He murmured, voice rough with sleep. “Didn’t want to stop holding you.”
His hair was mussed, his eyes soft and warm, his expression unguarded in a way she’d never seen before. He looked at her like she was something he’d dreamed about for years and finally got to touch.
“Morning,” she whispered.
He brushed a thumb across her cheek, slow and reverent. “You look like trouble.”
She laughed softly. “I feel like trouble.”
His eyes darkened, heat flickering there. “Yeah. I know.”
Her cheeks warmed. Last night had been intimate in a way that left her chest full and her bodyhumming. She’d let him in. He’d held her like she was something sacred.
Rook’s gaze softened. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Better than okay.”
Rook shifted just enough to nuzzle the curve of her neck, his stubble brushing her skin in a way that made warmth bloom low in her stomach. “You’re warm,” he muttered, voice still thick with sleep. “And soft. And you smell like my sheets.”
She laughed quietly. “I smell like your detergent.”
“No,” he said, tightening his hold like he was trying to fuse her to him. “You smell like you. And I like it.”
Avery felt her cheeks heat. “You’re very talkative this morning.”
“Don’t get used to it,” he grumbled, but there was a smile in his voice. “It’s a temporary condition. Caused by you being in my bed.”
She rolled her eyes, even as her heart fluttered. “You’re impossible.”
“Mm.” He brushed his lips against her shoulder, lazy and warm. “And you’re comfortable. So don’t move.”
He exhaled, a long, relieved breath, and pulled her closer until her forehead rested against his collarbone. His hand slid up her back, fingers tracing slow, soothing lines.
“You scared me last night,” he admitted quietly. “Not because of the Reapers. Because I thought… if I touched you wrong, if I pushed too far… you’d run.”
Avery lifted her head, meeting his eyes. “I’m not running.”
He swallowed hard. “Say it again.”
“I’m not running, Noah.”
Emotion flickered across his face, raw, unguarded, overwhelming.
He cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs brushing her cheeks. “You have no idea what that does to me.”
She leaned into his touch. “Then show me.”
He kissed her.
Slow. Deep. Morning-soft and night-hot all at once.
Her fingers curled against his shoulder, pulling him closer. His hand slid into her hair, holding her gently but firmly, like he needed the anchor.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing a little harder.
Noah rested his forehead against hers. “I could get used to waking up like this.”
Avery smiled. “Me too.”
