Chapter 18

In the dark living room, the man silently watched the sleeping girl.

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After a long while, he seemed to finally make up his mind. Reaching out, he picked her up and carried her toward the bedroom.

Jostled in her sleep, the girl instinctively wrapped her arms around him like clinging vines, her soft face nuzzling against his neck like a kitten seeking affection.

The unfamiliar contact froze Alexei’s steps. The warmth of her body in his arms felt almost scalding, leaving him torn between moving forward or stepping back.

Biting back the urge to drop her, he managed to lay her down on her small bed. As he turned to leave, the girl murmured “Grandma” in her sleep–soft, tender, and full of longing.

Just as Alexei was about to exit the room, he found his hand firmly gripped, impossible to pull free. A surge of stubborn frustration rose in him, as if he were wrestling with himself.

Annoyed, he shifted the girl further inward, then lay down beside her, still holding her hand, occupying the other half of the bed.

Back in a familiar setting, the girl instinctively reached for her giant plush goose in her sleep, clinging to the warmth beside her.

With the girl nestled against him like a rose in full bloom. Alexei pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and finally wrapped an arm around her small frame before closing his eyes.

“Ah!” A scream shattered the quiet of the early morning.

Alexei caught the foot planted against his chest, pinning her back against him with one hand. “What? Sleep a little longer.” he murmured against her hair.

She’d slept like a baby, while he’d been up half the night.

“Why are you in my bed?” Natasha squirmed, pinned and furious, kicking at his legs.

How was this guy so strong?” she thought.

“Take a good look. You’re in my bed,” Alexei retorted without opening his eyes, playing the victim

first.

His handsome face wore a lazy, exhausted expression–utterly distracting.

“Wasn’t I in the living room?”

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Chapter 18

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You got up in the middle of the night, half–asleep,

‘Since when

his eyes shut, mimicking her actions from the night before by nuzzling her neck and patting her waist, signaling her to

happened last night. Relax,”

off–otherwise, she wouldn’t still be here, digging into the past

now are seriously crossing the line!‘ Natasha struggled but couldn’t break free, eventually collapsing

me go,” she

the level where

eyes

him being annoyed at his own inexplicable soft spot for her, after holding her all night, he experienced the most peaceful

totally caught her pig–like sleep

someone who suffered from chronic insomnia—especially after just surviving an assassination attempt while still injured–this

had to sum up his mood in one sentence, it’d be: Slept

he wanted had never

to transplant this little rose into his

mind, he was just holding his own property while

whatsoever.

yesterday? Then sleep with me

the fist she suddenly threw at

ever taught you to

women?”

moment they met, their relationship had

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Chapter 18

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the guy lying next to her in bed–she’d known him for less than five

“So what?” Alexei retorted.

choked on

you have a wife or girlfriend?” she

No women,” he

if

him. “Doesn’t matter if

new world of crazy, Natasha quickly realized: she couldn’t fight him, couldn’t out–sass him–so she just

to her? Probably

couldn’t help but find it

had known Lucas since she was three and he was five, and it wasn’t until she turned twenty that they finally confessed their feelings. They dated for

bed. Yet now, here was a man she hadn’t

three years of dating, they were constantly

back, they were actually

them keep crashing into each other’s lives at the wrong

been permanently erased from her life. She didn’t feel

buddy situation. She tried to convince herself–putting up with it for a little while wouldn’t be

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