晚上睡不着看点害羞的连接

Chapter 85 - DISCOVERY

His strong hands moved to explore my back, a soft groan escaped my lips when the warmth of his palms seeped through the thin fabric of my nightwear. My fingers tightened their grip on his neck when he deepened the kiss. The room seemed to fade in the distance, the wild drumming of his heart and so my own was the only noise I could hear aside from our sharp intake of breath. The kiss lasted for almost an eternity and just when I hoped it would remain that way, it was over, leaving me reeling for more.

"I'm sorry Beatrix." He regretfully whispered, removing his mouth from my mouth. It took him an extraordinary amount of self-control to pull away. His palms framed my face and tilted it upward until my eyes were level to his own. "I'm sorry." He repeated.

Shocked to hear an apology, I said nothing. But when I was able to recover

rage burned inside me. I pulled away from him but his strong fingers didn't want to let go. "How dare you, Sir!" I spat angrily while I shot him with a piercing glance. "Are you sorry because you kissed me?" I braced myself from whatever his response. An apology was the last thing I wanted to hear after what transpired between us and God knows what could happen if he didn't pull away.

"Please don't jump to conclusions, Beatrix." He snapped when I tried to pull away for the second time. I eluded his piercing eyes by looking at the wall as if I found it more interesting than what he has to say.

"You don't have to explain,"?I whispered weakly.

"Do you mean it?" He inquired, his tone softening a bit.

"Yes."

"Then look at me, Beatrix." He ordered and I found myself doing just that. When my gaze landed on his pleading eyes, I realized I made the wrong move. I found myself in trance and I can't seem to tear my gaze off him.

"God knows I'm sorry not because I kissed you." He inhaled deeply before he continued." I'm sorry because I liked it." He added without filters. When I looked deeper into his intense eyes, I saw nothing but sincerity. I realize he was telling the truth.

His confession caught me off guard and I could barely search for the right thing to say. Instead, I said the first thing that came to mind and the most reasonable thing I could think of.

"Goodnight Carter."

He didn't make an attempt to stop me when I pushed him away, his fingers holding my face gently loosened and I took the perfect opportunity to move to the opposite side of the bed. Faith Vienne stood as a boundary between us.

His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something but changed his mind at the last minute and closed it instead. I was thankful when he turned to the other side of the bed. That's far better than having to face him all night.

Awkward silence draped across the room. He didn't move for a very long time and I was afraid he fell asleep so quickly when I couldn't even keep my eyes close for a long time.

"Beatrix?" He said so softly that I thought I was imagining it at first. When I didn't respond he simply continued, "I don't want you to have regrets when you wake up in the morning. Things are far better this way. I'm just trying to protect you."

His words held meaning. I wanted to ask what he was talking about but I cowardly backed out in the end and kept my mouth shut. When he felt I wasn't in the mood to speak, he let go a resigned sigh. He gently turned towards me and whispered 'Goodnight Beatrix' before his eyes closed.

A few more minutes later Carter was snoring softly. I closed my eyes hoping I would fall asleep too. In god's grace, I fell asleep after an hour.

I felt someone looking at me. When my eyes opened I caught Carter staring at me, a gentle smile playing at the corner of his lips. I wonder how long he'd been watching me, I'm just quite surprised I didn't melt from the heat of his gaze.

"Good morning, Beatrix." He greeted me. A blush crept on my cheeks when last night's memory came to mind. It would be the last thing I want to remind myself.

I tore my gaze away from him and averted my gaze to Faith Vienne, she was wide awake too. She was so busy holding Carter's large fingers into her tiny hands that she didn't notice her 'poor mother' was waiting for her to look her way.

"What time did Madam Stella say she would pick us up today?"

"She said it would be around eight in the morning," I replied thinking it was too early.

"It's past seven. We have thirty minutes to get ready."

Carter rose from the bed. Stretched his arms up in the air before picking his backpack to select what he would wear for the day. I was about to argue that it was still early when my eyes landed on the wall clock. I nearly fell off the bed after I realized he was right and there's only a short while left to prepare.

I overslept. I slumped on the bed and shot him an irritated glance in which he pretended not to see. He didn't wake me up. I shook my head in disbelief. He moved to the bathroom and closed the door behind him leaving me alone with my daughter.

I moved to the headboard and leaned my back on the soft cushion behind me as I wonder if Carter remembered the kiss we shared last night because for me I will never forget that kiss as long as I live.

Perhaps he forgot all about it. I told myself, shattering my romantic illusions before they could grow out of hand. I picked Faith Vienne into my arms and hugged her tight while reminding myself my daughter is more than enough for me and I don't need any complications in my life in the form of a demigod named Carter.

***

"Please do double check if we forgot something. Faith Vienne and I will wait for you downstairs, Beatrix."

I nodded my head and watched Carter move to the door with quick, long strides. A backpack was slung behind his back. Faith Vienne was settled on his left arm while on his vacant hand he pulled my large suitcase.?The door clicked close and I hurriedly moved to the bathroom to have a quick pee.

When I was done with my business, I turned off the light inside the bathroom and hastily moved to survey the room to double-check if we left something behind. Madam Stella's van was already waiting outside the Hotel and I don't want to keep her waiting for long.

I picked my backpack on the floor and hung it behind my back. I was about to move to the door after checking nothing was left behind when something on the floor caught my attention.

A leather wallet as big as my palms was lying on the floor. It must have fallen off when Carter was rummaging inside his backpack. As if my feet have minds of their own it moved to where the wallet was and my fingers picked it up on the floor. When the wallet was already in my palms I noticed I was trembling.

The wallet isn't mine and I shouldn't be looking at what's inside but I was itched with a nagging curiosity I couldn't ignore. I will just check what's inside, that's all, I assured myself and summoned all the courage I could muster to pull the wallet open.

Perhaps, I would see a picture of?Carter's ex-girlfriend or maybe a wife, if he has any. However, disappointment hit me when the space where a picture should have been was left empty making a curious frown emerge from my temples. There were some dollar bills inside the wallet, perhaps it's his savings I assumed.

There was nothing remarkable inside the wallet except the money. I was about to pull it close when a paper slipped from inside the wallet and fell to the floor. I bent to pick it up only to realize that it was not paper but a small photograph.

The image was taken during a wedding ceremony. The woman was beaming at the camera while standing beside her with a lively grin on his face was Carter with his arms protectively wrapped all over the woman's shoulders.

I have to wrap my palms tightly around the night table to maintain my balance. "No, This can't be '' I told myself while shaking my head vigorously.?My eyes glued to the picture as if my life depended on it.

I shook my head in disbelief. How could it possibly happen? The woman in the photograph wearing a white beaded gown was me.