"Don't go…"
Athena had no choice but to give up the immediate pretense when Ewan tried to deprive her of his comforting warmth.
She has been awake, in charge of her senses, since his voice and words, "I'm here, Athena!", had drifted into her reoccurring nightmare, lifting her from the abyss that was Morgan's yard into the cocoon of his strong arms.
Her sobs, clashing against his persistent efforts at comfort, had quieted down; her fraying nerves were soothed under his humming breath, under the kisses he dropped on her hair intermittently.
Because she didn't want to snuff the life out of the intense moment, because she didn't think she was ready to talk about her nightmares, and because she didn't want to stop his fussing over her, she had pretended to drift off to sleep, thinking that he would hold onto her just for a little while—until she was really asleep…
But alas, the beautiful man wanted to run away, buying into her pretense at first glance.
