JADEN.
We were still caught in that small, charged space between us, lost in each other's gaze.
I could feel her heartbeat racing against my chest, the sound of it almost louder than the blood pounding in my ears.
Then, her door suddenly pushed open with a loud, ugly creak.
"Mum! We're home!" I heard a tiny, happy voice squeal as footsteps tapped into the room.
Crystal jumped like she’d been electrocuted, tearing herself out of my hold as if my touch burned. Her nerves scattered instantly; she couldn’t even mask it. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear with shaking fingers, her eyes blown wide, darting around frantically.
The child's giggles followed.
I turned toward the doorway just as a little boy came running in, waving a paper bag in his hand. His hair was a soft brown
