From there, she’d begun shuffling from room to room, perusing whatever was laid out on his shelves or hung on the walls. There wasn’t much left in the open for anyone to study, yet he still enjoyed that she was making the effort to know him. He settled in and tipped his head back until it rested against the thin wall, choosing to let his thoughts wander without pursuit, lost to the sound of her careful explorations. He could hear her slender fingertips caressing his picture frames, and her steady breath. Such a beautiful sound—no fear, no anxiety. This was how it should always be for her. Quiet comforts with an ease of being around one another. She turned on her heel, slowly making her way through the hall and toward him at a resolved pace. Slow steps rounded the staircase, her hand gliding down the polished rail. Hunter cracked an eye open, peering out from his thick mop of dark hair. The moment her gaze swept over him, she jumped, a sheepish smile tugging her lips.
