Chapter 13 Chapter 13
Scarlett’s POV
Great. Just great. This is fine. Everything is fine. I'll just spend the next eight hours trapped in a room with the most attractive man I've ever met. While wearing pajamas. With a bed right there. This is totally fine.
I wanted to scream.
The worst part? I could probably hack into that security system and get us out in thirty minutes. I'd broken into more sophisticated systems when I was with Iron Circle. German engineering was good, but it wasn't unhackable.
But I couldn't. Because Scarlett Romano, former foster kid, would have no idea how to bypass a military-grade security system. I had to play my role.
Even if it meant being trapped here all night.
Damon stood up. "You should get some sleep. We can't change the situation."
"Where should I sleep?" I asked. "You only have one bed."
"You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
"What? No. This is your room."
"You're pregnant."
"I'm fine. Really. I can sleep on the floor."
He gave me a look. That flat, dangerous look that probably made grown men piss themselves.
I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay. Okay. I'll take the bed."
He grabbed a pillow and a blanket. Made himself a sleeping area on the floor.
"This is stupid," I muttered. "You're sleeping on the floor in your own room."
"Go to sleep," he said.
I pulled the covers up. The sheets smelled like him. That cedar and bergamot cologne he wore. It was everywhere. On the pillows. On the blankets.
Don't think about it. Don't think about how he smells. Don't think about how this is his bed and you're lying in it and—
I heard the bathroom door close. The shower turned on.
My brain immediately went places it shouldn't go.
He's taking a shower. Right now. Like twenty feet away. He's probably taking off that shirt. The one with the buttons undone. The one that showed his chest. And now he's—
STOP.
Stop thinking about your husband showering. Stop imagining water running down his body. Stop imagining his muscles and his chest and his—
STOP IT.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Tried to think about literally anything else.
The shower kept running. The sound of water against tile. Steam probably fogging up the mirror.
This is torture. This is actual torture. Who designed this situation? Who thought this was a good idea?
The water turned off.
I heard him moving around in the bathroom. Opening drawers. The sound of a towel.
He's drying off right now. Right on the other side of that door. Completely naked and—
STOP THINKING ABOUT IT.
The bathroom door opened.
I kept my eyes closed. Pretended to be asleep.
I heard him walk across the room. The rustle of sheets as he settled on the floor.
The room went quiet.
I lay there in his bed. Surrounded by his scent. Listening to him breathe.
This was the weirdest wedding night ever.
I felt myself drifting off. The exhaustion from the day finally catching up.
Something soft landed on me. A blanket.
I felt it settle over my shoulders. Someone was tucking me in.
My eyes flew open.
Training kicked in automatically. Muscle memory from years of being ready for threats in the middle of the night.
I didn't think. I just reacted.
My leg hooked around something solid. Waist-height. I twisted my body. Used the momentum to flip our positions.
I pinned the person beneath me. My forearm pressed against their throat in a perfect choke hold. My knee dug into their stomach.
"It's me."
Damon's voice.
"I was just covering you with the blanket."
I froze. Oh no.
I was straddling my husband. On our wedding night. With my arm pressed against his windpipe.
My face went hot. I could feel the heat spreading down my neck.
Damon just stared up at me. His eyes were calm. Completely unbothered by the fact that I'd just attacked him in his sleep.
"Not bad," he said. "Where'd you learn that?"
My brain scrambled for an explanation. My palms started sweating.
Think. Think. Normal foster kid explanation. Something that makes sense.
"Self-defense classes," I said quickly. "When I was in foster care in Montana, some of the homes weren't safe. The local YMCA offered free classes for at-risk kids."
His eyes narrowed slightly. Studying me.
I felt like prey being sized up by a predator.
I forced myself to look innocent. Embarrassed. "The instructor was ex-military. He didn't mess around."
Damon was silent for a few seconds. Just watching me.
"Hmm."
That was it. Just "hmm." His expression didn't change. I had no idea if he believed me or not.
Does he know I'm lying? Can he tell? Oh God, what if he figures out—
"You can get off me now."
I blinked.
Oh.
OH.
I was still kneeling on top of him. One leg on either side of his body. Like I was pinning down a suspect.
My brain finally caught up to what my body was doing.
Damon had just gotten out of the shower. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. The shirt was slightly damp. It clung to his chest. I could see the defined lines of his muscles through the fabric.
I was wearing my pajamas. Silk shorts and a matching top. My bare legs were pressed against his sides.
I could feel the warmth of his body through the thin fabric.
Oh my God. Oh my God. This is so inappropriate. Get off him. Move. NOW.
My face was burning. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode.
I scrambled off him. Nearly fell off the bed. Grabbed the edge to steady myself.
"I wasn't— I didn't mean to—" I tugged at my shorts. They'd ridden up. Way up. "That's just how they taught us in class. I react on instinct when someone—"
I stopped talking. I was making it worse.
Damon sat up slowly. His jaw was tight. He swallowed hard.
Was he... affected by this?
He stood up. Didn't look at me. "Get some sleep."
His voice was rough. Strained.
He walked to his side of the room. Turned off the lights. Lay down on his makeshift bed on the floor.
I stood there in the dark. Completely mortified.
I forced myself to stop thinking. Climbed back into bed. Pulled the covers over my head.
This was the most embarrassing night of my life.
I lay there for what felt like forever. My heart was still racing. My face was still hot.
Finally, I started to relax. The exhaustion from the day caught up with me. My eyes got heavy.
I was just drifting off when I smelled it.
A subtle masculine scent. Clean but... something else. Woodsy. Warm.
It made my head spin.