The feeling of warm breath against the back of her neck and a cinching arm around her waist brought Vic out of her unusually restful sleep. “I could wake up like this every morning.” Max whispered with a sleepy crackle to his voice and although Vic’s body became instantly rigid as she sucked air in through her nose she didn’t move. “Max.” she whispered, as her eyes began to adjust to the dim light of the early morning. Max pressed his nose into the back of her neck and grumbled something as Vic slowly rolled to her back so she could look at him. “Max.” she repeated, with a little more seriousness in her voice. He made a sound that reminded Vic of a grumpy puppy as his nose traveled from the back of her neck to the soft flesh of her ear lobe. “Vic.” he whispered back, and her body immediately responded in an eruption of goosebumps and promising trembles, no matter how hard she tried to remain still. Max’s nose moved from its playful nuzzle against her ear and he slowly drug the soft ti
