Cassidy
Warmth curled around me like a blanket—soft, steady, and more comforting than anything I'd felt in months. My limbs were relaxed, tucked into a solid warmth beneath me. I sighed, still half-asleep, and nuzzled deeper into it.
And then I felt it—
A slow, steady heartbeat beneath my cheek.
A heartbeat.
My eyes snapped open.
Not a pillow. Not the duvet.
Kieran.
Darkness greeted me, bathed in soft morning light creeping through the curtains. Two familiar golden eyes stared back at me, barely inches from my face.
He blinked once. Then his lips curved into a lazy, knowing smile.
"Morning," he said, voice deep and just rough enough from sleep to send my heart into freefall.
Panic hit me like a freight train.
I bolted upright, forgetting entirely about the tangled sheets around my legs. My feet caught. My balance failed. And I tumbled—sheets and all—off the bed in a flurry of flailing limbs and muffled yelps.
I hit the floor with a thud, wrapped in linen and shame.
