Open Heart One Shots (Choices)

Love I Found In You

Summary: Cassie and Ethan enjoy a quiet first day of their staycation, leading to small moments of contentment.

The early summer sun was rising in the sky outside, bathing the quiet bedroom in its warm light. The digital clock on the bedside showed it was almost six o'clock in the morning. Only one of the two people in the king-sized bed was awake.

Ethan Ramsey had woken up a short while ago, switching off the alarm on his phone before it had a chance to go off. Since he was on vacation, he wasn't even sure why he'd set the alarm except that it was habit.

He turned to his side, propping up on one elbow to watch his sleeping companion, his gaze softening with every passing second.

Cassie Valentine had barreled into his life like a hurricane and he'd resisted for as long as he could. But now, three years to the day they had first met, he couldn't deny their inevitability, not when it had been proven again and again. Despite the odds, they were still together.

She was sleeping on her side facing him, her breathing even; her sunny blonde hair was swept to the side and down, curling over her breasts. That mobile mouth was still, expressive green eyes closed; her long lashes rested on cheeks pale from working long hours this past week.

She had completed her residency last week and accepted a position as an attending at Edenbrook Hospital. In a few months, he would pass the leadership of the Diagnostics Team into her very capable hands.

But this week was just for them, a staycation away from the demands of the hospital. He could admit that before Cassie the idea of a staycation was an alien concept. What exactly was one supposed to do at home? Still, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

He bent down to press a kiss on her forehead, smiling when she snuggled deeper into the pillow. There was nothing she liked more than sleeping in and he knew it would be hours before she woke up.

He gave serious thought to waking her up for more pleasurable activities. But she had been very clear last night — unless the sky falling, she was sleeping until noon.

"So, keep your hands and mouth to yourself," she'd told him with a severe look.

Of course, morning was hours away and he'd taken it as a personal challenge to show her last night how much she enjoyed having his hands and mouth on her.

Now, his fingers gently stroked her cheek, the touch butterfly soft, before he placed another kiss against her forehead. Sighing in contentment, he climbed out of bed to begin his day.

It was a little after eleven o'clock when Cassie's eyes drifted open. For a minute she was disoriented at the unfamiliar surroundings and then she remembered that she was staying at Ethan's this week for their staycation.

She turned on her back, letting out a yawn as she shoved the covers away. Her hand touched his side of the bed and found it cool to touch. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms before wrapping them around her upturned knees.

In the relative quiet of the apartment, she could hear the low drone of people talking. She smiled at the thought of Ethan doing something so mundane as watching a morning talk show on TV.

She climbed out of the bed and headed into the ensuite. A quick shower later, she stepped inside the walk-in closet to get dressed. She might have her own place, but over the last year or so more of her things had started to find a home in Ethan's closet, her clothes and shoes sharing space with his.

She stepped into black, cotton shorts and reached into one of the drawers to search for a top. Her hands sifted through the limited options until she came across an old tee shirt crumbled at the back of the drawer, the fabric worn from use and multiple washings.