Bound to my Enemy-Chapter 74.

I don’t say anything when he finally settles fully into the bed.

I wait until his breathing evens out, until the room sinks into that quiet that only comes when the house is asleep. Then I move.

There are too many pillows on this bed anyways those fancy and heavy ones. I stack them anyway, one by one, dragging them between us until there’s a wall from the mattress to our chests.

A stupid wall. But it’s something.

I shove the last pillow into place and lie back down, staring at the ceiling.

"Stay," I mutter under my breath, pressing my palm into the pillow nearest my face like it can hear me. "Just stay there."

I turn onto my side, back to him, knees tucked up slightly. My head hurts and it feels heavy. So I close my eyes..... but doesn’t come right away.

Eventually, exhaustion wins over and I’m pulling into a dreamless sleep.

——————

A disturbingly familiar weight presses against my back.

Not heavy enough to crush me.

I groan before I even open my eyes. "Son of a bitch."

The chest under my face moves. I feel it before I hear it. A low chuckle.

"Don’t get mad at me," Zane says, his voice deep and rough with sleep. "I’m not the one who broke down your well-constructed partition."

I blink, then groan again when reality settles in.

My cheek is pressed to bare skin. It feels solid and Warm. His chest hair brushes my lips every time I breathe, and I pull my face back slightly, scowling at him.

"Fantastic," I mutter. "Just perfect."

I glance down. My arm is slung across his waist with one of my legs is thrown over his thigh. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

This is not how I fell asleep.

I push myself back an inch, then another when he doesn’t tighten his hold and doesn’t move to pull me closer.

"I’m serious," I say. "If you touched me in your sleep..."

"I didn’t, little spitfire " he cuts in. "You moved to me."

I frown. "I don’t cuddle."

"You do when you’re out cold."

I mutter a string of curses under my breath, shifting again. His skin is warm in a way that makes it harder than it should be to pull away. I manage to create a few inches of space, then stop.

The pillows are gone...... Flattened and pushed to the side like they never stood a chance.

I let out a breath through my nose. "I’m building a wall of bricks tonight."

"I’ll invest in mortar," he says.

I tilt my head just enough to look at him. His eyes are open mow and staring at me.

"I’d love to stay here," he adds. "Trust me."

"Thrilling," I say. "But I don’t."

A beat of silence.

Then he shifts, careful this time, rolling onto his back and freeing me completely. I sit up immediately, dragging the sheet with me like a shield.

"Morning to you too," he says.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed. "Next time I build a barrier, don’t bulldoze it."

"I was asleep and you moved to me baby, not the other way around."

"That’s a lie try harder."

He snorts, then pushes himself up. The sheet slides down his torso as he sits, and I look away before I can think too much about how his stomach muscles are so lean and fit and I’m trying to resist the urge to run my hands on it just to feel it under my hands. What can I say, my husband is very physically fit.

He gets into the shower before me clearly in a hurry. When he leaves the bathroom to dress, I opt to head into the bathroom too instead of staring creeply at him awhile he dresses up. I head for the bathroom and splash some water on my face.

When I come back out, he’s still getting dressed.

I sit on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, watching despite myself.

"You shouldn’t wait up,for me today" he says, shrugging into his jacket. "Go to sleep when you want."

I scoff. "Why would I wait up for you?"

He glances at me. "Some wives do, to make sure their husbands are safe and sound and alive."

I snort. "If you want you can die, that’s your business."

A corner of his mouth twitches. He steps closer, stopping right in front of me. Close enough that I can see the faint line between his brows, close enough that my stomach flips before I can help it.

He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead.

It’s quick and barely there.

Still, I freeze.

By the time I look up, he’s already turning away.

"I’ll be late," he says, grabbing his watch from the dresser. "Lock the door if it makes you feel better."

Then he’s gone.

The door closes softly behind him.

I sit there for a long moment, fingers curled into the sheets, my heart doing something stupid in my chest.

"I fucking hate this," I whisper to the empty room.

By the time I come downstairs It’s past noon. I can tell by the light slanting through the tall windows. My stomach twists, hollow and sour, but I ignore it. Hunger feels easier tgan eating then having to throw it up in a few minutes like it has been the last few days.

I head outside, the path to the staff quarters is familiar now with gravel crunching under my shoes. Halfway there, a wave of dizziness rolls through me. I stop and brace my hands against the wall, eyes shut until it eases. I tell myself it’s nothing. I’ve been doing that a lot.

When I reach Margaret’s place, the door is already open.

Laughter spills out before I even step inside.

"Elaine," Tessa calls first, spotting me from where she’s sprawled on the floor with a deck of cards. "You came back."

"Thought you got bored of us already," June adds from the couch, with her feet tucked unde her.