Chapter 22

Chloe’s POV

It was past midnight when I felt it.

Not a sound. Not footsteps. Just a shift in the air.

I opened my eyes slowly, my body already reacting before my mind caught up. The room was dim, lit only by the soft lamp near the bed. Then I saw him.

Drake.

He stood near the door, jacket off, shirt slightly undone, his presence filling the room like a storm that had been waiting all night to break.

“You are awake,” he said quietly.

“I am now,” I replied, pushing myself up on the bed.

He walked closer, slow and deliberate, his eyes fixed on me. There was something heavy in his gaze tonight. Not hunger alone. Something darker. Something tighter.

“You did not sleep,” I said.

“I did not come to sleep,” he replied.

My breath caught.

He stopped at the side of the bed and looked down at me. “You look restless.”

“I am,” I said honestly.

He reached out and brushed his fingers along my cheek. “I have b