The room remained steeped in quiet warmth long after Dakota drifted fully into sleep, Kade holding vigil beside her as sunlight crept through the drapes, gilding the rumpled sheets in golden hush.
Only when her breath deepened into untroubled rhythm, chest rising steady, lashes still against her cheeks, did he shift with predatory care, sliding his arm from under her shoulders and easing from the bed without a rustle, her form barely stirring amid the twisted evidence of their night's fervent reclaiming.
Blankets sighed faintly as Kade rose, towering frame unfolding from the mattress, sheets behind him a battlefield of passion now lulled to calm; he glanced back once, silver eyes softening on her side-curled repose, hair fanned across the pillow, vulnerability stark in daylight's reveal.
