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Chapter 4: In a Stranger's Bed
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2025-03-26 12:42:26The first thing she noticed was the sheets, they were soft, unfamiliar, and felt expensive.
The second was the room, dark, minimalistic, or hollow of emotions, and nothing like her apartment.
A slow, heavy pounding in her head reminded her of the alcohol still thick in her system. She groaned, shifting beneath the sheets, only to realize, "This isn’t my bed."
A sharp breath left her lips as her body went rigid, her heart slamming against her ribs.
She forced her eyes open, blinking through the haze, taking in the unfamiliar space she was in. The bedroom was spacious but cold, decorated in sleek blacks and deep grays. The air smelled faintly of something woody, expensive, and dangerously intoxicating.
And then she looked down, at her own self under the sheets. She was not in her clothes from last night.
Instead, she was wearing a loose black T-shirt and drawstring sweatpants, clothes far too large to belong to her.
From the looks of them, they were men's clothing.
Oh, hell no.
Panic crawled up her spine as flashes of last night slammed into her all at once.
The afterparty.
The drinks.
The makeup room.
Deverell.
She put a hand on her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
Her stomach twisted violently as she sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the sheets beneath her.
No.
No, no, no.
There was no way she....
Before she could spiral further, the door swung open.
And there he was. Deverell Blackwood.
Still unfairly perfect, still infuriatingly unreadable, standing in the doorway with a red wine glass in one hand, his other resting casually in his pocket. Who drinks wine in the morning, she thought.
His dark hair was slightly tousled, his black dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms that should not be distracting her right now.
Luna’s heart lurched into her throat.
“You,” she breathed, voice sharp with disbelief.
His gaze flicked over her, assessing. Then, with a slow arch of his brow, he drawled, “Good. You’re awake.”
The rage that burned through her chest was instant.
"What the hell did you do to me?"
Luna threw the blanket off, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “Where am I?”
“My house,” he said simply.
Her stomach twisted again. “What? Why am I in your house?"
Deverell took a slow sip of his wine before answering, “You passed out last night. No one knew where you lived, and you were too drunk and just rambling. So, I took you here.”
Her fists clenched. “And who gave you the right...”
“You’re welcome,” he interrupted flatly.
Luna shot to her feet, ignoring the throbbing ache in her skull. “I didn’t ask for your help.”
“You were barely conscious,” he countered, unfazed by her fury. “Unless you wanted to wake up in a stranger place, I was your best option.”
"Being here is worse than that." Luna’s vision burned red. “And what, you just decided to change my clothes, too?”
His expression didn’t shift. “Your dress was ruined. I gave you something dry to wear.”
She folded her arms, glaring. “Right. And I suppose you were a gentleman about it?”
His jaw ticked, his voice cooling. “I didn’t touch you, if that’s what you’re accusing me of.”
Luna hated the way her stomach twisted at his words. Because she didn’t know if she believed him.
She searched his face, looking for something, remorse, guilt, anything. But Deverell Blackwood was a fortress, his expressions were unreadable as he met her gaze head-on.
“Nothing happened,” he said again, voice a little lower but firm.
Luna swallowed hard, as she looked away. “I want my clothes.”
“They’re being cleaned,” he replied smoothly. “You can wait here if you want to and I have made.....”
Her anger surged again, interrupting him. “Screw that.”
She stomped towards the door, brushing past him, or at least, she tried.
Deverell’s hand shot out, gripping the doorframe, effectively blocking her way. Luna's forehead creasing.
His voice dropped, no longer amused. “Listen to me, Luna.”
The way he said her name sent a jolt through her, but she ignored it.
“What?” she snapped.
His gaze darkened. “Whatever happened last night, I need you to forget it.”
A pause. She looked at him in disbelief.
“Or keep it to yourself.”
Luna tilted her head in anger and in confusion.. The weight of his words settled in the space between them.
Slowly, she lifted her chin. “Excuse me?”
Deverell sighed, as if this conversation was beneath him. “I don’t need some tabloid story about a photographer being in my house. You know how the media works. This would blow up in minutes.”
Luna stared at him, heat prickling beneath her skin.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” she hissed. “Your image?”
He met her glare, unapologetic. “Yes.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “You really are a self-absorbed prick.”
His lips curved into a humorless smirk. “And yet, you’re the one who kissed me first.”
The words were a slap to the face.
Luna’s breath caught. Her vision went blurry with rage, shame, embarrassment, something she refused to name.
She had kissed him. She had wanted it. And he knew it. That was the worst part.
She shoved past him, ignoring the way his warmth lingered where their bodies brushed.
“I’m leaving,” she said through clenched teeth, she could not bring her eyes to meet his, again.
Deverell didn’t stop her this time. He just exhaled, low and tired.
“Don’t forget your phone, and your car is in the driveway."
It was a walk of shame, and that too in his clothes, as she stormed down the hallway, barefoot, drowning in Deverell’s oversized clothes.
She didn’t care. She didn’t care that she looked like a one-night stand who regretted everything. She needed to get the hell out of there, as soon as possible.
And as she stepped outside, the cool morning air hit her like a slap. She pulled her phone from the sweatpants pocket.
Fifteen missed calls. All from Ava. Swiping to unlock, she immediately called back.
The phone rang twice before Ava’s frantic voice burst through. “LUNA! Where the hell have you been?”
Luna winced. “I—”
“I called you all night! I even called the damn hospital!”
Luna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Ava, calm down—”
“Calm down? You vanished! You didn’t answer your phone! Where are you?”
Luna glanced behind her, at the towering house she had just left.
“I’ll explain later,” she muttered, striding toward the car. “I’m coming home.”
Ava exhaled sharply. “You better. And you better have a damn good story.”
Luna hung up, sucking in a breath.
Then, without looking back, she drove away from Deverell Blackwood and everything he had just done to her head.
She swore in her head not to come across him again, never. But somehow she felt she will.
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