章 169: The Bruises You Can't See

Dane

It was so much harder to hold her and comfort her than Dane thought it would be. Not because he didn't want to—he wanted to be there desperately. Couldn't get enough of seeing her, touching her, couldn't get close enough. But every second with her pulled at him, screamed in his mind that it could be the last.

His mind wanted to shut down. Go cold. And he refused to let it. He knew he had to stay there with her. Present. Feeling. He was certain of it. He wanted to. It was just so much more painful than he ever imagined. He felt the time slipping between them like water between his fingers—no matter how he tried to hold on, it continue to drain away.