{"Without warning, as a whirlwind swoops on an oak, love shakes my heart."}
The dawn filtered in through the sheer drapes like a sigh—soft and golden, as though the world outside dared not disturb the stillness we'd spun through the night. I reached across the furs to the spot where his warmth should have lingered.
But it was cold and empty.
"Ralph?"
Silence answered me. No gentle snoring. No arm lazily draped over my chest. Just the quiet hush of morning.I sat up slowly, the ache in my body a sacred reminder of everything we had shared. My skin still burned with the memory of his touch, his voice caught between laughter and groans, the way his fingers had trembled slightly when I kissed the hollow of his throat.
