Chapter 12

• The first rays of morning light filtered through the curtains when Michael awoke to find Valerie's face mere inches from his own. She had unconsciously gravitated towards him in her sleep, close enough that he could feel the soft puffs of her breath against his skin.
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he shook his head in bemused disbelief. So much for her adamant insistence on maintaining distance the previous night.
• Carefully, he tried to extricate himself from the sheets, not wanting to disturb his wife's slumber. But the moment he shifted, a tiny protesting grumble escaped Valerie's lips. Immediately stilling his movements, Michael resigned himself to being her reluctant teddy bear a while longer. His morning meetings could wait - Valerie's comfort came first now.