_Aria's POV_
The next day, Lucien took me shopping.
I woke up with him already awake beside me. He lay on his back, one arm tucked under his head, the other resting lightly at my waist. His eyes were open. He was watching me again.
I sighed softly. “Do you ever stop doing that?”
He smiled. “Watching you? No.”
I turned onto my side to face him. “How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to decide I don’t want to leave you today,” he said. “But duty calls.”
I frowned. “You said yesterday that you were busy.”
“I was,” he replied. “Today is different.”
“How?”
He brushed his thumb across my lower lip. “Today, I’m stealing you for myself.”
My heart skipped. “Stealing me where?”
“Shopping,” he said simply.
I blinked. “Shopping?”
“Yes,” he repeated, clearly pleased by my surprise.
