The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 201: Can’t sleep

Chapter 201: Can’t sleep

Beatrix and Rhys just laid there, in silence. Beatrix was far too paralyzed to say anything.

Rhys’ hoarse voice cut through the thick emptiness in the room, his tone barely above a whisper.

"Can’t sleep?"

Beatrix shook her head, hoping she wasn’t just imagining things and he was really beside her.

"No," Beatrix finally managed to reply, her voice barely audible. She shifted slightly, turning her head to face Rhys, confirming that he was indeed there, lying beside her. His presence offered a small glimmer of comfort in the midst of the overwhelming silence that had settled between them.

Rhys reached out a hand, his fingers lightly grazing Beatrix’s arm as if to assure himself of her presence.

"Me neither," he admitted, his voice still raspy from the weight of their recent ordeal. "It’s hard to shut off my mind after everything that’s happened."

Beatrix nodded in agreement, her eyes searching Rhys’s face in the dimly lit room. She could see the exhaustion etched in his features, mirroring her own weariness. The events of the past few days had taken a toll on both of them, physically and emotionally.

There was only an arms length between them, but it felt like miles, and she missed him.

It fell silent again, and his hand played and picked at the sheet in the gap between them.

The room plunged into an overpowering silence, as if every sound had the potential to shatter the delicate serenity that hung in the air.

Her heart throbbed within her chest, like an insistent force relentlessly colliding against her ribs. The sight of Rhys,beside her, jolted her back to reality, dissipating the fog of emotions that clouded her mind.

The realization that he lay in her bed struck her like a heavy blow, leaving her struggling to comprehend how they had gone from believing they would never cross paths again to having him beside her in less than a day.

The tension in the room screamed at her, urging her to distance herself. She turned away, curling up in an attempt to escape the pressure. If only she knew how to act or handle him at this moment.

Despite their proximity, he appeared distant, lost within his own thoughts, leaving her uncertain of how to bridge the gap between them.

She lay like that for what seemed like an eternity, although it was likely only fleeting moments. Time seemed distorted in Rhys’s presence.

Suddenly, the bed shifted, and she held her breath as Rhys’s arm slipped around her waist, drawing her closer and closing the divide between them.

He enveloped her as she nestled against his chest, his nose buried in her neck, releasing a sigh of relief. "That’s better."

Words eluded her, and she remained silent,

As soon as she was surrounded by that familiar smell of him, that same cocoon of contentment she relaxed into him, threading her arm over his waist, trying to pull him closer.

The warmth of his chest radiated through her whole body, his arms trapping her close to him washing away any of the hurt from tonight.

"Rhys..." she whispered, her eyes closing as he intertwined their fingers, holding her hand against his chest while his arm tightened around her, drawing her nearer.

"Mmmm?" he hummed, intertwining his leg with hers, as if attempting to merge their beings.

She swallowed hard, already aware of the answer that hung in the air. "Have you been having nightmares again after you got to know the truth?"

He offered no verbal response, only tightened his embrace, confirming her assumption through the silence that enveloped them.

"You shouldn’t have gone through that alone," she murmured, sounding remorseful.

"It’s okay, I’m okay" As long as you’re here, I’m okay." He murmured against her hair

Beatrix cleared her throat "Do you uhm. Do you wanna talk about it? Or did you wanna leave it till later? It’s okay either way, just don’t know what I should do right now"

"Can’t talk about it right now, just want to spend this moment with you" he told her softly, while she traced her fingers in patterns over the smooth skin of his back.

Beatrix nodded as he pressed another kiss to her hair before resting his cheek back against the top of her head.

"Whatever you need, I’m here" she whispered.

Another silence falls over them again, the steady rise and fall of his chest mixed with the rhythm of his heartbeat starting to make her eyelids heavy.

He pulled his face back looking down at her, but she just stayed buried against his chest.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

Beatrix nodded, "Yeah.."

"Are you, though? Are you okay?" he inquired, his voice tinged with concern.

Nestled against his chest, she nodded, her response muffled and surprising even to herself . "Yeah, I truly am. I’m not sure why."

"It could simply be denial. We both know I’m pretty skilled at that," she attempted to joke, but it fell flat, finding no amusement from him as she did.

"Hmm...Your father is okay with you living alone?" he asked cautiously, as if still struggling to grasp the reality of the situation.

"No but he has no choice. I needed some time alone." She yawned.

"Will you be here when I wake up tomorrow? All of this isn’t a dream right?"

She asked as she fought to stay awake, the emotional rollercoaster of today mixed with inebriation is weighting her eyelids like cement.

She was worried the sooner she fell asleep this would feel like those dreams she would have where they would lay just like this, but she would wake up to an empty bed.

He didn’t answer, instead he pressed slow comforting kisses against her neck, whispering soft words from telling her not to think about tomorrow, to telling her to try and get some sleep and he was here now.

Beatrix wanted to press him for an answer though but she knew better.

"I love you okay?" he said quietly, burying his face closer to her

"Okay. She replied barely above a whisper.

He swallowed, pausing before he cuddled against her .

"Always remember that ."

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