The sound came first—a muted, persistent buzz cutting through the silence.
For a moment, I didn't move. When I did, the first thing I felt was a deep, pleasant ache in muscles I didn't know I had.
It was a ghost of the night before, a physical memory of Kaelen's weight, his touch, the way we had moved together. I stretched slowly, a small, secret smile touching my lips as my eyes fluttered open.
The room was bathed in the soft, golden light of mid-morning. Kaelen was still asleep. His arm draped over my waist, his breathing deep and even, on the side of my face. He looked... peaceful. Younger, somehow. As though, for the first time in weeks—months—he'd finally allowed himself to rest.
My heart swelled with a fierce, protective love. This was the man beneath the empire. My fiancé.
The phone buzzed again, interjecting my train of thought. The screen glowed faintly in the soft morning light.
And my world, so perfect and peaceful just seconds before, tilted on its axis.
Bella.
The name flashed on the screen, a garish, poisonous green against the dark background. My breath hitched. The pleasant ache in my body suddenly felt like a bruise. The memories of her video, her taunts, her hands on him, came flooding back in a nauseating wave. My heart didn't just sink; it plummeted, a cold stone in the pit of my stomach. What now? What does she want?
I stared at the vibrating phone, frozen, my mind racing through a thousand painful scenarios.
Before I could even decide what to do, a warm, big hand covered mine. Gently, he pried my fingers and took the phone from my limp grasp.
I looked up.
Kaelen was awake. Without a word, without even looking at the screen, his thumb moved. The buzzing stopped abruptly as he switched the phone off completely. He simply placed it back on the nightstand, the action final and dismissive, as if he were discarding a piece of garbage.
Then, his attention returned fully to me. He shifted, turning onto his side and propping his head on his hand. His other hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb stroking the apple of my cheek where a tear might have fallen if I weren't so determined to be strong.
"Good morning," he said, his voice a low, sleep-roughened rumble that vibrated through me.
"Bella—" I started, my voice barely a whisper, the name tasting like ash on my tongue.
"Is irrelevant," he said simply. His hand came up to cup my face, thumb tracing the faint shadow beneath my eye. "Don't let her steal another moment from us."
I looked at him—at the exhaustion hiding behind his calm, the dark smudges under his eyes that even sleep couldn't erase. He was fighting too many battles at once. And for once, I saw not just the CEO, but the man beneath—the one who carried too much, for too long.
"You haven't slept properly in weeks," I whispered.
He smiled faintly. "I slept last night."
The warmth that rose in my chest at those words was immediate, impossible to hide. I turned into his palm, pressing a kiss to it. "Then go back to sleep."
And we did.
The second time I woke, it was to a different kind of silence—softer, deeper, and filled with a profound sense of warmth. I stirred, the luxurious softness of the sheets a caress against my skin. The frantic edge of the morning was gone, soothed away by those extra hours of peace.
I listened to Kaelen's even rhythm of a heartbeat beneath my ear. He was still holding me, his body a warm fortress right next to me. I could feel the slow, deep expansion of his chest with each breath, and the soft brush of his exhale against my hair.
I blinked my eyes open, the world coming into gentle focus.
And found him watching me.
I'm not sure how long he had been awake. He didn't move one bit. He was simply… holding me. His gaze was unwavering, a quiet, intense absorption in his features, as if he were committing every detail of this moment to memory. The morning light had softened into the golden haze of afternoon, painting the room in a warm glow.
"Hi," he said, his voice a low, intimate rumble that vibrated through his chest into mine.
A slow, sleepy smile spread across my lips. "Hi." I shifted, turning slightly in his arms to face him more fully—
And the duvet slipped slightly.
A cool draft brushed my bare skin, and I glanced down. The sheet had slipped from my mount of softness, leaving one completely exposed to the warm air and his steady gaze. A hot, swift blush flooded my cheeks and chest. With a gasp that was half-laugh, half-embarrassment, I scrambled to yank the duvet back up to my nose.
Kaelen's low, rich chuckle filled the space between us. His arm tightened around my waist, preventing my retreat. "After last night," he mused, the words laced with a playful tease, "and this morning… I believe I'm already intimately acquainted with every inch of you, Elara. There's no need for modesty on my account."
"That's different," I protested, my voice muffled by the sheets. "This is… in the light of day."
"I assure you, I see just as well in the dark," he countered. He gently tugged the duvet down just enough to reveal my flushed face. "I was just admiring the view."
"Watching me sleep?" I asked, my embarrassment beginning to melt under the warmth of his attention.
"You," he corrected, his voice dropping into a softer tone. His free hand came up, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw from my temple to my chin. "I want to wake up like this every day for the rest of my life, Elara."
The raw sincerity in his words stole my breath. I let the sheet fall back to a more respectable level at my collarbones. "Come here."
In response, he shifted his weight, rolling onto his side and leaning over me. One hand cradled the side of my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. He lowered his head slowly, giving me every opportunity to turn away. I didn't.
His lips met mine, not with hunger, but with a profound certainty. They were soft yet firm, moving against mine with a slow, deliberate pressure. He angled his head slightly, and the kiss deepened. I felt the tip of his tongue trace the seam of my lips, and I parted for him without a second thought. The kiss was a slow, deep exploration—a languid tasting, a silent conversation. His breath mingled with mine, warm and shared. When he finally pulled back, it was only by a fraction, his forehead resting against mine, our noses brushing. We were both breathing a little quicker.
When we finally parted, breathless, I nestled my head against his shoulder. "What time is it?" I murmured.
"Just after three," he said, his hand stroking my hair.
My head shot up. "Three? In the afternoon?" I stared at him, wide-eyed. "We've slept the entire day away!"
A corner of his mouth quirked up. "You were tired. We both were. The world could wait."
The concept was so foreign, so luxurious, I could only laugh in disbelief. He was right. The relentless pressure had all faded into a distant hum. In this room, there was only us.
"I suppose a shower is in order," I said, finally swinging my legs out from under the covers, keeping the sheet wrapped around me like a toga.
Kaelen stood and offered me his hand. "I already took the liberty of starting the water. And I believe," he added, his eyes glinting with a fresh, playful heat, "that my fiancée should not have to shower alone. It's terribly inefficient."
I took his hand, my heart light. "Well, look at that. Is that a Vancourt Holdings policy?"
"It's a Kaelen Vancourt policy," he stated, leading me towards the en-suite, where steam was already beginning to curl invitingly from the doorway. "Effective immediately, and for the foreseeable future."
The shower was a sanctuary of steam and warm, cascading water. He washed my back with a slow, circular motion of a soapy loofah, his hands firm and soothing on my tired muscles. Then he turned me to face him, his fingers gently combing through my wet hair under the spray to rinse the conditioner, his touch both practical and incredibly intimate.
With all the murmuring, hugging and kissing, shower took longer than usual. A lot longer.
An hour later, clean, refreshed, and dressed in comfortable clothes, we finally emerged from the bedroom. The penthouse was quiet, filled with the soft afternoon light. The lingering scent of our coffee hung in the air as a knowing Flora laid out a simple, late lunch of sandwiches and soup in the dining area. I blushed slightly when I caught her eye. Was she here the entire night? Did she hear?