Brand woke up to the crackling of the fire, and a mean knocking in his head.
For a moment he did not stir, though the firelight burned insistently against his closed lids. Then at last he shifted, hoping to turn his face from the yellow light, but was momentarily surprised to find he was not against the headboard.
His eyes snapped open at once.
Madelyn was lying by his side, her naked body entirely pressed to his, one of her slender legs drawn between his thighs. A cold breeze fluttered the open curtains—they had not closed them the night before—and the ivory cover was pulled up to their waists, but no higher.
Panic began. Swiftly—mercifully—it turned to realisation.
He was lying completely, and every monster was threatening to split his head in two. Surprisingly though, he had slept longer than he normally did. His scared heart relaxed a bit.
