Elena’s POV
I woke to the weight of Adrian’s arm slung over my waist, his breath warm against the back of my neck. The sheets were tangled around our legs, the air still thick with the afterglow of last night. Every inch of my body ached in that way that reminded me I was alive, wanted, cherished and claimed.
I turned slightly, my fingertips brushing over the stubble on his jaw. He shifted, groaning softly as his eyes fluttered open.
“You’re staring,” he murmured.
“I can’t even see your face,” I teased, my voice still husky with sleep. “But I know you’re smirking.”
He chuckled, low and rough, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder. “Guilty.”
We lay in silence for a moment, the world beyond the bedroom holding its breath. But the memory of last night’s dinner with Charles crept in, uninv
