
It wasn't just a kiss anymore. It wasn't just curiosity or tension or that sharp pull that had been haunting me since the river. It was… recognition. Something in me quieted in a way it never had before, like a storm folding into itself, like claws retracting without force.
And it was because of him.
I didn't move away. I couldn't.
My hand stayed at his waist, firm but careful, holding him close as if letting go would break something fragile between us. His warmth seeped into me, grounding me, steadying something wild inside my chest that had never listened to anyone before.
But it listened to him.
He deepened the kiss first this time.
Not aggressively. Not rushed. Just… slowly, like he was teaching me, like he was taking his time memorizing the way I responded, the way I leaned in without thinking, the way my breath caught when his fingers shifted slightly against my throat.
