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“Faith?” he whispered, al

She didn’t answer and after a few hed, but didn’t call her bluff

Instead, he disappeared into the en suite bathroom, returned, and slid between the sheets Next to her

Would it give away that she ake if she piled pillows between them? Or if she peeked under the covers to see what he earing? Or not wearing?

She sed, fighting to breathe, fighting to keep her eyes closed in case he was looking at her and could see her through the sliver ofto keep fro her body to his

Because, really, if she did that while still feigning sleep, ould it hurt? She could always plead that she’d gotten cold Which didn’t explain the droplets of sweat for between her breasts

She bit the inside of her lower lip, forced herself to count sheep, to count the soft sounds of Vale’s even breathing That he’d crawled into bed and fallen immediately to sleep didn’t say much about her effect on him, did it? He was in bed with her for the first time ever and had immediately dozed off

The last ti a peek at hi into the rooainst the pillow, his lashes fanned out across his cheeks, his face relaxed in sleep

Unable to resist, she reached out, brushed her fingertip across his cheek,at the smooth perfection of his skin, at how her heart raced at the contact

Without his expression changing in the slightest to indicate he’d awakened, his hand caught hers, clasped it to hin she’d woken hirip, so she relaxed, cherishing the contact of their skin

Her hand cradled in his, she finally drifted off into dream-filled sleep

With the sun streanificent s, Faith woke very aware that she was in Vale’s king-size bed that smelled of his spicy aftershave

She opened her eyes, startled to find the bed empty

Only the imprint on the pillow next to hers told the tale that he’d shared the bed, that she wasn’t i his musky scent Unable to resist, she reached out, touched where his head had lain, calling herself every kind of stupid

She’d touched hiht Had he woken up and known of her foolishness? God, she hoped not