008

"Che vita di merda," Alessia cursed, managing to turn onto her side. "Noah!" she whisper-yelled, but of course, the big guy was out like a light.

Maybe she regretted not letting him take the floor. That argument had lasted almost thirty minutes, and they finally agreed to share the bed, even though it was far too small for both of them—especially Noah.

He had fallen asleep almost immediately, while she lay there with a thousand thoughts running through her mind. Just when she decided to get some sleep, Noah stirred, pinning her to the bed with his arm. And it was heavy.

God knows she'd tried to move it, but it was impossible. So, she resorted to trying to wake him up, though she hadn't had much success there either.

"Noah," she tried again. The man was worse than a snorer.

He grunted in response, pulling her closer until they were practically cuddling.

Fuck.

Her eyes were now level with his neck, their legs tangled, and she could feel the hard muscles beneath his shirt. She could feel everything.

She placed her hands on his chest, intending to push him off, but instead found herself exploring the hard planes and lines, wondering what he'd look like without his shirt.

He mumbled something under his breath, and she immediately yanked her hands away as if he'd burned her.

"Noah, you've got to be fucking kidding me," she muttered as he shifted slightly.

"You're being too loud, Cara. Go to sleep," he murmured, his voice thick with sleep. Oh, really? And what's with the "Cara"—again?

He eased some of the weight of his arm off her, though not entirely letting go. After a few seconds, she realized he wasn't going to release her, so she decided to make herself comfortable.

By the way, he smelled nice. And not to throw herself a pity party, but it had been a while since she'd been held by anyone. So if she could enjoy this moment, even if Noah was unconscious, she might as well savor it.

Her warm, big blanket.

---

"I thought I closed those curtains," she mumbled, burying her face in the pillows to shield herself from the sunlight.

"If you'd speak up a little, maybe I’d help," a voice came from somewhere in the room, but Alessia ignored it, burrowing deeper into the bed.

She frowned. This was soft, cool, and puffy—completely different from the warm, hard "blanket" she had earlier. Oh.

Peeling her eyes open, she remained frozen, pretending she was still asleep. She had heard his voice. He was in the room somewhere.

"Your mum brought you a cup of coffee, so you can stop pretending you're asleep," Noah said. She sighed before rolling onto her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Here," she heard the soft padding of his footsteps, and she sat up, pushing her hair out of her face.

She accepted the mug from him, closing her eyes to take in the comforting aroma. She had missed this.

For a brief moment, there was silence. She knew Noah was watching her—she could feel his eyes on her.

"Quit watching me like that, it's creepy," she muttered, opening her eyes. And, of course, he was staring. His gaze flicked from her neck to her chest, then back to her face.

"I always knew you weren’t a morning person. Nice to confirm it myself," he said, perching on the edge of the bed since, unfortunately, her room had no couch.

"I never knew you turned into a human blanket at night. Nice to experience that for myself," she shot back, watching him stiffen. She smirked to herself, taking a sip from her mug.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed.

"I'm sorry about that. I can take the floor tonight," he offered, but she shook her head.

"That’s not going to happen," she muttered, taking another sip.

A knock came at the door, and they exchanged glances. Piero?

"Pull the blanket up," Noah said suddenly, and she stared at him, confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, noticing the tightness in his jaw. His eyes scanned her face before dropping to her chest. Following his gaze, she realized her nipples were visible through her shirt, and her stomach was exposed where her shirt had ridden up.

She flushed, pulling the blanket tightly around herself. Noah stood up to answer the door, speaking to whoever was on the other side before opening it wide enough for Alessia to see.

Ricco.

"Hey," she muttered, her face blushing as she clutched the blanket around herself. From the look on Ricco's face, it appeared as though she'd been up to something with Noah.

"Come down for breakfast. Papa’s orders," Ricco said loud enough for her to hear. She gave a sheepish smile as he turned to leave, and Noah shut the door.

Her eyes met Noah's, and he smirked. Of course, he knew exactly what he was doing.

He disappeared into the bathroom while she finished her coffee and straightened her clothes. Outside, she could hear voices growing louder.

She paused. What was going on?

"Antonio?" It was Nona's voice. Alessia froze. Antonio was here?

"What’s he doing here?" That was Piero.

Fuck. Antonio was here.