The Stranger I Married-Chapter 60: Beautiful Morning

Sunlight crept slowly across the bedroom, warming the sheets and casting a soft, golden glow over tangled limbs. Ella stirred first, blinking her eyes open against the invading light, her senses still foggy with sleep.

The first thing she noticed was warmth.

The second thing she noticed was Nicholas.

He was sprawled beside her, one arm tucked under his head, the other wrapped securely around her waist, holding her like she was something he didn’t intend to let go of anytime soon. His bare chest rose and fell steadily, the slow rhythm of his breathing brushing warmly against her temple. Somehow during the night, she’d ended up half draped over him, her legs tangled with his, one hand resting against the smooth, solid plane of his stomach.

Ella lay there for a moment, just breathing him in—soap, heat, and something entirely him. It felt reckless, indulgent, to stay pressed up against him like this, but she didn’t move. Didn’t want to.

And then, as if sensing her awake, Nicholas shifted slightly, his grip on her tightening the barest fraction.

"Staring at me, wife?" he murmured, his voice deliciously rough with sleep, the faintest smile curling at the edges of his mouth.

"Maybe," she whispered, unable to help the answering smile tugging at her lips.

His lashes lifted lazily, those gray-blue eyes locking onto hers with a sleepy, molten intensity that made her insides coil. "You know it’s dangerous to look at me like that first thing in the morning."

"Oh, really?" she teased softly, her fingers curling against his abdomen, tracing the faint trail of hair leading below the blanket. "Dangerous how?"

His smile deepened, still lazy but sharper now, like a blade hidden beneath silk. "Makes me want to ruin you all over again."

Heat flared in her cheeks, but she refused to look away. "You promised you’d behave."

He hummed, lifting his hand to brush her hair back from her cheek, fingertips trailing down the curve of her jaw with aching tenderness. "I did. And I meant it. But you’re making it hard, sweetheart. Lying here all soft and warm against me. Wearing that little thing."

Ella wrinkled her nose. "It’s just pajamas."

His thumb slid across her bottom lip. "Not to me."

Her heart stuttered. It was ridiculous, really, how easily he disarmed her with a single look, a single touch. This was supposed to be just for comfort, a reprieve from the madness circling them like wolves outside the door. Yet here they were, tangled up together like they belonged this way.

Like this could be real.

Nicholas watched her closely, as if reading every thought in her head. And for once, there was no teasing in his gaze. No smirk. Just raw honesty, sharp and devastating in its intensity.

"Sleep well?" he asked finally, voice softer now.

She nodded, her throat suddenly tight. "Better than I have in a long time."

His hand drifted down, resting over her hip. Protective. Possessive. "Good."

For a while, neither of them said anything. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable; it was thick with something electric, a current humming under the surface of their skin. Her fingers traced idle patterns on his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart beneath her touch.

Then Nicholas reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, his grip firm and grounding.

His thumb stroked over hers, gentle, steady.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was quieter. More thoughtful. freēnovelkiss.com

"I’m not going anywhere, Ella."

God, the way he said her name like that.

"I don’t want to break you," she whispered, the fear spilling out before she could stop it.

That finally earned a flash of that wicked grin, softer now, tempered by something more tender. "Sweetheart," he murmured, his free hand brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "you couldn’t break me if you tried."

She let out a shaky breath. "You don’t know that."

"Don’t need to. I know you. And I’m telling you—I’m here."

Ella blinked at him, something fierce and aching and hopeful rising in her chest, making her throat ache.

And then, because she couldn’t help herself, she leaned in and pressed her mouth to his. Soft. Sweet. Barely more than a breath of contact, but it sent electricity shooting through her entire body.

When she pulled back, Nicholas’s eyes were locked on hers, darker now, heat sparking in their depths. But he didn’t pounce. Didn’t turn the kiss into something wild and consuming like he so easily could have.

Instead, he reached up, cupped her face between his big, calloused hands, and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.

"I like waking up with you," he murmured against her skin. "Might make a habit of it."

A laugh bubbled out of her, soft but real. "Careful, Carter. You’re starting to sound dangerously like a husband."

He smirked. "That’s because I am your husband."

The playful glint was back, but it was tempered with something deeper. Something steady. A promise wrapped in sarcasm and affection, like everything else with him.

She shifted slightly, curling closer into his warmth, letting herself believe, just for this morning, that maybe she couldhave this. That maybe the sharp, broken edges of her life could find comfort in someone like him. Someone who saw all her cracks and stayed anyway.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Nicholas let out a satisfied hum, his fingers trailing lazily up and down her back.

"Now," he said conversationally, like they hadn’t just shared something quietly shattering between them, "the real question is: pancakes or waffles?"

Ella blinked at him, laughter bursting free before she could stop it. "That’s the pressing issue after all of this?"

"Obviously." His grin turned smug. "We’ve had emotional vulnerability. It’s time for carbs."

She snorted, burying her face into his chest, smiling against his warm skin. "Waffles."

"Excellent choice, Mrs. Carter. I knew I married you for a reason."

She laughed again, the sound bright and unguarded in the morning light, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn’t feel alone anymore.

Not with him.

Not here.

Not like this.