Chapter 10
Adriana was still wide awake and even though she was bone tired and should catch up on her lost sleep, she couldn’t find it in her to go back to sleep. Somehow, she felt that things were going to be different when they left the confines of his room. So, she wanted to prolong this moment for as long as possible.
Being with him in this way was everything she had imagined it would be and, somehow, she felt okay violating her contract when she was also wrapped in his arms. He made her feel safe and kept her demons at bay, even though he didn’t know about them.
He had her tucked against him, an arm wrapped around she as she laid against his chest, his fingers tracing up and down her arm.
They’ve been fighting sleep, asking each other questions. The questions have taken a more personal turn because he just asked her what her last relationship was like.
“It was shallow.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure it was even a relationship,” she said. “We defined it that way, but it only revolved around sex. We couldn’t figure out how to fit into each other’s lives outside of the bedroom, and everyone expected us to be together so we stayed even when we shouldn’t have.”
“How long did it last?”
“A while.” She lifted up and looked at him.
“What about you?” she peered up at him.
“I’ve never been in a relationship before,” he shrugged.
“Why not?”
“I’ve never found anyone worthy.” Until you, he wanted to add, but swallowed his words, unsure of where the admission came from.
When he started this, he hadn’t been looking for anything permanent. But now, after having her in his arms, in his bed, he couldn’t think of anyone he would want to share his bed with again, other than her.
“Tell me about your tattoo,” he said instead, swiftly changing the question. “What does it mean, it’s really beautiful.”
“What do you mean?” she questioned quizzically, raising her head and pulling out of his arms to catch his gaze better. “I told you that already, or have you forgotten?”
“When?” he queried, sitting up too. “I don’t recall having a conversation about your tattoo with you, Ana. If we did, I would remember because I remember everything we’ve talked about.”
He had begun to call her Ana last night, when he ploughed into and she would have melted into a puddle of goo at his endearment, if she hadn’t been on the verge of hysteria.
“How could you not remember?” her brows pinched in confusion. Unless if…
But it can’t be, can it?
“What’s your real eye color?” she asked.
“Blue,” he responded, wondering why she was asking him that of all things, when she could clearly see his eyes. “What does that have to do with your tattoo?”
“Were you at a club downtown two nights ago? Badlands, it was called?” she asked, trying hard not to freak out. If he said no… then she was utterly and royally screwed. And not in the way that she had been earlier.
“No.”
“You weren’t?” she rasped, her breaths coming out in short gasps, her body trembling.
“No, I wasn’t. What’s going on Ana? Tell me,” he implored, grabbing her hands as she began to pull at her hair.
“I…”
A sharp knock came on the door, halting her response and they both turned to look at it, with varying states of emotions; Adriana distressed, Xavier annoyed.
“Who’s that?” she asked, grabbing the duvet to wrap around her body, and cover her state of nakedness.
“My brother,” Xavier huffed out a breath, turning to face her. “Ignore him, he’ll go away eventually. Now, tell me what’s going on. Why do you look like you’re about to die on me? Did I do something?”
“No,” she shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had slept with a prince, thinking that he had been the one she had hooked up with at the club, three nights ago.
How stupid of her. Of course, a prince wouldn’t sully himself by going to the club and picking up a flavor for the night, when he could just as easily snap a finger anywhere and panties would drop for him.
But how was she to explain the uncanny similarity between Xavier and her mystery man? The only notable difference between them was their eye colors, and she had chugged it up as him using eye contacts. But that wasn’t the case at all. Who had she slept with at the club? Was he a relative of Xavier? If so, she was more than royally screwed.
“How many of you are there?” she asked, ignoring his tirade, because she was really about to get hysterical.
“What do you mean?”
The knocks persisted, but they both ignored them until Adriana huffed. “He doesn’t seem like he’s about to go away.”
“I’ll go see what he wants,” Xavier huffed, rolling his eyes. “Put a robe on, I don’t want him to see you like this.”
His jealousy almost made her melt, but she was still trying to process the fact that he wasn’t her mystery man.
She put on his robe, and began to pace the length of his bedroom, while he went to answer the door.
Just the one time that she had wanted to let go, and experience something new, just the one time that she had let her guard down, and went wild, she screwed up.
Urgh! What was she going to do? Was she to tell Xavier everything? About how she had misjudged him? And how she had slept with him thinking that he was somebody else?
All thoughts of sleep had flown out of her head, the moment she had realized that he wasn’t her mystery man. And now, all she wanted to do was hide out in her room, and hole up on her bed until it all blew over.
Just when she turned, her eyes snagged on a pair of slate grey eyes, watching her with alarming suspicion, his shock mirroring hers.
“Blue?” he queried, his voice a whisper but she heard him all the same. “What the hell?”
What the hell, indeed.
