“I missed you.” It’s as breathless and low as it could possibly be, and he sinks me into his body, wrapping me up in his arms and pulling my legs so I end up curled like a little ball in his embrace. He rests his chin on top of my head and just holds me tight. It’s like being cradled as a baby, warm, tight almost suffocating. Crushing me to him soundly and I can feel his heart beating through his chest a little faster than is normal for him.

I can sense the stress seeping out of his pores and push him back to lift my chin to see...