Page 181 of King of Sin
Quietly, she walked toward him and stopped beside the bed. Looking down at him, she noticed his eyes were closed and his face was completely still. From the way he was lying there, she assumed he had fallen asleep while waiting for her.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
Carefully setting her bag on the side table, she climbed onto the bed. The mattress dipped slightly beneath her weight as she moved closer and wrapped both arms around his waist from behind.
"I came back so late. Weren't you worried about me?" she asked in a soft, slightly whiny voice, pressing herself against his back.
The moment she hugged him, she felt his body stiffen beneath her arms.
Juliet noticed it immediately, but she didn't think much of it. Instead, she tightened her embrace and snuggled even closer, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Her arms remained locked around his waist.
A moment later, Cassian slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was clear despite the darkness.
He turned his head slightly and looked at her over his shoulder.
The instant their eyes met, Juliet smiled brightly at him, her eyes curving with warmth.
He didn't smile back.
His face remained unreadable, and his dark eyes stayed fixed on her in silence.
Juliet, completely unaware of the dangerous look slowly settling over his features, only moved closer. She slipped one arm beneath his and rested her head against the side of his neck, rubbing her cheek lightly against his skin.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
Her voice was gentle as she tilted her head to look at him.
"Why are you sleeping in the dark?"
As she spoke, her fingers absentmindedly played with the fabric of his shirt, smoothing out invisible wrinkles before bunching the material between her fingertips.
"I was so scared when I came in and couldn't find you. I thought you would be downstairs waiting for me."
A small laugh escaped her as she shook her head.
"Then I saw you here."
She tilted her head back and looked up at him, her eyes bright despite the darkness.
"You know, you look handsome even when you're sleeping."
A smile spread across her face.
"Seriously, how are you this handsome?"
As she spoke, she reached up and cupped his face in both hands. Her thumbs brushed lightly against his cheeks before she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
Cassian didn't react.
He simply continued staring at her.
The longer he looked at her, the darker his expression became. His eyes remained fixed on her face, silent and unblinking, while a storm quietly built beneath the surface. The muscles along his jaw gradually tightened, and his hand curled slightly against the sheets beside him.
But Juliet didn't notice any of it.
Still smiling, she shifted her position and climbed on top of him, settling comfortably against his body as though nothing in the world was wrong. One arm slid around his neck while the other rested against his chest, and she looked completely relaxed, completely unaware of the tension steadily growing inside him.
