I wake to something almost unreal, Aleksei, sleeping in my bed. His chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm. I can’t believe it. It’s the first time.
We’ve been together over a week, but I’ve never seen him sleep. I rest my cheek on my hand, just watching him. Asleep, he’s different, the guard is down. He doesn’t look deadly or sinful. He looks peaceful. Mine.
I don’t want to wake him, but I can’t resist leaning in to kiss his jaw. Just once, I promise myself, then I give him another, closer to his lips than the last.
He stirs. His lashes are longer than I thought, fluttering before going still again. I should let him sleep. Maybe even get him coffee for when he wakes.
I start to rise, but his hand shoots out, and in a blink I’m on my back, staring at the canopy. One moment I’m facing
