Addison's breath caught. Her chest rose and fell faster against the black lace that struggled to contain it.
"You're not here just because you want to save me." I leaned closer. Close enough that my lips brushed her ear when I spoke. "You're here because you want someone to take the weight off your shoulders. To make the decisions for you. To tell you what to do instead of having to figure everything out yourself. You're exhausted from being strong all the time. From being the scary one. The violent one. The one who keeps everyone else at arm's length because getting close means getting hurt."
"That's not." She swallowed. "That's not true."
"Isn't it?"
My free hand found the clasp of her bra. A simple hook and eye mechanism that gave way under my fingers without resistance. The fabric loosened across her chest and she inhaled sharply, her body tensing as gravity took over and the strapless construction began to fail.
