Grace's POV:
I drifted in the soft, hazy space between sleep and wakefulness. My body was thoroughly used and deliciously sore in places I'd never been sore before. Hunter's warmth surrounded me. His arm was draped possessively across my waist. His chest was warm against my back, and his breath was steady against my hair. For just a moment, I let myself pretend that it was real. I pretended that we'd made love because we loved each other and not because grief, loneliness, and raw need had combusted into something neither of us could control.
His fingers started moving, tracing patterns on my hipbone. Not s****l, just...present. Connected. It was as if he was holding me to him, not just physically.
"Grace." His voice rumbled through his chest and into my back, aware I was awake. "Can I a
