CHAPTER 25

KRISTINA'S POV

"Call me by my name instead."

"But–"

"No 'buts'," he interrupted. "You're going to listen to me."

Before I could say anything else, he turned on his music once more to drown out the sound of my protests. I pouted a little before snuggling deeper into his embrace. This time, I fell asleep easily. No nightmares plagued me, thankfully.

I woke up when I sensed someone was staring at me. Groggily rubbing my eyes, I opened them slightly and met the eyes of the man next to me. It took me by surprise. He was staring back at me. I quickly sat up and grabbed the blanket to cover myself. He watched me with an amused expression.

"What do you want? You can't just keep staring at me."

"I'm sorry. I just can't seem to stop myself." He chuckled lightly. "You look very beautiful when you're sleeping. Especially like this."

I blinked at him in disbelief. "Huh?"

"You're so peaceful. It's kind of rare." His eyes flickered down to my bare stomach. "I always wondered what that feels