Julian Sterling had no idea how much time had passed while he was lost in slumber. From the moment Ethan Caldwell carried him upstairs and his back touched the mattress, Julian's eyes had become so heavy that he could barely keep them open. Initially, he had planned to take a proper shower and freshen up before resting, but that plan evaporated instantly. Before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep, comatose sleep. Perhaps the sheer volume of work recently, requiring such intense mental focus, had pushed Julian into a state of total exhaustion the moment his tasks were finally completed.
If it were not for the restless sensation washing over his body - a rising tide of heated desire forcing him to wakefulness - he likely would have slept straight through until the following morning. As Julian groggily opened his eyes, the pitch-black darkness surrounding him caused his brain, still sluggish and not fully awake, to pause for a second in confusion.
