Chapter 28

▫️Stella’s POV...

I woke up feeling… oddly refreshed. No neck pain, no sofa-induced backache. The bed was soft, warm, and—wait a second. Why does my waist feel so heavy? I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the faint morning light, and—

Holy hell. Fuck. Shit.

Christian Knight. God of hotness. Inches away. From me.

My brain screamed What the fuck! but my stupid heart whispered, What a sight.

I froze. He was asleep, his face relaxed, free from the jerkness.  His lashes—those long, unfairly thick lashes—rested against his cheeks, putting mine to shame. Why does a guy need lashes like that anyway? Like, who’s he trying to seduce? Can’t he just… donate them? Hey, Chris, say Merry Christmas to me and let’s trade lashes.

My eyes drifted down. His jawline? Shoulders? Broad and strong, even under that stupidly soft t-shirt. Hair? Glossy, messy perfection.

And then my traitorous brain whispered, Remember when he was shirtless that one time? Wanna see again?

No. No, Stella. Stop it. Don’t think about it. Don’t—oh, screw it. Too late.

The weight on my waist reminded me that his arm was casually draped around me. I leaned up just enough to get a peek. My fingers, possessed by some intrusive demon whom I'll kill after taking the peek and then pulled up his t-shirt neckline slightly.

And there it was. His abs. Holy sweet mother of all that’s sinful.

“Damn! What a view.” I whispered, barely realizing the words left my mouth.

And then I looked at him to check if he is still sleeping. But no. Where there is stella there is embarassment.

His eyes are open. And he is looking at me. Bastard that's the wrong time to wake up.

I froze. My brain short-circuited. Maybe if I stayed still, he’d think I was just… I don’t know, sleepwalking? Sleep-peeking? Oh, God, just strike me down right now. Or make him blind.

A smirk spread across his face, slow and smug. “Enjoying the view, wifey?”

I wanted to die. Right then and there. “Uh—what? No! I was, um, checking for—uh—something… crawling. Yeah, there was a spider! And I was just checking to make sure it wasn’t dangerous!”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying my misery. “So, the spider was crawling on my abs?”

“Yes!”

“And you had to pull my shirt down to… make sure it wasn’t setting up camp?”

“Exactly!” I snapped grinding like a fool.

“Interesting,” he said, his smirk turning downright devilish. “Because I didn’t feel a spider. What I did feel was you gawking at me like you are eye fucking me.”

“I was not eye fucking you, I was just checking the spider.”

“And where’s this pervert spider is now?” he asked, his smirk growing.

“Uh… gone. I lost his track.”

He chuckled, the sound low and infuriatingly attractive. “You’re full of lies, wifey.” He caught my wrist with ease, holding it in place. “Just admit it—you think I’m hot.”

“Excuse me?!” I sputtered, yanking my hand away. “I think you’re obnoxious!”

“Obnoxiously attractive, maybe.”

“You’re delusional!”

“And you are mine” he said, leaning closer. His smirk was dangerous now. Before I could think of a retort, he flipped us, pulling me down so I was practically plastered against his chest. One hand stayed on my waist, the other resting casually on the bed.

Breathe bitch.

“You know if you wanted to see my abs, you could’ve just asked. I wouldn't mind showing you.”

My eyes widened. “W-What?! I don’t want to see your abs! Why would I want that?!”

He chuckled, his free hand coming up to tuck a strand of my messy hair behind my ear.

“Don’t control your desires, wifey,” he teased, his hand casually dropping back to my waist. “It’s okay to admit it. I get it. I’m irresistible.”

I scoffed, trying to sound annoyed instead of flustered. “Irresistible? Please. You’re just… average.”

“A very interesting way to describe someone you were ogling five seconds ago.”

“I wasn’t ogling!” I sputtered, glaring at him.

“You literally said, ‘Damn! What a view.’”

I froze. “You… heard that?”

“Every word, baby,” he said, his grin wide enough to split his face. “It’s kind of cute, though. My wife drooling over me first thing in the morning.”

“I WAS NOT DROOLING!”

“So, if I lift my shirt now, you wouldn’t take another peek?” he said while teasing my hairs.

“Don’t you dare!” I warned, my voice shaky, but of course, the devil in me screamed just show me.

“Just a little peek,” he teased, his hand inching toward the hem of his shirt.

“CHRIS!” I shrieked, smacking his chest. “Stop it, you idiot!”

He threw his head back, laughing, which somehow made him look even more annoyingly handsome. “Relax, Stella. You’re so easy to mess with.”

“You’re insufferable,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest and trying not to look at him.

“Maybe,” he said, leaning even closer. His voice dropped into that stupid husky tone that made my brain stop working. “But admit it, you like me this way.”

I glared at him, but the heat in my cheeks gave me away. “I like you less every second, Chris.”

“Liar,” he said softly, his eyes holding mine.

And then it hit me—how close we were, how his stupidly gorgeous face was just inches away, how his hand still rested on my waist like it belonged there. The realization sent me into full-blown panic mode.

“I need to pee!” I blurted out, shoving him off me with all my strength and scrambling out of the bed.

Oh wow! What an excuse stella.

He laughed as I darted toward the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

I leaned against it, my heart thumping in my chest. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping it would wash away the sheer embarrassment I was feeling. I stared at my reflection, glaring at myself in the mirror. You idiot bitch. Couldn’t you just have kept it together for five minutes?

I groaned. Now he’s going to haunt me forever. Call me a pervert, a horny freak, all because I couldn’t keep my damn hormones in check. He’s such an insufferable hot jerk.

I rubbed my temples, feeling like my brain was about to short-circuit from all the self-criticism. Stella, baby, calm down. Face it. You don’t need to act like a horny teenager every time you see him half-naked. Get it together.

Fuck you bitch. You messed with your reputation now bear it.

But then the little voice in my head whispered, But he is ridiculously hot, though. I was not at fault. I was just looking at him. It's okay. He might forget it. If not? Then I'll be a shameless bitch. With this I headed towards the shower to wash away insanity from my head.