The first thing I felt in the morning was warmth.
The dawn light was only beginning and it is slipping through the curtains. Soft and pale. This warmth came from the slow exhale against my shoulder… from the weight of an arm draped over my waist… from the steady presence pressed along my back.
Maximus didn't moved all night and his grip hadn’t loosened. Mine? Hadn’t either.
For a moment... neither of us stirred.
His chest, rose and fell against me in a slow, even rhythm. His fingers twitch once curling lightly against my stomach as if tightening his hold even in sleep. The bond between us, it is quiet, steady and felt like a pulse beneath the skin.
I shifted carefully, and I eased onto my back so I could see him. His arm slid with me but didn’t fall away, he murmured something low and
