Page 189 of Rangers Mountain Rescue

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78

Havoc

Iwake up before the sun.

Not because I want to.

Because I always do.

Years of training.

Years of never letting my guard down.

But this time… it’s different.

Because I’m not alone.

Aspen is in my arms.

Curled into me like she belongs there.

Like she’s been there longer than just a few hours.

Her head rests against my chest, her breath slow and even, her hand lightly fisted on my chest like she fell asleep holding on to me.

Like she didn’t want to let go.

Something tight settles in my chest.

Dangerous.

Because I could get used to this.

Too fast.

Too easy.

I shouldn’t.

I know I shouldn’t.

But my arm tightens around her anyway.

Just a fraction.

Careful not to wake her.

My ribs protest, but I ignore them.

Not important.

Not compared to this.

I study her in the dim light filtering through the window.

The softness of her face.

The way her lashes rest against her cheeks.

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