A soft, discreet chime from the suite's service bell broke the morning quiet.
Alex's eyes opened instantly. He didn't move right away, lying still as the golden morning light spilled through the sheer linen curtains, casting warm amber stripes across the bedroom.
A single glance around the room told the entire story of the night before.
The bedroom was a portrait of beautiful, unchecked ruin. Pillows lay scattered across the floorboards. Near the armchair, her delicate silk blouse and cardigan sat discarded where they had been stripped away in a fever. Even the heavy timber headboard rested slightly askew against the wall, while the tangled sheets bore silent testimony to a storm that had raged until dawn.
Beside him, buried deep into the feather pillows, Victoria was still fast asleep.
