Morning sunlight spilled through the expansive windows of the penthouse, bathing the master bedroom in a soft golden glow.

Luca Hale watched the woman in his arms with an amused smile.

Naomi Monroe’s eyes were tightly shut, but the faint flutter of her long lashes gave her away almost immediately.

’So she’s been awake this whole time.’

The corners of his lips curled upward.

It seemed the beautiful streamer had been pretending to sleep for quite a while. The only thing keeping her from opening her eyes was pure embarrassment after everything that had happened the previous night.

She looked absolutely adorable.

A playful glint flashed across Luca’s eyes.

Without saying a word, he slipped one hand beneath the blanket and gently tickled her waist.

Naomi’s eyes flew open.

"Hahaha! Luca... no, stop!"

She immediately burst into uncontrollable laughter, twisting beneath the blankets as she tried to escape his wandering fingers.

"No... seriously..." she gasped between laughs. "Stop tickling me! I’m really ticklish! Hahaha!"

Her bright laughter echoed throughout the bedroom, filling the quiet morning with warmth.

Luca showed no intention of letting her off so easily.

"Oh? I think someone was pretending to be asleep."

"I wasn’t!"

"You’ve got a terrible poker face."

"Hahaha! You’re cheating!"

Within moments, Naomi was laughing so hard that tears had begun gathering in the corners of her beautiful eyes.

Still trying to escape, she wriggled backward across the mattress.

Then, without warning,

Her body slipped past the edge of the bed.

"Ah!"

Everything happened in an instant.

Before she could tumble onto the hardwood floor, Luca lunged forward.

His arms wrapped securely around her slender waist, pulling her effortlessly back toward him.

Naomi let out a startled gasp as she was lifted off balance.

The next moment, she found herself pressed tightly against Luca’s broad chest.

For several seconds...

Neither of them moved.

"You okay?" Luca asked quietly, one hand gently rubbing her back.

Naomi nodded against his shoulder.

"I’m fine..."

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Physically, she wasn’t hurt at all.

Her heart, however, was another story.

It pounded wildly against her chest, so loudly that she was certain Luca would hear it.

It wasn’t because she had nearly fallen.

It was because they were holding each other so closely.

With nothing separating them beneath the blanket, she could clearly feel the warmth of his skin and the firm definition of his athletic frame. Every steady heartbeat, every breath he took, seemed to send another wave of heat rushing through her face.

’Calm down...’

’Why is my heart beating so fast...?’

Luca let out a quiet sigh of relief after confirming she hadn’t injured herself.

Just as he started to loosen his embrace, intending to give her some space, he paused.

Naomi hadn’t let go.

Instead, her arms had tightened around his neck.

"No..." she murmured softly.

She buried her face against him, clinging to him as though she had no intention of moving.

Luca felt the warmth radiating from her cheeks.

Even without seeing her expression, he knew her face had turned bright red again.

He couldn’t help smiling.

Last night, she’d shown an astonishing amount of courage.

Now, in broad daylight, she couldn’t even bring herself to look him in the eye.

Women in bed seemed to be another demon entirely.

"You really are adorable," he murmured.

Naomi answered only with a tiny, embarrassed sound.

"Mmm..."

Chuckling under his breath, Luca reached for the silk duvet and carefully pulled it over her back before shifting onto his side, keeping her comfortably wrapped in his embrace.

For a while, they simply stayed like that, enjoying the peaceful silence.

Outside, the city slowly came to life, but inside the bedroom, time seemed to stand still.

Eventually, Luca slipped out of bed to wash up.

By the time he returned several minutes later, Naomi had somehow managed to burrow even deeper beneath the blanket.

Only the upper half of her face was visible now.

Her bright eyes peeked over the edge of the silk quilt, watching him cautiously.

Luca couldn’t suppress another laugh.

"Planning to hide under there all day?"

Naomi immediately looked away.

"...If your handsome self leaves first..."

"I’ll get up after that."

Luca raised an eyebrow.

"So I’m the problem?"

"You know you are."

Her voice was barely audible.

"I can’t face you right now..."

There was something so genuine about her embarrassment that Luca’s expression softened.

"Alright."

He nodded gently.

"I’ll head to the supermarket and pick up a few things."

"I’ll cook us lunch when I get back."

Naomi gave a tiny nod.

"Mhm..."

She watched him quietly, looking as though she wanted to say something, yet couldn’t quite find the courage.

Seeing her predicament, Luca walked toward her wardrobe instead.

He opened it and selected a fresh set of comfortable clothes before placing them neatly on the nearby sofa where she could reach them easily.

"There."

"You won’t have to go looking."

Naomi’s eyes softened.

"...Thank you."

Luca walked back to the bedside and leaned down, intending to kiss her forehead.

Just then...

Naomi slowly lowered the blanket.

Only a little.

Just enough to reveal her rosy lips.

She still refused to meet his eyes, but the silent invitation couldn’t have been clearer.

Luca blinked before a smile spread across his face.

Without another word, he leaned down.

Their lips met gently.

It wasn’t a passionate kiss.

Just slow.

Warm.

Comfortable.

The morning sunlight streaming through the windows seemed to wrap around them as they lingered together for several quiet moments.

When they finally separated, Luca let out a slow breath.

’If I stay here much longer...’

’I’m going to have a very difficult time leaving.’

Trying to distract himself, he gave her a playful smile before lightly patting her through the blanket.

"You little troublemaker."

Naomi covered her face again almost instantly.

"I-I’m not..."

"You absolutely are."

Laughing softly, Luca grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

A moment later, the apartment fell quiet.

The sound of the front door closing echoed faintly through the penthouse.

Only after listening carefully for another few seconds did Naomi cautiously emerge from beneath the blanket.

She slipped out of bed and quietly opened the bedroom door.

Peeking into the living room, she looked left.

Then right.

The apartment was empty.

Only after confirming Luca had truly left did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"...He’s gone."

The words had barely left her lips when she suddenly frowned.

"Hiss..."

A faint sting shot through her body, making her wince instinctively.

Her cheeks immediately turned crimson again as memories from the previous night surfaced one after another.

She pressed both hands against her burning face.

’Don’t think about it...’

’Please don’t think about it...’

That resolution lasted all of three seconds.

The memories returned anyway.

Luca’s smile.

His gentle voice.

The way he had looked at her.

Her face somehow became even hotter.

"Oh no..."

She buried her face in her hands.

"I’ll never be able to look him in the eye again..."

After standing there for another minute, Naomi finally gathered herself enough to shuffle toward the bathroom.

Her movements were noticeably slower than usual, and every careful step reminded her why she’d been too embarrassed to get out of bed in the first place.

Even so...

A shy smile gradually spread across her lips.

Embarrassing as it was...

She wouldn’t have traded the memory for anything.