Chapter 39

Chapter 39
“All right, Erica, I'll grant your wish, but on one condition.” Hearing Jayden agree, I was very excited because finally, he had been won over by my words.

“What's your condition, Alpha? Tell me,” I replied quickly. I was so excited.

But I didn't realize that Jayden was already smiling slyly.

“I want to sleep separately from you only if I hug you suddenly because I know you're not comfortable with that, right?” Jayden's answer struck me like lightning because that was my real reason. I was too afraid that he would suddenly do something while I was fast asleep. I couldn't answer Alpha Jayden's question because I was afraid of offending him.

“But what if you hug me first, Erica?” his question made me immediately glare at him.

I stared at Jayden with wide eyes, not believing what had just come out of his mouth. The man sat casually while staring at me, one hand supporting his chin while his lips curved into a sly, challenging smile, making his eyes look even deeper and sharper.

“Well, Erica? Are you afraid? Or have you imagined something else?” he teased in a deep, heavy voice, tickling the air between us.

I clenched my hands at my sides, holding back the heat that was spreading across my cheeks. “I, uh, I'm not scared! I just don't like your weird idea!” I finally shouted, trying to sound firm even though my voice was slightly trembling.

“Really? But your face seems to say otherwise, Erica.”

I stared back bravely, even though my throat felt dry. “You're out of line, Alpha! You always twist my words!” Of course, I just wanted to fight Jayden to cover up my nervousness.

Jayden chuckled softly, his voice low but vibrating gently in my chest. "I'm just giving you a fair choice, Erica. You want to sleep separately, I allow it. But if you're the one looking for my embrace in the middle of the night, then you have to accept the consequences. No separate rooms. Do you agree with that? Because right now I feel like you're accusing me of attacking you while you're fast asleep."

I couldn't argue with Jayden's answer because it was true.

I frowned, trying to process his words. “Consequences? You mean, if I accidentally then you and I.” I stopped myself quickly because I realized I was about to say something ridiculous.

“There's no such thing as accidental, Erica.” His eyes stared at me sharply, as if he could read my mind. “If you hug me, even just a little, it means you want me by your side. And that means there's no reason to sleep in separate rooms anymore,” he continued in a final tone.

“I wouldn't do something like that!” I retorted quickly, feeling my cheeks grow hot.

Jayden just raised his eyebrows, clearly enjoying my reaction. “All right, then, let's make a deal.”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help feeling curious. “What kind of agreement?”

He looked at me intently, his voice soft but insistent. "Starting tonight, we'll continue to sleep in the same room. I won't hug you unless you do it first. If that happens, then there will be no more talk of sleeping in separate beds. Agree? Right?“ he asked, staring intently at me.

”No way! That sounds unfair!“ I protested quickly.

”It's perfectly fair,“ Jayden said calmly. ”You're afraid I'll attack you first, aren't you? So this is fair. I won't touch you unless you want me to first."

I was silent, my lips parted but no words came out. He was really good at turning the situation around. And somehow, the longer I looked into his eyes, the harder it was to think clearly. His alpha aura felt oppressive, but at the same time calming.

“Fine!” I finally gave in, looking at him with my chin raised high. "But I won't hug you! So don't get too confident, Jayden!“

Jayden smiled broadly, victory clearly evident on his face. ”We'll see about that, Erica."

After a long debate, we finally agreed to this ridiculous deal.

I lay on the left side of the bed, with my back to Jayden who was lying on the right. We were quite far apart, at least two large pillows between us, but somehow, I could still feel the warmth of his body softly radiating into the air.

I bit my lip, trying to close my eyes. “You don't have to keep staring at me, Jayden,” I said flatly without turning my head.

From behind my back, I heard a low chuckle. “You can feel it? Interesting, I haven't even moved an inch.”

I snorted in annoyance. “Stop playing games and go to sleep.”

“Okay, honey,” he replied casually, accompanied by the sound of fabric rustling as he adjusted his sleeping position. “Don't forget, I won't touch you first.”

I didn't answer. I just pulled the blanket higher, covering part of my face. But the more I tried to sleep, the more I realized that Jayden's masculine scent was so strong. A mixture of cedar and a hint of mint that always clung to him, a scent that was strangely soothing.

“I won't hug him,” I thought firmly. “No matter how warm he is.” I tried to convince myself that I wouldn't lose this game because I was quite sure that I was a girl who could resist any temptation and I had to get my own room so I could be free.

“Go, Erica!” I gave myself a pep talk before I finally fell asleep, unaware that I had already fallen into Jayden’s trap.