Veronica POV
Warmth stirred against her spine—an arm tightening at her waist, lips brushing the back of her shoulder like a whisper.
She blinked slowly. The room was soft with morning light, the blankets tangled around their bare legs, the steady sound of Brax’s heartbeat behind her.
“Hey,” he murmured, voice thick with sleep and something deeper.
She turned to face him. His eyes, usually so guarded, were soft. Open.
“You stayed,” she whispered, as if saying it too loud would make him vanish.
“Well, you are in my bed,” he chuckled. Veronica gasped and pushed at his chest. They both laughed together, but their laughter soon turned into something deeper.
The way he looked at her made her feel like she was the center of his world. Something had changed inside of him—the way he looked a
