CRACKS AND CODE

FRAGILE BOUNDARIES

Kaitu's body responded, heat pooling low in her stomach, her breath coming quicker. "Then maybe you should stop looking Max."

Maxwell's breath hitched before he even realized he'd moved. His fingers slid into her locks again on instinct, the texture catching gently against his skin. He was losing control, he wasn't thinking at all. He only knew that she was close, too close, and that the warmth of her was unraveling every line he'd drawn for himself.

Kaitu's breath stuttered as he touched her hair, and something inside him snapped.
Not in anger.
In longing.

He tugged gently at her hair, unconsciously, just enough to draw her closer. His other hand rose to steady her when she leaned into his chest, and for a suspended moment, neither of them breathed.

"Stop looking?" he murmured, his voice rougher than he intended. "Kaitu... even if I closed my eyes, I'd still notice you."

The words slipped out before he could stop them. So did his next action.

He lifted one coil of her dreadlocks, almost reverently, brushing it with his thumb. And then, without thought or permission from his better judgment, he bent his head and pressed a single, soft kiss to the strand.

Heat surged through him.
He froze.

But the moment held him captive, and a second kiss followed, barely more than a breath.
He didn't know he'd done it until it was done.

That was all.
Two quiet, stolen kisses, yet they felt dangerously intimate.

He paused, eyes locked on hers, guilt and desire warring behind the darkness in his gaze. "I... shouldn't have..."

But she didn't pull away.

And then her hands moved, hesitating only a heartbeat before sliding up to his shoulders, her fingers grazing the warm line of his neck. It wasn't bold. It wasn't planned. It was instinct, answering instinct.

"Kaitu..." His whisper cracked, his self-control still fraying. His hands circled her waist almost protectively, as if he was both holding her and trying to steady himself. "You have no idea what you do to me."

Her breath trembled, her lips parting just slightly, and for one dangerous moment he leaned in, close enough to feel her exhale, close enough to taste the possibility he swore he'd never let himself want.

And then he stopped.
All of him stopped.

The vow.
His promise.

It slammed into him like cold water, and his grip tightened, not in desire now, but restraint.

He didn't step away.
But he didn't go further.

Her presence, her warmth, her hands around his neck... it was all too much, but he knew if he kissed her now, there would be no undoing it.

He exhaled shakily, forehead nearly touching hers. "I have to be careful with you," he whispered, voice raw. "There are lines I can't afford to cross."

His grip was steady, protective, yet achingly gentle, as if she were something precious, something fragile he wasn't sure he deserved to touch.

"Kaitu," he said after a pause, breaking the moment slightly, "if anyone is troubling you, anything, all you have to do is tell Curtis and he will tell me. I'll handle it. But me and you, we have to stay away from each other."

She hesitated, eyes narrowing slightly. "But... you don't trust me. Look what happened with Rita." She wanted to mention how he defends Isabella too but she decided against it because she knew how sensitive Max gets when it comes to her.