Later that evening, after her bath, Deanna found herself in a predicament.
In her haste to enter the bathroom, she had forgotten to bring her pajamas. To make matters worse, there were no towels in the bathroom either.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, Deanna had no choice but to open the door slightly and shyly call out, "Are you still there?"
"What's wrong?" Lance's gentle voice responded as he moved towards the door.
Seeing his shadow on the wall, Deanna quickly stopped him. "Don't come over here!"
Despite the door separating them, she was still undressed and worried about being seen.
Lance paused, sensing her discomfort. "Can you please hand me the pajamas on the bedside table? Or maybe you could step out while I change."
"I'm afraid if I leave, you'll lock me outside. So I'll just get your pajamas for you," Lance teased, grabbing the neatly folded pajamas and passing them through the door crack.
Deanna took the clothes and retorted, "You're being paranoid."
She did wanted to do that, but she would never admit it.
Lance smiled and didn't argue. "Yes, I overthought it. My girlfriend wouldn't lock me out."
Deanna was momentarily speechless and didn't know how to respond. She gave him a playful glare. "I'm changing now."
With that, she closed the bathroom door.
Lance stood outside, looking at the closed door with a gentle expression.
A few minutes later, Deanna emerged in her pajamas. She saw Lance leaning against the headboard and realized there was no way to get him to leave tonight. She decided to be straightforward. "I'm done. You can go wash up now."
After all, it wasn't their first time sharing a bed. It was just missing two kids this time.
She planned to place a pillow between them.
Lance hadn't guessed her plan yet. But seeing Deanna's eyes darting around, he knew she was up to something.
He didn't expose her and instead took a towel into the bathroom.
Since he had decided to stay last minute, he hadn't informed Xavier to bring his luggage.
Hearing the sound of water from the bathroom, Deanna blushed. The thought of sharing a bed with Lance made her face even hotter.
To avoid feeling awkward, she quickly grabbed two spare pillows from the cabinet and placed them in the middle of the bed. She then pulled up the covers and turned her back to the bathroom, pretending to sleep.
When Lance came out, he saw Deanna lying on the bed with her back to him. He couldn't tell if she was asleep or pretending.
He noticed the raised section in the middle of the bed and raised an eyebrow as he walked over quietly.
Unbeknownst to him, Deanna's body tensed up as he approached.
Lance lifted a corner of the blanket and saw the spare pillows in the middle. He didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed.
He looked at Deanna's stiff back and without thinking, pulled out the spare pillows and tossed them aside.
Deanna noticed the change behind her. Just as she was about to protest, Lance's warm body pressed against hers, making her shiver involuntarily. She couldn't keep up the pretense of sleep any longer.
"What are you doing?" she asked nervously.
"Don't worry, I'm just holding you," Lance reassured her softly as he pulled her closer.
At that moment, he felt a sense of contentment he had never experienced before.
He nuzzled her neck and whispered, "Sleep now. It's late, and we need to get up early tomorrow."
Deanna nodded slightly and tried to relax against his chest. She trusted his words because he had never broken a promise to her.
Soon, her breathing became steady as she fell asleep.
Noticing this, Lance smiled and held her tightly before closing his eyes and drifting off as well.
Little did they know, a servant had been standing outside their room. After more than an hour had passed and seeing that the lights were off, she hurried upstairs.
"Miss Walsh," the servant said as she entered Leticia's room.
Leticia looked at her with dark eyes. "What's going on downstairs? Did Lance come out?"
"Mr. Mercer hasn't left Dr. Deanna's room since they went in together. The lights have just been turned off," the servant reported truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Leticia's beautiful face darkened instantly, and a sense of doubt arose in her heart.
Could she have been wrong? Was Deanna really with Lance?
The thought made her even more unwilling to accept it.
Why did that woman deserve him?