Sunlight streamed through the window after the stormy night. Lara woke first and stretched—only to feel something firm pressed against her. Startled, she blinked and realized Zain was on her bed. His arm was locked around her waist, possessive even in sleep, as if afraid she'd slip away if he loosened his hold.
To her surprise, she was holding him too, her body curled against his like a koala.
She looked up at his face, relaxed in sleep, all the usual mischief gone. The teasing, reckless man she knew was nowhere to be seen. In the quiet morning light, he looked disarmingly young, peaceful—almost gentle. His long lashes cast faint shadows over his cheeks, his sharp features softened by rest. Her gaze drifted to his defined nose, those infuriatingly full lips, and finally his jawline, sharp and strong even in stillness.
Before she realized it, her fingers lifted—almost on their own—tracing the hard line of his jaw, gliding down the column of his neck, where the faint thrum of his pulse met her touch. Her fingertips followed the path to the chain resting against his chest, the pendant catching the sunlight.
Zain's breath hitched. A muscle along his jaw tightened. Every nerve in his body snapped awake, his mind screaming at him to stay still. Her touch was feather-light, but it burned, sending a shiver through his chest, down to where her hand lingered.
He kept his eyes shut, fighting the urge to react. His fingers twitched against her waist before he forced them still, his body coiled tight with restraint.
Lara, unaware, let her thumb brush over the pendant, her breath ghosting across his collarbone as she tried to read the tiny engraving.
誇りを持って死ぬ — die with pride.
It struck something deep, familiar, though she couldn't place where she'd seen it before. Lost in thought, she didn't notice that Zain had already crossed a line he couldn't uncross.
In an instant, his grip tightened around her waist, pulling her flush against him like a magnet. Her hands slid instinctively over his chest as her bathrobe shifted, revealing a sliver of smooth skin at her neckline. Zain's eyes burned as they traced her face—the curve of her lips, the arch of her collarbone, the forbidden glimpse of skin.
The gentleness shattered in a heartbeat.