Page 147 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“That’s fuckin’ disgustin’.”

I smiled. “I considered it,” I confessed. “Leaving your ass in bed and taking off somewhere for a while.”

He just looked at me.

“It just didn’t hold any appeal.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to be without you,” I said. “Even when you’re being an idiot.”

“Thank the good Lord,” he mumbled. “I’m an idiot a lot.”

I let out a huff of laughter, and he smiled back.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered.

“Except back in the house,” he corrected, walking up the steps. He lifted me from the chair like it was nothing. “Jesus, you’re an ice cube.”

“It’s not that cold,” I argued, laying my head on his shoulder.

He brought me back into the bedroom and put me in bed, not even bothering to strip off the couch blanket before he threw the comforter over me.

I watched as he stripped back out of his clothes, dropping them on my vanity stool. He climbed back into bed in his boxers, pulling me against him.

“Feels like I’m cuddlin’ with a pile of blankets,” he muttered, searching through the blankets to find skin. When his hand found my hip, he slid it to my back and pulled me against his chest.

“You’re so warm,” I mumbled, laying my cheek against him.

His heartbeat was strong and steady.

“Sleep, baby,” he said, kissing my head.

“I can’t.”

“Yeah, you can,” he soothed, sliding his hand up my spine. “Try. I’ll keep the bad shit away.”

Even though he was being really sweet, I kind of wanted to prove him wrong.

I fell asleep within minutes.

When I woke up, the room was bright, and Cian was no longer in bed. I found him in the kitchen with Lou and Frankie, his head inside the fridge.

“Good afternoon, sleepyhead,” Lou called out.

Cian quickly pulled out of the fridge, smacking his head in the process.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Less tired, more sore,” I replied.

“Damn.” He came over to kiss me and ran a finger down the side of my face. “I’m not buyin’ the property,” he announced nonchalantly.

“You’re what?”

“I’m not buyin’ the property. You’re the first to know. See how I did that?”

“I can confirm that he hasn’t mentioned this to us,” Frankie said, her mouth full of cereal. “Wait, when were you going to buy Ashley’s property?”

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