Chapter 70

Claire's POV The morning sun filtered through the gauzy curtains of our villa, casting golden patterns across the rumpled sheets where Theo and I lay entwined. I'd never felt so content, so perfectly at peace, as I did in that moment with his strong arms wrapped around me and the sound of his steady breathing in my ear. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured against my hair, his voice still rough with sleep. His fingers traced lazy circles along my bare shoulder, sending pleasant shivers through my body. "Good morning," I replied softly, turning in his arms to face him. In the gentle morning light, he looked younger somehow, the usual tension lines around his eyes smoothed away by contentment. "I could get used to waking up like this." "So could I," he said, leaning down to press a tender kiss to my lips. "In fact, I'm planning on it." The kiss was different from the passionate, desperate ones we'd shared the night before. This was soft, sweet, full of promise and affection rather than