Page 55 of Stiletto's Savior

The hospital air is sterile, almost suffocating but I force myself to focus.

Miles.

The image of him fills my mind—his buzz cut, the sleeve of tattoos covering his left arm. The intensity of his brown eyes when he looked at me.

He’s always been intense and it used to scare me, especially when we were kids but now... now it just makes me feel safe.

He’s here.

He’s still in Montana, even though I’ve tried pushing him away.

For fuck’s sake… he broke up with his girlfriend.

“Fucking hell,” I mutter under my breath.

Am I actually considering this?

My heart clenches at the thought, fear warring with something else. Something more dangerous—hope.

I shake my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

“God, you’re such an idiot.”

But even as I chastise myself, I can’t deny the truth.

I want him. Not just physically–God knows that’s always been a thing–but emotionally too.

“Damn it,” I whisper into the silence, my voice barely audible.

I let my mind wander, tracing back to the time we’d spent together years ago.

The way his brown eyes would sparkle when he laughed, the way his tattoos would flex with each movement, a living canvas of ink and skin.

His thick New York accent that I used to pick on, given his Italian heritage, now sounding like the most comforting thing in the world.

He’s changed since then, we both have, but underneath those changes is the same person—the one who I’d always had feelings for.

Miles wasn’t perfect, but he was real and raw and everything I’ve ever wanted.

But wanting and having are two different things.

“Can you really handle this, Stiletto?” I question myself aloud. “Can you deal with this love shit after everything you’ve been through?”

There’s no denying I still have feelings for him. But fear gnaws at me, chewing away at the edges of what could have been.

I just… I don’t want him hurting me again.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Miles

I tap my fingers against the steering wheel, the engine purring beneath me.

The hospital looms ahead, sterile and cold.

I can’t shake this tightness in my chest.

Today’s the day Song’s getting released.

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