The door clicked shut behind Kael, and the world went soft and quiet. I stood there for a long moment, alone in the hotel suite, just feeling the air where he had been.
Then, I moved to the bed. I didn't just get in. I climbed into the nest of cool, high-thread-count sheets and pulled the heavy covers up to my chin.
I was swimming in his scent, the soft, worn cotton smelling like him, like clean spice and safety and home.
I let my lips fall open just a little. I could still feel it. The warm, firm press of his mouth on mine. Not a memory, but a physical ghost.
A perfect, fading stamp of love right on my skin. I touched my fingertips to my bottom lip, as if I could hold the feeling there.
Buzz-buzz. Buzz-buzz.
The sound was a tiny earthquake in the quiet. My phone, a glowing rectangle on the dark nightstand.
I turned my head on the pillow. The light from the screen seemed too bright, too eager. I reached for it, my arm feeling heavy and sweet with tired happiness.
