Valerie Thorne’s POV:

He looked at me, but for how long? I didn’t know that.

I stared at the moon for an endless time before my eyes felt heavy and I fell asleep. In my sleep, I felt his touch, his strong but gentle grip, around my body. Then, after some time, my body touched something warm, but I didn’t resist. I knew it was him.

Next morning…

When I groggily woke up, I felt something hard and heavy leaning against me. I blinked my eyes a few times to regain my focus.

‘Uh, ...