Jay froze.
One second she was buried against Keifer's warm chest, half-asleep, letting him whisper "Good Morning, My Queen…" against her neck—And in the next second, the memories of last night hit her like a shockwave.
Her breath stuttered.Her heart sprinted.Her entire body tensed.
Keifer noticed instantly.
His teasing grin softened, fading into concern.He cupped her cheek, thumb brushing her skin in slow, grounding circles.
"Hey… baby. Look at me."
Jay did—barely. Her eyes flickered up, unsure, overwhelmed, still caught between the weight of last night's confessions and the heat of his earlier teasing.
Keifer leaned closer, nose brushing hers, voice lower… steadier.
"You remembered everything, didn't you?"
Jay swallowed. Hard. "Y-yeah…"
Silence—but a warm one. Heavy. Charged.
Keifer let out a slow breath, forehead meeting hers.
"Good," he murmured. "I want you to remember. All of it. Every second."
His hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her gently into him. Not hungry. Not aggressive. Just claiming, with quiet certainty.
Jay's pulse jumped.
"Keifer…" she whispered, unsure if she was warning him or begging him to continue.
He smiled—dangerously soft.
"You always get this shy after you wake up beside me."His thumb traced her lower lip. "But you didn't look shy when you were holding onto me last night."
Jay hid her face against his collarbone, and he laughed, deep and warm.
"There she is," he teased. "My girl."
Her fingers curled into his shirt. "Stop teasing…"
"You love it," he whispered, lips brushing the shell of her ear. "You always melt when I say your name like that."
Her breath hitched.
Then he shifted—rolling her gently onto her back, bracing one arm beside her head, careful, slow, watching her reaction like she was the most fragile, precious thing he'd ever touched.
The air changed.
Softer.Hotter.Closer.
"Jay…"Her name sounded like a vow on his tongue."I'm right here. I'm not scared of your past. I'm not going anywhere."
Her eyes stung—emotion, relief, desire all tangled.
"You… you're really okay? With everything? With me?"
He didn't answer with words.
He dipped down, pressing his forehead to hers, voice trembling with honesty.
"You're not a burden. You don't trigger me. You don't ruin me."His thumb brushed her cheek, tender."You ground me. You calm me. You're the only woman I've ever wanted to wake up with."
Jay felt something inside her crack open—the part of her that had been bracing for rejection.
Keifer kissed her then.
Not rushed.Not wild.Just deep, slow, aching—with the kind of gentleness that made her toes curl and her chest tighten.
Her hands slid up his back, pulling him closer without thinking.
He smiled against her lips. "See? You do want me close."
"Keifer—"
He silenced her with another kiss, his voice husky as his lips moved over hers.
"I want every morning with you."Another slow kiss."And every version of you."A breath against her throat."Even the one who overthinks."His hand slid to her waist, steady, warm."Especially the one who tries to run."
Jay shivered.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered, lips grazing her jaw. "Even now, I will. Just say it."
She didn't.
Instead, she tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him back to her.
His breath caught—soft, surprised, undeniably affected.
"Jay…"A hoarse whisper."My girl."
Their lips met again—deeper this time.His weight lowering but still careful.His touch firm but respectful.The moment tipping into something warm and intimate and entirely theirs.
Nothing explicit.Nothing graphic.Just heat, closeness, trust, and the soft sound of two people finally letting themselves want what they've been holding back.
Outside, the morning was quiet.
Inside, Keifer kissed her like she was the only truth he'd ever been sure of.
And Jay let herself believe him.