Imperatrix

chapter 40

The sun shining through the window blinds woke Harry from his sleep. He attempted to get up but a hand over his torso stopped him. Looking over, he saw Anna laying on her stomach with her hair covering her face.

He slowly lay back down and moved closer to her, leaning up on one elbow. Brushing her hair away from her face, he studied her closely. She had a light sprinkling of freckles on her face and a small bump on her nose, like it had been broken before. Her brows were furrowed like she was having a bad dream.

She had a lot of secrets, that much he knew. And she wasn’t ready to share them with him. But that was okay, he could wait. He wasn’t in a hurry. She made a small sound and unconsciously scooted closer to him making him smile.

She was a cuddler and he found it terribly cute that she liked to hug him even in her sleep. Not that he was complaining. She wasn’t as touchy when she was awake though. And he had a feeling that if he told her what she did in her sleep, she would deny it with a straight face.

He glanced at the clock and saw it was past eight, time to get up. It was Saturday, he usually went for long jogs on Saturdays. He tried getting up again but she was holding him tightly. And he didn’t want to wake her up just yet. Not when she looked so pretty sleeping. He leaned forward slightly and kissed her forehead.

He knew most of her habits already. No, he didn’t know her like the back of his hand, but he knew her well enough that he could mention some of things she liked. She didn’t tell him things, he found out just by watching her. They had been together for more than six months, he could tell her likes and dislikes, her favorite color, food.

He knew she woke up at night each time he got up to use the bathroom. She always faced the door when she sat. She was always alert, he was a cop, he noticed. She had this weird habit of not being able to sleep without the duvet or something covering her.

She couldn’t eat cold food, it always had to be hot. Most times she became hungry right after sex. She got cranky when she didn’t have her food. She liked speaking Spanish during sex, liked to sing in the shower with her horrible horrible voice. And no matter how many times he told her to shut up, she continued. He loved her stubbornness, her freaky nature. And God was she beautiful.

She had him wrapped around her little finger without realizing it. And boy did he love her. He loved being around her. Loved having her around. The days when she came over were always the best for him.

But he knew there was more to her than met the eye. Most times she closed up after a call. She sometimes blew hot and cold at the same time. When she was angry, she became quiet, like she was restraining herself from doing something bad.

And he couldn’t help but wonder, who exactly was she?

But that question was shoved to the back of his mind as she stirred. She was waking up.

•°•°•°•°•

Jack woke up to something repeatedly brushing her forehead and the feeling of someone watching her, but not in a creepy way. As she came to, she realized it was a hand brushing her hair back. She slowly opened her eyes and met Harry’s gaze.

“Good morning gorgeous,” he whispered.

She smiled softly and closed her eyes, “Were you watching me sleep?”

“No.”

“Hmm,” she yawned lazily and sat up. Looking over her shoulder, she smirked at him, “Liar.”

He chuckled and sat up kissing her cheek before getting up. She lay back down lazily while he went to brush his teeth.

When he came back out, he pulled out his joggers, a loose grey tank top and a jacket.