Sunlight pierced the penthouse's vast windows like tentative fingers, gilding the marble floors and casting long shadows across the minimalist furnishings.
Eleanor stirred in the guest suite, silk sheets tangled around her legs, the remnants of yesterday's exhaustion clinging like a faint fog.
Sleep had come heavy after the tower's marathon with Calder. He had lingered till dusk, departing with a knowing smile and a delivery takeout from his favorite hole-in-the-wall, spicy noodles laced with chilies, fatty beef strips in a garlicky blaze, portioned for her cravings.
"Fuel for the fire," he quipped, pressing the bag into her hands before vanishing into the evening. She had stashed it in the fridge, untouched, before collapsing.
Voices drifted from the main living area. It was low, an
