Page 59 of Code of Heart

But the bed was empty and cold on her side.

Where was she?

He ran a hand across the sheets where she had been, fingers brushing over the faintest imprint left behind. The pang of disappointment was unexpected and sharp.

Leaning over the edge, he spotted his overnight bag perched neatly on the bench near the window. She must’ve brought it in after he passed out. He hadn’t slept that deeply in years, effectively dead to the world, wrapped in the weight of exhaustion…and something comforting he hadn’t been ready to name.

He muttered a quiet thanks into the stillness of the room, grabbed the bag, and pulled on a pair of sweats over his briefs. Modesty wasn’t exactly the priority, but tracking down his wife while naked wasn’t the kind of first morning impression he wanted to make.

On his way to the bathroom, he caught his reflection in the mirror.

It was a disaster.

His hair was sticking up at gravity-defying angles. A rough shadow of stubble dusted his jaw. But there was something else in the mirror that attracted his attention. His eyes looked rested.

Peaceful, even.

He couldn’t remember the last time they looked like that.

He ran a hand through his wild hair with minimal success and shrugged. This was the real him. She might as well get used to the morning version of her husband.

Striding toward the hallway, Levi padded softly down the floorboards, listening for any sign of her.

He was a man on a mission to find his wife.

Aurelia

Aurelia slipped quietly out of bed before dawn, moving with practiced care as she pulled on soft pajamas, careful not to wake Levi. She paused at the foot of the bed, her gaze lingering on the sweeping tattoo across his back of a large, intricately scrolled tree that stretched across his shoulders and spine.

At first glance, he didn’t seem like the type to have ink, let alone something that bold. But it suited him in a way that madeher attention linger…and her thoughts stray somewhere far less innocent.

She needed to stop imagining crawling back under the covers and waking her new husband in ways that had nothing to do with sleep.

With a sigh, she slipped out of the room, only to return a minute later to quietly place his overnight bag by the door. Then, retreating to the kitchen, she focused her energy on something safer, though less satisfying…like breakfast.

Now, she stood at the stove, lost in a swirl of sizzling bacon and pancake batter, as she replayed last night’s memories.

Her heart was still fluttering, though she tried to ignore it.

Everything about last night had been different.

She had shared her body, read the moment, and taken control before, but not like this. This wasn’t the usual blur of desire and detachment. It was something quieter, deeper, and far more disarming, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

They were strangers, yes, but they had also woken up legally married. That truth clung to her chest like a storm cloud refusing to break. She pushed those thoughts away, focusing her attention on the pancakes. But images from last night and of his back this morning kept infiltrating her thoughts.

There was something about him…something that whispered he would be the one to undo her, piece by piece.

On the other hand, she had slept through the night for once without any nightmares or tossing and turning. Waking up refreshed was a small miracle she credited only to exhaustion…and not to the man who had held her like she was something sacred.

As the bacon finished crisping in the pan, she absently picked up her phone. A casual curiosity became a black hole of discovery as she typed Levi Lockwood into her browser…and then promptly forgot how to breathe.

His face was everywhere, and his name was attached to article after article. The amount of information about him was never-ending.

Neuronix CEO.

Youngest founder to lead a multibillion-dollar company.

Tabloid mentions.