Joanne’s POV
The first thing I became aware of was the weight of silence.
Not the kind that feels peaceful, but the kind that presses down on your chest until every breath feels loud.
My eyes blinked open to velvet drapes and a carved ceiling that did not belong to me. I knew from the scent alone that I was not in my cabin.
My heart stopped for a moment until I remembered him.
Alexander.
His name was enough to make my stomach twist.
Movement beside me made me still.
I slowly turned and nearly screamed when I saw him lying beside me, his eyes searching mine. Moonlight cast shadows into the room, the rays washing over, turning his pale skin into something unearthly.
Then my gaze shifted down, and I realized he was naked, and then I was horrified to find that I was also naked
