The early rays of the sun streaming in from cracks in the shutters warmed Eleanor's skin while she slept in her bed. Her brows twitched with with first signs of waking, and her eyes flickered open. She had to blink a few times to clear her vision, and then stretched her arms above her head, arching her back as a shiver of pleasure ran down her spine. Humming, she rolled onto her side to look at her bed mate.
Max was still asleep next to her; her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. Eleanor bit down on her bottom lip to stop a foolishly large grin from growing on her face. Her chest filled with happiness and content, just by staring at Max. So much love had filled her heart since the two began to share a bed several months ago, and Eleanor felt sometimes as if she'd burst from it. Shifting closer to Max to run her nose down Max's cheek bone, Eleanor figured death by loving heart wouldn't be the worst way to go.
Max sighed, unconsciously turning her head towards Eleanor's warmth and nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Eleanor brought a hand up to card her fingers through Max's hair and began to press small, faint kisses along the woman's jaw and headed down towards her neck.
"Good morning," Eleanor whispered into Max's ear as she felt arms wrap around her waist, telling her Max was fully awake now. Pulling back to look into Max's eyes, Eleanor smiled down at her before leaning in for a morning kiss. Max's tongue danced across her bottom lip, but when Eleanor opened her mouth to grant her entrance, Max pulled back.
Max's lips stretched into a smile. It was one of Eleanor's favorites. Her eyes would brighten and the green and brown colors within them fought for dominance, the dimples in both cheeks would deepen in a pure sign of happiness, and sometimes, if Eleanor was lucky, Max would let a breathy laugh escape from her chest.
"Mon cheri," Max sighed, reaching up to push some hair behind Eleanor's ear.
Eleanor awoke with a gasp stuck in her throat and sweat dripping down the back of her neck. She felt shaky, her muscles trembling in a way they hadn't since the incident with Ned Low in her tavern. She sat up and immediately looked over to her bed mate, hoping beyond all hope that it was Max's form sleeping next to her.
It wasn't Max.
Woodes Rogers snored lightly in his sleep, and the sight of him left a heavy feeling of bitter disappointment in Eleanor's chest. Pushing herself back to lean against the headboard, Eleanor reached out and brushed some of Woodes's hair away from his face. He grumbled a bit, but didn't wake, and leaned into her touch. Continuing to card her fingers through his hair, Eleanor used her free hand to rub away the negative feeling in her chest.
She felt guilty for the disappointment she'd felt when waking up. She loved her husband, she really did. He gave her hope for a brighter, safer future. He took her opinion to heart. She was his equal, something she never thought she'd have with a lover. They made each other happy, and challenged each other, kept each other on their toes. Eleanor loved Woodes Rogers.
But he wasn't Max.
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