187

187


SAMIA'S POV:-

I opened my eyes and looked around. The sun was not fully raised. I sat up on the bed and looked at the man who was sleeping beside me. He was lying on his stomach and sleeping peacefully. Carlos slept like a baby. One of my hands went towards his head. My fingers crawled between his soft and shiny hair. I was massaging his hair while thinking about ways to make sure that Erica would not end up like her father. According to Nickolas, her father also lost someone he loved the most. And then there was no mercy left inside him. Not even for his own daughter. The very girl who was part of the woman he loved the most. I couldn't even pity that man.

He ordered his people to hunt Erica as if she was just a deer, not his own daughter. The princess became the rabbit and the hunters were the people who were supposed to bow down in front of her. Her life was never easy. And she was just too young to deal with all that. At least I had Carlos with me. The man I could rely on. The man who was always standing behind me to make sure no one ever thought about hurting me. While Erica lost that same kind of protection she used to get from Alen. That made me angry and sad at the same time. How could someone's life be so cruel to them? All she expected in her life was a happy life ahead.

I felt a soft peck on my cheek. I closed my eyes and my heart skipped a beat or two as I felt his soft lips on my cheek. His warmth and his scent surrounded me as always. Before he hugged me, his warmth and his scent always engulfed me in their arms. He pulled me on top of his lap. The. He wrapped his arms around me and engulfed me towards his chest. "What are you thinking about? You look like you are worried about something." As his deep and masculine voice made its way to my ears, I found myself getting comfortable in his arms. Not that I was ever uncomfortable around him. He was my comfort.

I pulled my head out to look at him. I didn't even see his face in the morning. His face was facing the opposite wall, not me. And as he woke up, he hugged me tightly. I was staring into his eyes. They shined brightly while staring into mine. As if I was the star for him. I cupped his face with both of my hands and pecked his cheek. Then I buried my face in the crock of his neck. "I am worried about Erica. We brought her with us. But I think she is not safe here. I just can't stop thinking about the fact that Mathew is up to something." I replied to him honestly. He knew me well. So it was useless to lie to him.

He knew me inside out. And of course, he was helping me take care of Erica. In fact, she fell asleep the night before when Carlos was sitting by her side. He held her hand and didn't leave her until she was asleep. "If anything happens, I promise I will take her to the dragon kingdom. That place is empty. She will not hurt anyone. She will be safe there. As no one can enter the kingdom anymore. And I can keep my eyes on her too. I know every single corner of my kingdom." He whispered in my ear as he started rubbing my back lightly. Everything he did made me feel like I was in my heaven. He was my heaven.

I closed my eyes and rubbed the tip of my nose with his neck. He loved it whenever I did that to him. I heard a frustrated growl that made me pull away from him. His chest vibrated with that growl. "If you don't want me to take you before our marriage, don't do that anymore in the morning. The morning wood is already too much for me when I am sleeping beside you. Your teasing makes it impossible for me to control myself. Let's not forget that my dragon wants to taste you." He answered my unasked question in a low and seductive tone. I gasped loudly and hopped off of his lap. I was so embarrassed to even look into his eyes.

He chuckled softly as he crawled out of the bed. He walked towards the bathroom and I sighed in relief. Okay, it was my fault. I couldn't resist him anymore either. But I couldn't do it before our wedding. I also crawled out of the bed and went towards the door of my bedroom. I went towards the guest bedroom where Erica was sleeping. I knocked at the door and waited for her to respond. To my surprise, she didn't respond. I slowly opened the door and stepped into the room. She had dried tear marks on her cheeks. But she was sleeping peacefully. That made me sigh in relief. At least she slept peacefully. I was worried if she would be able to sleep in my house after that traumatic day.

I leaned in and pecked her forehead. With that, I went back towards my bedroom. I decided I would let her sleep. I stepped into my bedroom and gasped loudly. Carlos was standing in the room with just a towel wrapped around his waist. That man was literally poking me. As soon as he saw me in the room, instead of going towards the closet, he sat down on the edge of the bed with a mischievous grin on his face. I felt an urge to bite that grin off of his lips. Sighing in frustration, I walked towards the bathroom. I kept my head low and I didn't dare to even look at him.

I was inside the bathroom. I peeled my clothes off of my body. I was not surprised at all when I saw the bathtub filled with warm water. I could smell soap and lavender fragrance in the bathroom. I went to test the water. I might have never bathed with him, but he knew exactly the temperature of water I liked. Smiling at those small things he did to make me feel how much he loved me, I stepped into the bathtub. I didn't take longer to wash my body. I stepped out of the water and drained the tub. I wore a bath gown and went towards the basin to brush my teeth. Once I was done, I dried my hair with a hair dryer.

Then I stepped out of the bathroom. I found my clothes lying on the bed. Carlos was not in the room. He might have left once he got ready. Smiling shyly, I went towards the bed. To my surprise, there was a scarf lying on the bed along with my clothes. I knew he always liked the way I did my hijab. But he never said anything when I stopped wearing it. I was heartbroken the moment I learned the truth about my father. The complete truth that he kept hidden. The same day I thought I had lost Carlos. I stopped wearing it because I remembered the time how Arman used to like it. Anything that reminded me of him, I wanted to quit doing that thing.

But knowing that Carlos liked it on me, my heart welled up with the oceans of emotions inside my chest. I felt something warm and very comforting around my heart. I wore my clothes as fast as I could. I applied eyeliner and lipgloss. Then I wore my hijab. I looked at myself in a full view mirror. I was not surprised at all to see my reflection in the mirror. Carlos had an amazing taste in fashion. He chose a white chiffon shirt for me. And paired it with black jeans. A black denim jacket on top and a white hijab. I definitely looked fire in that outfit. I knew his jaw would be on the ground the moment he would see me in the outfit he chose for me for the day.

To be honest, I never knew he liked hijab on me that much. He never forced anything on me. And he never even asked me why I no longer wore the hijab. It was his way to let me know that he liked to see hijab on me. And of course, how could I forget the fact that he was doing all that to make sure that I knew that I was not alone. He was doing all that to keep my mind off of the tensed atmosphere that had surrounded us. Of course I could never forget the fact that I had a job to finish. To punish the man who dared to hurt Alen.

It made me smile for a while. It made me breathe. And I could never thank Carlos enough for being so productive. Sometimes I just couldn't believe if I was actually dreaming or if it was reality. After everything Arman did, I lost the hope to find a man who would protect me. The way Carlos keeps me engulfed in his arms, it was another level of protection. He knew I didn't need his protection. He never ordered me either. He was just there for me. So if I ever needed him, just like I needed him the day I saw my brother in that club, he made sure he would be there with me. To stand by my side.