Chapter 23: Afterglow and shadows

The sun shone through the gossamer drapes in delicate, gold stripes. I lay beneath the white blanket, tracing invisible patterns on the ceiling as my mind replayed last night's stolen kisses and naughty moments on the balcony. Ethan's arms around me, the weight of his lips at the base of my neck, the throb of his breathing identical to mine, each memory ignited a searing blush down my body.

Aside from the heat still smoldering under my skin, panic started building quietly within my chest. To lay here, next to an empty pillow and untucked bed, was at once a relief and a betrayal. Relief that I could hold on to the memory intact, and betrayal because he wasn't there. My fingers ached to trace the line of his jaw, to have his hand on the small of my back. Instead, I slipped off the bed and wrapped my robe around me, resolved to flee from the silence too near to bear.

I stalked along the hall, by the closed door of his study, where once I had dreamed of surprising him with breakfast, or a