The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the room, the remnants of lunch a pleasant weight in my stomach. I settled onto the plush sofa, intending for a brief rest. But my mind was a whirlwind of anxieties, a jumble of worries about Derek and the precariousness of our situation. My eyes had barely fluttered closed when the door creaked open.

Rex.

And suddenly, all my carefully constructed anxieties dissolved into a breathless wave of something else entirely. He filled the doorway, a vision of sun-kissed skin and tousled dark hair. His eyes, the color of warm honey, held a mischievous glint that sent a shiver of anticipation down my...