The morning sunlight filtered through the heavy, thick curtains in the room, casting dappled patterns of light across the disheveled bed. Although a night had passed and the space had been tidied, the air still lingered with a faint, masculine scent. The remnants of last night's intimacy and the ambiguous atmosphere of their indulgence remained suspended in the room.
Julian Sterling woke up not because of the intruding rays of light, but due to the aching pain radiating through every inch of his limbs. His first sensation upon regaining consciousness was a bone-deep exhaustion, so profound that he felt as if his very being had been shattered into a thousand pieces.
