Chapter 26

Laura's POV

A groan slipped past my lips as I stirred, my head throbbing with a dull, persistent ache. My mouth was dry—so dry it felt like I’d swallowed sandpaper in my sleep.

I blinked against the dim light filtering through the closed curtains, my body heavy with exhaustion. Everything felt too warm, too soft, and I instinctively buried myself deeper into the mattress, seeking comfort.

But something was off.

The scent surrounding me wasn’t familiar. It was musky and smelt like a clean shave, with a hint of something deeper underneath. And what's with the heat pressing against my back?

My heart lurched.

I turned, moving sluggishly, and came face-to-face with a broad chest rising and falling in steady breaths. My fingers, traitorous as they were, had been gripping the fabric of his shirt in my sleep.

I stiffened.

Oh. Oh no.

Slowly, hesitantly, I lifted my gaze. And there he was. Lying beside me. In my bed.

His dark lashes rested against his sharp cheekbones, his lips slightly parted, and his strong arm was draped casually across my waist as if he belonged there.

Panic shot through me.

I stayed still for a second, willing my mind to catch up, trying to piece together the fragments of last night. Whiskey. A challenge. His touch. His smirk. The heat of his breath against mine.

And then…

I swallowed hard.

Had I really wrapped myself around him like a damn koala and begged him to stay?

Oh, hell nah.

Carefully, I tried to peel his arm off me, moving inch by inch, but the moment I shifted, his grip tightened.

I froze.

His breathing remained steady, but his hold on me was firm, possessive, like he knew I was trying to escape.

I bit my lip, weighing my options. Stay and pretend this never happened? Or move and risk waking the devil himself?

My head throbbed again, reminding me of the reckless amount of alcohol I had consumed. Ugh, stupid me.

Fine. I could do this. I had to do this.

I sucked in a deep breath and shifted again, slower this time. His arm loosened, just slightly, giving me the opening I needed. I inched away, holding my breath—

And then, just as I thought I was free, a rough, amused voice cut through the silence.

"Running away already, little bird?"

I yelped.

His eyes were open now, dark and glowing, watching me with a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

Shit.

My heart stuttered as his smirk deepened, amusement flickering in his gaze.

Slowly, he sat up, his movements fluid and unhurried, like a predator who had all the time in the world. The sheets rustled as he shifted, his broad shoulders stretching beneath the fabric of his shirt.

I swallowed hard, my instincts screaming at me to move, to put some distance between us.

So I did.

I pushed myself up, scooting backward on the bed as discreetly as possible. But it wasn’t discreet enough. His smirk widened, and before I could get too far, he moved.

In a blink, he was looming over me, his presence swallowing the space between us.

"Going somewhere?" His voice was low, teasing, but there was something else beneath it. Something unreadable.

I pressed my back against the headboard, my pulse hammering as his hands lifted.

Then I felt his warm fingers wrapping around my neck.

My breath hitched as his thumb traced along the column of my throat, his touch featherlight yet scorching. My body betrayed me, heat creeping up my skin, pooling low in my stomach.

"You have a bad habit, little bird," he murmured, tilting his head slightly.

I swallowed against his palm, trying to ignore the way my skin tingled under his touch. "Oh yeah?" I forced out, my voice steady despite the rapid beat of my heart. "And what habit is that?"

Kelvin’s lips twitched.

"You snore," he said simply.

I blinked.

Wait. What? What the hell?!

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him, caught between shock and mortification.

"You’re lying." I defended myself.

His smirk was pure sin. "Am I?"

"You are," I insisted, my cheeks heating. "I do not snore."

He hummed, his fingers still resting lightly on my throat. "Mmm. Tell that to the walls, sweetheart. They suffered through it all night."

I wanted to die. Right there. Could the ground just open up and swallow me?

"Kelvin," I gritted out, gripping his wrist in an attempt to pry his hand away.

He didn’t budge.

Instead, his fingers tightened, just a little. Enough to make my pulse race. Enough to remind me who had the upper hand.

"You should be grateful I didn’t record it," he mused. "It was quite the performance."

I groaned, throwing my head back against the headboard. "I hate you."

His smirk didn’t waver. If anything, it grew, his dark eyes twinkling with something dangerous. "And you," he murmured, leaning in, his breath hot against my skin, "are a menace to my sleep."

Before I could snap back, I felt it.

The warmth of his lips brushing against the sensitive spot just behind my ear.

My entire body jolted at the contact.

The kiss was barely there…featherlight, teasing…but it sent a wildfire of sensation rippling through me. My breath caught, my fingers twitching against his wrist.

"Kelvin," I breathed, half in warning, half in something I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

He ignored me.

Instead, he pressed another slow, deliberate kiss to the same spot, his lips curving against my skin. "I hate people who snore," he murmured, his voice nothing more than a husky whisper.

A tremor ran through me, my body betraying me in ways I wished it wouldn’t. I could curse this body to the high heavens!

His scent wrapped around me, intoxicating, and his fingers stayed firm against my throat, not squeezing, just resting there as if he could feel every rapid beat of my pulse.

I swallowed hard, gathering what little strength I had left. "Then maybe you shouldn’t have stayed," I shot back, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kelvin hummed in amusement. "Ah, but you begged me to, little bird," he taunted, his lips ghosting over my ear. "And I never turn down an interesting challenge."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Damn him.

Damn me.

I needed to get out of here before I did something reckless, like melt into him completely.