After escorting Jared to his school, Elliot Presgrave did not return to pack affairs at the company. Instead, he carried breakfast back to my home, moving with quiet purpose, the key I had entrusted to him still in his possession—a small but undeniable sign of accepted access within my space.
Standing at the entrance with the food in hand, he let his gaze drift through the open doorway toward my room. He saw me wrapped in blankets, still lost in sleep, my posture unguarded in a way that revealed none of the controlled composure I maintained when awake. A faint smile touched his lips as he observed for a moment longer before stepping away, as though acknowledging something unspoken within himself.
If I had known he would be watching, I would have adjusted my position out of instinct, but in that moment I resembled nothing more than a resting cub, shifting slightly now and then as sleep carried me through shallow dreams. Unaware, I remained exposed to his quiet scrutiny.
