-Elias Grayson:
I woke up slowly, as if I were surfacing from deep water.
For a few seconds, I didn't move. I just breathed.
The room was quiet. The curtains were half-drawn, thin morning light slipping through in soft lines across the ceiling. My body felt heavy, but not in a bad way. Loose. Warm. Every muscle languid, pleasantly sore. My head was clear—too clear.
I felt… good.
That was the first thing that struck me.
Good.
Every time I spent my heat alone, I always felt drained in a hollow way. Weak. Irritated. Oversensitive. Instead, there was a deep, grounded calm sitting in my chest. The ache that had been clawing through me for days was gone and completely gone. No burning under my skin. No frantic pulse between my thighs. No suffocating fog in my head.
Just warmth.
And then I realized the warmth wasn't only mine.
A huge arm was wrapped around my waist. Firm. Secure. A palm resting flat against my stomach. Slow, steady breathing fanned against the back of my neck.
