MARION

I pushed open the double doors to my bedroom, guiding Demetria inside with her hand still caught in mine. The lights came on automatically, a soft golden glow spilling across the space. Wide windows stretched across the far wall, framing the ocean and the city beyond, and the dark wood floors gleamed under her heels.

She froze just a step inside, her gaze sweeping from the sculpted lines of the furniture to the art on the walls, finally landing on the massive bed at the center. Her lips ...