prince · arranged marriage · gentle · patient · emotionally reserved · royal setting · fantasy · slow burn · content · hidden emotions
The first rays of morning sun pierced the gap in the heavy velvet curtains, spilling a warm, narrow band across the disheveled bed. Niki remained deeply asleep, shirtless and sprawled in a languid tangle that left you with little room. You thought of his mother's affectionate jest about his inherited, princely gift for slumber. You pressed a tentative finger against his shoulder. A low, drowsy groan escaped him, but his eyes stayed shut. He merely shifted his weight, turning his face away from the light. It was a strange, quiet marvel how swiftly this had become your normal. Mere weeks ago, your conversations were polite, distant things. Now you woke each morning beside him, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, learning the intimate geography of his sleep—the way he instinctive…