Chapter 12 How Did She Sleep With Christian?
Christian wrapped up the emergency work at his hotel, SJ Metropolitan Suites Cleveland, their flagship hotel in Cleveland. It had been almost four years since he took over their renowned chain of hotels. Headquartered in New York, their multinational business group, Saint James Intercontinental Suites flourished under the guidance of the two brothers. After Sebastian's return, their grandpa completely retired from work and spent most of his time gardening or at his club.
Therefore, it surprised him when he asked Christian to rush immediately to Cleveland to handle an emergency. Unable to ignore his grandpa’s order, he arrived in Cleveland. He didn’t get a moment to spend with Lillian and the twins, having to rush to work.
He strode out of the conference room towards his office to pack up and leave. He was relieved that he could handle the problem efficiently. A faulty architectural defect on the staircase caused an accident. The guest sued the hotel and Christian had to intervene. He summoned a board meeting to make structural changes immediately to the faulty architecture. The hotel bore the medical costs for the guest and he was pacified easily.
It was almost eleven o’clock in the night when he could leave the hotel and return to Lillian’s house. Lillian had given him a spare set of keys, knowing his odd schedule. He unlocked the door as silently as possible and went inside the dimly lit foyer. Everyone had gone to sleep.
Did Lillian leave some dinner for him? He washed his hands and went into the kitchen to search for food. He had been so busy all day; he had forgotten to have a proper meal. With just a burger for lunch, he could hardly contain his hunger now. There was nothing! He invaded the refrigerator and found two casseroles. Opening the lids, his mouth watered at the sight of spaghetti and meatballs.
Quickly warming them up, he sat down to devour the delicacies. A moan of delight escaped his mouth at the first bite. It was the best food he had ever eaten. When did Lillian learn to cook so well? Within minutes, he emptied the two casseroles and went upstairs to change. It had been a tiring day indeed! Maybe he would take it easy and enjoy a few days with his sister before leaving for New York and then off to LA.
With Sebastian based in New York, he had shifted his base to LA. His grandpa shuttled between the two cities, enjoying his retirement.
Christian climbed up the staircase and walked towards his room at the far end. The whole place was eerily quiet, and he watched his step in case he woke them up. He knew the twins would get cranky and Lillian would get mad at him. Ever since they were born, he visited them once every six months, despite his busy schedule. They loved him more than they loved Sebastian, who only visited them once when they were born.
He opened the door and adjusted his eyes to the dim lights in the room. Should he switch on the lights? What if it woke everyone up? He went to the closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. Going to the en-suite, he took a shower and changed.
Feeling refreshed, he emerged from the washroom and almost tripped at the foot of the bed. Who kept a suitcase there? Why did Lillian keep it here in his room?
Too tired to ponder over unimportant matters, he walked up to the bed. Under the dim lights, he could see the cushions arranged in a straight line on one side. There was a duvet covering the cushions. It almost seemed as if someone was sleeping there. Maybe he was hallucinating! Who wouldn’t after 24 hours of sleeplessness?
The moment he hit the bed, his eyes drooped shut. He snuggled closer to a warm, soft, sweet-smelling cushion to have the best sleep of his life. He inhaled the vanilla and rose scent and slept drunk in its essence.
Skylar couldn’t move, feeling herself pinned to the bed by something exceptionally heavy. She stirred, but couldn’t open her eyes at all. She tried to free herself but couldn’t! It made her panic and all the sleep left her completely. She opened her eyes with a start and noted the pale morning light filtering through the gap in the curtains. It was too early in the morning to wake up, yet all the sleep had escaped her.
It felt exceptionally warm, and she threw the duvet off her body and instantly froze. Someone was sleeping with her! With his arm around her waist like a steel band and his muscular, heavy leg pinning her down, she was a prisoner in her bed. Skylar panicked and looked at the sleeping man. There was something familiar about him.
With the room bathed in shadows, it was impossible to make out his face. She reached out and switched on the table lamp, ready to scream.
However, the moment she switched on the light, her jaws dropped with horror and she forgot to scream. Was this some kind of joke? What was Christian doing with her in her bed? Did Caleb and Lillian play a prank on her?
Mad with fury, she struggled to get out of his hold. “Christian, get off me! What the hell are you doing in my bed?”
Despite her shouts, he muttered in his sleep without waking up at all. Frustrated, Skylar patted his arm to wake him up, only to realize he was shirtless! The duvet had slipped off his body a little and Skylar couldn’t look away. His ripped, drool-worthy body seemed to be a gift to women, except her, of course! Her cheeks flamed at her wayward thoughts and she thought of ways to get him off her body.
She patted his cheek. “Christian! Wake up! God, how can someone sleep like a log? Thank goodness I didn’t marry him!”
Yet he didn’t wake up, but tightened his hold on her. She pulled at his hair, but it didn’t work.
“I’ll scream if you don’t wake up!”
No response!
Frustrated, she grabbed a strand of her long golden hair to tickle his nose. Leaning closer, she was about to do just that when his eyes opened. Startled, Skylar was about to fall over him when he flipped her back. He hovered on top of her, pinning her with his weight.
His eyes held her shocked gaze! “What exactly do you think you’re doing in my room?” he demanded in a low whisper. Skylar gasped at his audacity. Wasn’t he the one who invaded her room?
“Get off me, right now. You’re the one who invaded my room and my bed.”
“Really? I’m here since last night. So tell me the truth. Why are you here?” Skylar glared at him, unable to understand what he was blabbering.
“Since last night?” She gave him a puzzled look, realizing that Caleb and Lillian hadn’t informed her about Christian’s presence. How could they do this to her?
“Yes.” Christian’s penetrating gaze took in her confused look. He could see how much she had grown since he last saw her. There wasn’t a minute in the last four years when he didn’t think about her. Despite the way they parted, he wanted her in his life. His love for her didn’t diminish at all. Now, seeing the object of his dreams pinned underneath him, her curvy body crushed under his weight, he felt himself grow hard with arousal.
“I arrived last night to drop Granny and Grandpa off. I'm sorry, I didn’t know this was your room. If you will get off me, I’ll go away to another one.” Skylar looked away from his probing gaze. It had a strange hypnotic effect on her. She couldn’t seem to control her heart and body against it. Why did they want to surrender to him? Maybe it had something to do with the cozy environment and situation they were in.
“You have nothing to feel sorry about. We can share a room.” Skylar’s mouth hung open at his ridiculous statement.
“No, why would we? Move!” she said in a state of panic.
“We’re going to get married someday, that’s why!” He flashed her a smile as if stating the obvious.
“No, we aren’t. I thought I made myself quite clear the last time.” Skylar glared at his determined face and felt her heart racing with apprehension. She had completely forgotten about her predicament since Christian seemed to have lost interest in her. She hadn’t expected him to be back in her life after four years.
“Yes, we are. You wanted me to leave you alone until you completed your education. I have done just that.” He rolled off her, but Skylar couldn’t budge even an inch. Her mind went into overdrive. She couldn’t find an excuse to ward him off this time.
“I have a boyfriend,” she lied, but it had a different effect on him. Instead of losing interest in her, he turned violent. In a minute, he was again on top of her, breathing fire down her neck.
“Get rid of him before I do,” he growled with fury.