Jax sipped her coffee and looked out of the kitchen window at the frost-covered world outside. She’d brought warm clothes for a country walk. She wondered if Sebastian had, or if he’d planned to spend the whole weekend indoors.

He was tired, that much was clear. At his parents’ home, he was usually up at the same time every day, arriving at the breakfast table washed, brushed, dressed and ready for action, where Ange had been drooping, still half asleep, into her cereal.

She’d been up and about for the better part of an hour and hadn’t heard a peep beyond the grumble when she’d slipped out of his arms.

She barely completed the thought when she heard movement upstairs, and scant moments later, a scruffy Sebastian in nothing more than pyjama pants came racing into the kitchen.

He stopped and eyed her grumpily. “Why are you up?”

She turned to face him and put her head on one side.

He pouted. “And dressed.”

She smiled. “It’s morning and I wanted coffee.”

She turned to look out of the window again. “It’s looking rather cold out, but it’s clear, might be nice for a walk later.”

She heard him move behind her, and tried not to sigh as his arms came around her and he nuzzled into her neck. “No.”

She leaned back into him. “No?”

“No. If you want exercise, I have much better alternatives.”

She rested against him for a moment, then wiggled free. “Right now, I want food.”