Luara opened the door slowly, letting the warm light from the hallway silhouette Rayder on the steps. He held the bouquet with both hands, as if it were a shield that protected nothing, and held his breath for a second when her eyes met his. The scent of roses wafted through the entrance and spread throughout the room, mingling with the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen and the lavender soap her mother used in the drawers, but none of that was enough to ease the tension that had ...