The evening was peaceful. My mind was anything but.
Michael, Juliana, and I were all under a cabana by the pool.
My Shadow was lounging beside me on a canopy bed with raised back cushions.
Dressed in oversized silky pajamas and with a towel draped around her head, she looked as if she had just come out of the shower.
If you saw her, you wouldn't be able to guess she was covered in gore and slime just a few hours ago.
Like a cat, she was curled on her side, close enough for me to spot every single enticing drop of fresh water dripping from the stray wet locks that had escaped her towel, tracing seductively slow lines down her neck.
She was holding one of the pillows tightly to her chest, her chin buried in its plush corner, looking thoroughly content after cleaning herself off.
I took a breath to gather courage. "Hey, Juli?"
"Hmm?" she hummed into the pillow, her breathtaking blue eyes shooting up to me.
