This was the first time Aneira had hugged him without hesitation, without being coaxed and without any obligation driving her. Her arms were wrapped gently around his waist, her forehead lightly resting against his back, her breath warm against his shirt. And Jaxton… he didn't know what to do with himself.
He lay still, his muscles frozen, trying to understand the emotions stirring beneath his chest. This wasn't lust. This wasn't gratitude. This wasn't obligation. It was… warm,strange, something dangerously close to peace. A foreign kind of peace, the kind he had locked out for years.
But when she said nothing, no teasing remark, no demand, not even a sleepy murmur, he assumed she had already fallen asleep. Her breathing was slow and even, brushing against his spine. He sighed silently, the weight of confusion still heavy in his chest. Then, he closed his eyes.
Until he heard it.
"Jaxton."
