Natalie~
The morning sun poured into the royal suite in lazy ribbons of gold, dancing across the marble floor like it had nowhere else to be. Everything was quiet—almost sacred—the kind of silence that belongs to early mornings and people still tangled in dreams.
Zane lay there, half-covered in silk sheets, bare-chested and utterly unaware of how dangerously beautiful he looked. Even asleep, there was this quiet power in him, like a lion resting with one eye open. His face, usually guarded and stoic, had softened. Long lashes made shadows on high cheekbones, and his brow had finally relaxed from the weight of the world.
One arm was stretched across the spot where I'd been lying, fingers curled slightly, like his body still thought I was there.
I hated leaving the warmth, but I slipped out of bed anyway—carefully. The silk sheets whispered against my skin as I sat up, stretching slightly, stealing one more look at Zane's sleeping face.
Bzzzt.
