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“I’ll knock your teeth out if you don’t stop provoking me, Landon. I mean it.”
“Hey, relax. I didn’t know Barbie was…” he trails off as Eli shoves his arm away.
“You didn’t know I was what?” I ask with a smile as I join them.
“Still giving this waste of space the time of day,” Lan says. “You can do so much better.”
“And so can Mia,” Eli shoots back.
“Nonsense. I’m God’s gift to humans and she’s grateful to have me.”
I place a finger in my mouth and pretend to vomit. “Your presence gives me nausea.”
“Must be something wrong with your stomach.”
Eli shoves him away and places an arm around my back. “Ready to go?”
“And escape the cloud of narcissism around here? Absolutely.”
“Joke’s on you, Barbie!” Lan calls behind us. “You took the entire cloud with you.”
Eli glares at him and I catch him mouthing, “I’ll kill you.”
“Not if she manages to kill you first, cousin,” Lan says.
I laugh but still make a face at the arsehole.
During the ride back, I doze off, and I think Eli pulls me against his chest and I climb onto his lap, but I’m not sure.
The next thing I know, when I open my eyes, I’m surrounded by a familiar scent.
The soft light of a lamp illuminates my surroundings in stark detail.
My heart nearly pops out from between my ribs when I find myself cocooned in Eli’s embrace. My head rests on his nakedchest, my arm is wrapped around his waist, and his hand covers my back.
I’m wearing a pink nightgown and my hair is loose, and I’m, without a doubt, covered with an ugly gray duvet while snuggling against my husband.
In his bed.
My breath hitches as I stare up at his sleepy face, at the sharp jaw and the dark lashes fanning his cheek.
This is so unfair. Why does he look hot even while sleeping?
Now, I don’t even want to sleep anymore and would rather watch his face.
My wedding ring shines under the soft light and I smile. He kept the side lamp on because he knows I can’t sleep in the darkness, didn’t he? Even though I was out by the time he brought me here.
I’m pretty sure I woke up sometime after he carried me into the house, but I remember nothing.
My heart tightens and sinks as that truth slaps me across the face. How many more moments will I lose? How much can he take before he figures out I’m not worth the hassle?
I internally shake those depressing thoughts away and hug him tighter, hoping—no, praying—I don’t wake him up with my visceral nightmares on our first night together.
My solution is to stay awake.
And I manage to do that for maybe twenty minutes, but the steady, safe beat of his heart lulls me into the deepest, most dreamless sleep of my life.
32
