Chapter 66

Thomas awoke with a start, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the kitchen window. For a moment, he lay still, bewildered to discover himself sprawled on the cool tile floor—yet something felt different. His temples were cradled by a plush pillow, its cotton cover faintly perfumed with lavender. Beside him, Cassandra sat cross-legged, her back against the island, tapping meticulously on her tablet. The gentle glow of the screen cast a warm halo around her dark hair, and she seemed entirely absorbed in whatever she was reading.

Thomas ran a palm across his face, disbelief coursing through him. Passing out on the kitchen floor—again! What a ludicrous, unmanly way to go under. His cheeks burned as he recalled the dizzy whirl, the heart-stopping moment when air abandoned his lungs, and the world had gone blissfully black. A man shouldn’t be felled by this kind of… emotion. He let out a muffled groan. “Seriously?” he muttered inwardly. “This is the lamest reas