Page 107 of Our Radiant Embers

I paused to consider my response. “Making me feel...” Like I belong. “Welcome.”

“You are,” he said simply.

I needed to stop tripping headfirst into a puddle of my own emotions. So I reached for a smile, tiredness pulling on the edges of my vision, distantly aware that two floors down, the lit tip of a cigarette flared red in my mind with each drag. It was getting just a little easier to ignore.

“Good.” I strove for a light tone, humour to chase off the last dregs of heaviness swimming in my blood. “As we established, your bed is much more comfortable than mine. I may just move in.”

“I’d let you.” It was low and serious, a stark contrast to my lightly teasing statement. The dim lamplight turned Adam’s eyes a warm shade of amber, and it felt like my rib cage was coming apart, tiredness and wispy longing clinging to the tips of my lashes.

I leaned in for a brief, achingly gentle kiss and stopped thinking.

* * *

That—oh.

Oh.

Christ, what a smell. What a sight.

I managed to sit upright, duvet pooling around my waist, and made grabby hands for the coffee Adam held out for me. Sleep still pulled at my body, the sunny brightness of the morning not quite computing.

First sip. So good. So fucking good. Adam watched me with faint amusement curling the corners of his mouth, perched at the foot of his bed with his own cup. He looked far more awake than I felt, already dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that accentuated his biceps. Delicious.

“Fuck.” I took another perfect sip, smooth and creamy. “I think I love you.”

Adam’s face went still as my thoughts screeched to a halt. It had been a joke, of course. But also…not. My capacity to form words was still trapped in a sleepy daze, grappling for purchase.

Then Adam gave a raspy chuckle. “Wow. Maybe I should consider a career as a barista if it gets me this kind of reaction.”

“Ah, no.” I shook my head and dragged up a smile along with my ability to think. “Pretty sure the average customer is too ruined by Starbucks and Costa to recognise amazing coffee even if it offered a lap dance.”

“Have a little faith in humanity,” Adam said.

“Well, hey. As we already established, you actually like people. Me, less so.” I used a finger to scoop up some milk foam, licked it off, and caught it when Adam’s gaze dipped to my mouth. It made my lips tug up into a grin, the knot in my chest unravelling slowly. Back on safer ground.

“See something you like?” I asked quietly.

His attention drifted from my face to my bare chest and back up. “Very much so.”

I was about to invite him closer, morning breath be damned—only for a jaw-cracking yawn to get in the way of my best-laid plans.

Adam’s chuckle crinkled the corners of his eyes. “You know, I don’t remember this ever happening in porn.”

“Because it’s professionals selling a fantasy instead of real people in all their unshaven glory?” I suppressed yet another yawn.

“That might be it.” Adam sipped from his own coffee, smiling at me over the rim of his cup. “Seriously, though—feel any better this morning?”

I considered it. Magic still buzzed under my skin, but it was less of a distraction and more a comfortable hum by now. A glance at the clock on the bedside table told me it was close to nine—much later than I usually slept. My mind was free of the shadows that often lingered after a nightmare.

“I do, yeah. Quite a bit, actually.” Careful not to spill my coffee, I shifted into a cross-legged seat, still naked under the covers. “What time did you get up?”

“About an hour ago.”

“You could have woken me.”

Adam shook his head. ”Nah, it seemed like you could use a good rest. Also gave me a chance to pop to the shop and get some stuff for breakfast.”

“You didn’t try your hand at anything more complicated than toast, did you?” I grinned, my brain finally stuttering into proper working mode. “You haven’t been cleared yet for unsupervised breakfast preparation.”

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