Kaelen shifted his weight, his large frame lifting slowly as he rolled to the side of the heavy feather mattress. The thick wool blankets rustled in the quiet room, the sudden rush of cool air making Nila pull the edge of the sheet up to her collarbone. She lay still for a moment, her chest rising and falling in a slow, languid rhythm, her skin still tingling with the residual heat of his body.

He sat on the edge of the cedar bedframe for a long, silent second, his broad back bowed as he ran a hand through his damp, tangled hair. When he turned back to look at her,...