Chapter 47. His Plan

ARDEN

His arms didn’t feel like the arms of someone trying to claim me. They didn’t set my skin on fire. Instead, it felt like Cade was trying not to fall apart.

Without thinking, my body moved on its own. I hugged him back.

I was very careful. My arms slid around his waist, tightening when I felt his breath hitch against my neck. In that moment, I realized… he wasn’t the fearless figure people imagined him to be.

“What are you—?” I whispered against his shoulder, feeling the steady beat of his heart.

He sighed deeply, able to understand my question despite its incompleteness. Then he pulled back just enough to look into my eyes.

“What were you doing there?” he asked.

Meeting his gaze, I couldn’t find it within me to bluff. “I stumbled upon it,” I admitted honestly, holding his stare even as my heart fluttered. “I was just trying to get away from a group of boys who were attempting to break into the bathroom while I was all alone.”

His