Page 60 of Hymns of the Broken

I reach up, cupping his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, Jasper. Not unless you tell me to.”

His eyes shine in the darkness, softer than I’ve seen them. “Yeah,” he whispers. “I think I almost believe you.”

I squeeze him, trying to lighten the mood. “Plus, if I ever tried, I think I’d find myself chained up in a basement.”

He laughs and pulls me in closer, pressing his forehead to mine, and for a long, quiet moment, we just breathe together—no past, no ghosts. Just us.

Eventually, I let my eyes drift closed, sinking into the warmth. The ache in my chest doesn’t hurt so much when he’s this close. I listen to the soft thud of his heart, let it pull me down, steady and real.

“You tired, Trouble?” He murmurs, voice already half asleep.

I nod. The motion is small, cheek still pressed to his collarbone. “Yeah, but I don’t wanna move.”

He huffs a quiet laugh and tightens his hold, tucking me closer. “Then don’t. Stay here.”

And just like that, the past fades a little further into the dark.

Chapter 11

SAWYER

Sunlight sneaks in through the cracks in the blinds, painting golden stripes across the sheets. I blink, slow and a little disoriented, but I don’t want to move.

I just let myself exist, listening to the distant sounds of life moving on without us. There’s a lazy peace in my bones I haven’t felt in years. It’s so easy to pretend that nothing else exists except this bed, these arms, this slow morning after.

We’re not rolling down the highway; the bus hasn’t budged from the lot we parked in last night. It’s our so-called “rest day”, but really it’s just a morning to recover before the chaos starts all over again.

I roll over carefully, trying not to disturb Jasper, and watch the way the sunlight finds his lashes, the relaxed set of his jaw. For once, he looks soft. I could watch him forever.

A knock rattles the door.

“Hey—it’s Silas,” voice too damn cheerful for someone who’s obviously been awake for hours.

“Ya’ll slept most of the morning away, it’s almost 11. You planning to actually get up, or do we need to go to interviews without the lead singer?”

I freeze, the words still ringing.‘Y’all slept.’

Oh God, he definitely knows.

I squeeze my eyes shut, mortified. There’s no way they didn’t hear me last night. I want to sink under the covers and never come out.

Jasper cracks one eye open, a lazy grin spreading across his lips as he pulls me tighter. “Guess we made an impression.”

I groan, burying my face in his chest. “Do you think they all heard…?”

His laugh rumbles through me. “Let ’em. Not my fault you’re loud, baby.”

My cheeks are on fire, but I can’t stop smiling.

I slap his arm, aiming to be annoyed. “It is your fault! You—” I drop my voice, fighting a smile. “—ruined me.’

He smirks, grabs my wrist, and in one smooth move rolls me onto my back, pinning me with his body. His hair falls over his eyes, messy and stupidly perfect in the morning light. “That so? You sure you don’t want to take some of the blame, Wicked Thing? You’re the one who begged for it.”

I laugh, squirming beneath him, trying to glare, but it’s impossible with his mouth trailing down my neck, biting softly. “Jasper—let me up, we’re already late—”

He holds me there a second longer, possessive, grinning. “They can wait. Let ’em know who you belong to.” He grinds into me, letting me feel how hard he is this morning.

“Pretty sure they figured it out last night,” I deadpan as I try to ignore his cock rubbing me through his sweats.