By late afternoon the heat became heavy enough to slow even the village rhythm.
They returned to the villa where the shade felt cool and protective after the brightness outside, the stone walls holding a softness that seemed to quiet even their footsteps.
Inside the bedroom the shutters filtered the sunlight into long pale bands across the floor and the rumpled bed.
Willow dropped sideways across the mattress without removing her dress, the movement loose and unguarded, one arm flung above her head as she stretched. A soft groan escaped her as the cool sheets met the warmth of her skin, the sound half relief and half surrender after the long wandering day.
"I am not moving for at least an hour," she said, eyes already drifting half closed.
Zane watched her for a moment, the faintest hint of amusement settling at the corner of his mouth.
"We will see, but I suspected as much," he said. Zane looked down at her.
That earned him a slow smile without her opening her eyes.
