Page 29 of Beauty Sleep

I blush furiously, but there’s something warm and soft exploding in my chest. Gradually, I let go of the pillow and turn my cheek against it so I can shake my head. “Yeah. But it’s hard to trust I won’t get burned in the light.”

A breath rushes out, like I just kicked Prince in the chest.

For once, he doesn’t have an answer ready to go.

The seconds are ticking by, and still nothing. Maybe I hit a nerve. God, what if he likes hiding behind masks because he had a terrible encounter with a chandelier or something?

Just before I can burst out with inappropriate questions, Prince sighs. “I understand. Deep down, we’re all afraid of the light. But we need it. We want to know and be known.”

There’s an intense sadness—even loneliness—ringing clear as a bell in his voice. And even with my eyes closed, I can’t hold back the tears.

We’ve both been hiding in the shadows, haven’t we?

He’s so confident that I didn’t imagine he could be just as afraid as me. But I guess he needed the darkness too, to let his desires be known.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Prince murmurs. “Come here.” The bed shifts behind me as he stretches out along the bed and slides his arm over my waist. Gently, he pulls my back against his chest.

I sniffle into my pillow as he wraps himself around me. He’s the perfect size to wrap me up in his strong arms. I never imagined him holding me like this—my shoulder blades against his chest, his lips against the back of my neck, rubbing my chest in gentle little circles.

He holds me softly for as long as I need to cry, and then for a little while after the tears dry up.

Finally, I clear my throat a few times.

“Why’d you wait so long to come?”

“You get more stamina over the years?—”

I giggle hoarsely and shove an elbow back into Prince, wiping my arm across my eyes. “Comehere, I mean,” I laugh, trying to keep my voice down.

Prince chuckles softly. “I work in, er…” he pauses like he’s choosing his words carefully before he says, “hospitality.”

Bartender? Bouncer? Stripper?A few options automatically present themselves, and they all come with visuals Ireallyenjoy.

“My shifts end late.” He slowly lets go of me and sits up, gently tucking the covers around my shoulders again. “But that’s boring stuff.”

“Good,” I whisper, snuggling into the affectionate touch. I don’t want this moment to be over. “I want to get to know you. And if it’s boring, it’ll just help me drift off. Win-win.”

“Mmm,” Prince hums. He runs a hand down my arm, through the covers, and I smile at the heaviness suddenly in my eyelids. It doesn’t take as much work to keep them closed. “I have two jobs. I’ve spent a long time trying to break into the one I want to do. There’s this thing on Friday…” he trails off, his grip tightening on my shoulder.

Holy shit, is he actually nervous?

It makes my heart swell with warmth—and a little bit of pride—that Prince trusts me enough to show me this side of him. “Oh? A big break?”

“Yeah.Thebig break. This industry is like a castle, and… I wasn’t born with the key.” Prince sighs. “Some days, I wonder if I belong in it at all.”

Prince’s Daddy mask is slipping into something a little more natural as he speaks. The warm, sultry voice has turned more rough and gruff, but it still sounds comfortably familiar.

It makes me trust him.

“You got in here,” I yawn softly.

Prince pauses and then huffs a soft laugh. “That’s because you leave the window open, my dear,” he says drily.

I giggle. “Every castle has an open window. You can find it. Prince Charming is good at that stuff.”

Prince chuckles and leans over me to cup my cheek in his palm. “As long as there’s a Beauty waiting for me on the other side.”

“I—I know what you mean,” I mumble, stifling a yawn as he runs his hand gently to my shoulder again. “I feel like I’ve been following other people’s dreams.”

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