Christina’s POV
"Very funny," I mumbled, "let’s just sleep."
He turned off the lights.
Silence.
The space between us could fit three grown adults comfortably.
We each had our own comforter.
Not even a wrinkle crossed that invisible line dividing the bed.
I opened one eye.
The darkness made everything blurry, but after a mont, my vision adjusted.
"Why are you so tense?" Akira asked in my head. "It’s not like you could stop him if Hudson actually wanted to do sothing."
"That’s not what I’m worried about," I thought back. "What if he does want sothing and I can’t control myself? The contract specifically prohibits sex."
"I never ntioned sex," Akira teased. "What about just cuddling or kissing?"
Realizing I’d been played, I pulled the comforter over my face to hide my embarrassnt.
"See? You’re anticipating it," Akira continued smugly.
"It’s late—go to sleep already!" I ntally hissed.
When Akira finally quieted, I peeked over at Hudson.
He was lying flat on his back, hands tucked under his pillow, breathing slow and even.
I froze.
He wasn’t moving. At all.
It was unsettling.
He was being... compliant. Too compliant.
Usually, he insisted on a goodnight kiss.
Or found so ridiculous excuse to touch my face.
I stayed awake, waiting.
Nothing.
Eventually, my eyes burned from the effort of keeping them open.
I tried to fight it.
I lost.
Before I could figure out what he was plotting, sleep dragged under.
Soti in the early morning, I blinked awake.
My face was pressed against bare skin. Warm, smooth, definitely not a pillow.
My arm was draped over a chest that rose and fell with slow, steady breaths.
His chin brushed against the top of my head.
My leg was hooked over his hip as if I’d abandoned all dignity during the night.
I stared at Hudson’s throat, waiting for the rest of to wake up and explain how this happened.
He tightened his arm around my waist, voice sleepy. "You crawled over here in the middle of the night. I tried to stop you."
I shoved at his shoulder. "Bullshit."
"I’m serious." He didn’t open his eyes. "You were like a heat-seeking missile. I almost fell off the edge."
I glanced at his shoulder.
He had nearly tumbled to the floor from a bad roll.
We were both curled up on the left side of the bed, covered with his comforter.
It made no sense.
I’d fallen asleep clinging to the edge, wrapped in my own blanket, ntally chanting that I wouldn’t touch him under any circumstances.
Yet here I was.
"Being in his arms feels different now," Akira observed.
"Shut up," I ntally snapped.
Hudson sighed dramatically. "You stole my blanket, claid half the bed, and nearly killed . Then you wake up glaring at like I’ve offended you."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine. I’ll be more careful next ti."
"Good." He pulled closer, one hand splayed flat against my spine. "Now shut up and go back to sleep."
He didn’t move again.
Sohow, neither did I.
For the next few nights, I went to his room.
It was easier than pretending I wanted to be anywhere else.
He didn’t try anything.
No wandering hands, no strange suggestions.
Just sleep.
Sa routine every night.
Each morning, I woke up in the sa position—warm, comfortable, wrapped tightly in a wall of muscle and heat.
After a while, I stopped thinking of it as his bed.
It beca the place where I slept.
I supposed he’d basically beco my regular sleeping partner.
But I knew better than to tell him that.
At breakfast, I told him, "I’m entering a design competition soon. The Aureate Award. It’s being held in Riverbend."
"That’s still hours away. When are you leaving?"
"The event’s on the 3rd. I’m flying over a day early."
He set down his phone. "Leave sooner. I have etings at the LGH campus in Riverbend. I’m flying over tomorrow morning. Co with ."
I shrugged. "Sure. Never been there before. Might as well check it out."
Riverbend was a coastal city with scenery beautiful enough to be a computer screensaver.
Temperatures hovered in the seventies year-round.
Palm trees, luxury villas, streets probably slling of sunscreen.
A tourist hotspot, especially during winter.
The competition organizers had chosen the location for exactly this reason—easy dia coverage, guaranteed crowds, every photo perfectly backlit.
We left by plane at eight the next morning.
We landed just after noon.
The mont I stepped onto the tarmac, the sunlight hit like a slap.
Hot and blinding.
My sweater instantly beca a prison.
"Why the hell did I wear wool?" I muttered. "Should’ve packed just a t-shirt."
Hudson took both our suitcases.
I caught up, yanking off my pullover and tying it around my waist.
The terminal was packed.
Noisy, sweaty, impatient.
College students everywhere, so with backpacks, others with glitter on their faces.
The arrivals hall looked like it had been ransacked by a festival.
I stopped abruptly. "Shit."
Hudson asked, "What?"
"It’s New Year’s Eve tonight. I completely forgot."
"And?"
"Riverbend does this massive countdown event. Like fireworks, parades, DJ sets on the beach. I saw it on TikTok. That’s why it’s so crowded. Everyone’s here to party."
Hudson looked around at the chaos.
Soone tripped over his suitcase.
A girl in sparkly boots scread sothing about tequila.
"What perfect timing," Hudson said. "We’ll have front-row seats to the celebrations."
I elbowed him. "You planned this. Don’t lie."
He didn’t deny it.
A kid sprinted past, colliding with my hip before I even registered his presence.
I stumbled, regained my balance, and turned just in ti to see him disappearing into the crowd.
A sweaty, frantic-looking woman in her thirties grabbed him by the hood, turning back to shout apologies.
"Moon Goddess," I muttered, brushing off my sweater.
Hudson grabbed my hand. "It’s crowded. Stay close."
I laced my fingers through his.
"This feels intimate," Akira comnted. "Like we’re actually a couple in love."
"We share a bed every night now," I reminded her. "This is nothing."
"Yet your heart’s racing," she pointed out.
We walked out together.
A black SUV waited at the curb, engine idling, air conditioning blasting.
I climbed in and shut the door.
I collapsed against the seat with a long exhale.
"Finally. I’ve been sweating since baggage claim. How is it this hot in December?"
Hudson got in from the other side, nodding to the driver. "Let’s go." Then to , "There are clothes in the bag. You might want to change."
"Are we going to the hotel now?"
He handed a bottle of water. "No hotel. I have a place here."
"Of course you do."
He smiled slightly, then stretched out his legs and closed his eyes.
I dozed off during the drive, only waking when the car stopped.
Outside, a two-story house stood behind a low white gate.
Nothing extravagant. Small garden, wooden shutters, green lawn dotted with patches of yellow flowers.
The air slled of earth and fresh-cut grass.
No traffic noise. Just wind and birds chirping near the roof.
I got out, blinking in the sunlight.
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