His emotions lapped around her like a warm pool, drawing her irresistibly into a quiet daze. His hand in her hair, pulling her head back, rippled across the surface of it like tossing a stone in. She had to stand up and shake her skirts out before she could sit next him like he wanted, and of course the corset wouldn’t allow any sort of cat-like curling up.
But she settled into the curve of his arm anyway, one hand lying on his chest and bare feet hanging off the couch. Maybe this was all he wanted, simply time without demands, without needs. That was fine too. Cuddled into his side, she drifted back into the daze.
Vex smiled as she curled up at his side, snuggling into him before relaxing once again. He let himself relax as well, and absently moved so that he could leave soothing kisses against her exposed shoulder. His warm breath brushed over her skin as he murmured, “I love you, Precious.”
It wasn’t often that either of them really said that, especially when it came to Vex. But right then, in such a peaceful state, he found the words quite deliberately slipping from his mouth. He meant them, every syllable of them, and he wanted her to know that.
The words, the soft kisses, brought happy tears to her eyes. She started to lift a hand to stroke his hair, in turn, and laughed a little, helplessly, when she remembered her hands were still bound. “Ooops,” she whispered, eyes sparkling.