The alarm hadn’t even finished ringing when James swung out of bed. The first light of dawn pressed softly through the curtains, painting the room in pale gold.
Tiana stirred beside him, blinking sleepily. “You’re up already?” she murmured, her voice thick with drowsiness.
“Yes,” he said shortly, slipping into his shirt. “There’s paperwork waiting on my table before the board meeting at nine.”
She frowned lightly. “Since when do you wake up this early for paperwork?”
He gave a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Since I started running a company full of lazy executives,” he replied, reaching for his tie.
She laughed faintly, then turned back on her side, pulling the blanket closer. “You and that work of yours. Sometimes I think you love it more than your own family.”
He didn’t a
