Page 62 of Heart of the Hunted
"Yeah right,” she said under her breath.
If Taredd's hearing hadn't been as heightened as it was, then he never would have heard it. But as it was, he heard her loud and clear.
Turning back to him, Natalia said "Just so you know, I have a habit of fighting in my sleep whenever I get to close to anyone."
Bullshit.Taredd thought before saying aloud: "Now you're just making shit up."
Putting her hands on her hips, she shook her head and said adamantly "No, I'm not."
"Natalia, I watched you sleeping last night,” he told her. "I know for a fact that you don't fight in your sleep."
"Yeah, that’s because I was sleeping on sticks and stones. I didn't want to move just in case it made it worse,” she told him. Then pointing her finger at him, she added: "Plus, you weren't sleeping right next to me."
Taredd could tell she was making it up to try to deter him from sleeping next to her, but it wasn't working. He would wait until she was fast asleep if that made it any easier, but either way, he was sleeping in that bed whether she liked it or not. So, there was no point in arguing with her about it.
"How do you know I wasn't sleeping next to you?" he asked her. "You were snoring your head off most of the night, so for all you know, I could have been."
The look on Natalia's face was priceless. Taredd was finding it increasingly difficult not to burst out laughing, but then she would know he was talking bullshit, so he bit his tongue and kept a straight face.
When he couldn't take her evil glare any more, he finally gave in and lied to her and said: "Fine, I'll take the chair."
"Good,” she said, turning her back to him once again. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm shattered, so I'm going to bed now."
Taredd took the opportunity to laugh silently while her back was to him, but as soon as she looked back at him, he composed himself swiftly enough that she didn't notice.
Natalia gave him a quizzical look, but didn't say anything as she pulled back the covers and sat on the side of the bed to kick off her shoes.
"That's fine by me,” he told her.
The sooner she was asleep, the sooner he could climb into bed, because there was no way he was paying for a room with a bed he couldn't sleep in. Taredd walked over to the chair in front of the window. He scanned the area from his seat before returning his attention to the bed.
Natalia had taken off her coat, but left on her trousers and t-shirt, before she climbed into bed. She pulled the blankets up around her to just under her chin and settled down for the night. Taredd watched as Natalia settled down into a comfortable position.
Wishing he could just climb right into bed next to her, Taredd prayed it didn't take her long to fall as sleep. It had been a few nights since he last slept, and the exhaustion was starting to catch up with him. Even if he only managed to get a couple of hours sleep tonight, it should be enough to help clear his mind.
Luckily for him, it wasn't too long before he heard her breathing even out as she drifted off. Taredd didn't jump up straight away, instead he waited a little longer, making sure she was definitely fast asleep before joining her. Then he stripped off quietly and gently climbed in bed next to her, being as careful as he could not to disturb her.
Resting his arms behind his head, Taredd instantly doubted his decision to strip bare while sleeping next to her. Maybe it wasn't the wisest of ideas he had had recently, but Taredd wasn't about to climb back out of bed again just so he could redress. Instead, he laid there looking up at the ceiling.
It wasn't long after Taredd got himself comfortable, that he regretted his decision even more. Without any encouragement on his part, Natalia rolled over and curled up right next to him, then let out a long-contented sigh.
Yep, definitely not a good idea.He thought as all the blood rushed south.
If she woke up right at this moment and realized that he was not only in bed with him, but completely naked and fully erect, she was likely to throw a fit. He could even imagine her trying to kick his naked ass out of bed, not that she would have much luck, he could easily overpower her without much effort. It still wasn't enough to make him reassess his decision.
Well, shit happens.
Because there was no way he was budging from this position, even if she did wake up. Plus, there wasn't much he could do about it now without disturbing her anyway, so he might as well get some sleep while he could. Tomorrow was going to be another long day.
