Sleeping With the Enemy

Sequel: Chapter Thirteen

Anthony

It had been years since I slept through the night. Even as a kid, I was an insomniac, staying up for hours and unable to turn my brain off. Most of the time, I only got four or five hours each night, so when I rolled over and looked at the clock and realized it was nearly 10AM, I was a little disoriented.

I had a strong feeling it had to do with the naked beauty asleep in my arms. Gemma's dark curls draped over my chest, her head resting on my shoulder, and the most perfect rosy pout on her lips as she slept. She was so fucking gorgeous that it wasn't even fair. The smell of her flowery shampoo filled my lungs as we laid there, so tangled up together that I wasn't sure where my body ended and hers began. She fit so perfect against me, nestled in close as I traced my fingers along those silky, dangerous curves. After weeks playing torturous games with each other and trying to convince myself, I could live without a taste of her, finally feeling her body in my hands was the greatest rush I'd ever experienced. Every bit of agony I experienced was well worth. This was all I wanted to do every morning for the rest of my life.

When we went to bed last night, I expected to wake up with a heavy, guilty feeling in my chest. To regret giving in to her. To feel like this was a mistake, but instead, I felt the exact opposite. Surrendering to Gemma was the best decision I'd ever made. What I told her was true—now that we crossed this line, I wasn't going to be able to stop, but I was completely on board with that.

What that meant for me as her father's soldier, though, I wasn't so sure. Staying with Brandon forever was never the endgame, but this changed things pretty drastically. I could already hear my dad now, lecturing me about ruining such a good thing I had going. He'd call it impulsive. Irresponsible. Stupid.

Fuck that, though. He didn't need to understand.

"Mmm." Gemma stirred, stretching her long, lean body out a bit. When her eyes fluttered open, a smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "Good morning."

"Good morning, beautiful." I kissed the top of her head. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I slept great." She nodded with a yawn. "What time is it?"

"About 10. Are you hungry? I'm not much of a cook but there's a bakery down the street we can order from..." I suggested, tossing the covers off of me and attempting to get up.

Gemma grabbed my wrist, tugging me back to bed.

"Not yet." She whined. "I just want to lie here with you for a few more minutes. When we leave this bed, we're going to have to start dealing with the attack, and I'm just not ready to do that yet."

My chest tightened with the anxious look in her eyes. She was right. Whoever attacked needed to be tracked down and brought to swift justice. I had a hunch Brandon was already close to that, though, and he and I would both agree that Gemma's mental state was the most important thing here.

Snuggling back in next to her, I rested my hand on her cheek, sweeping my thumb along her chin. "We can lay here for however long you want, but I want you to know that you're not alone in this. Whatever we have to face, we're going to do it together. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay, Gem? I swear."

"I know." She pressed her lips together. "I just... I feel like I need to do something to redeem myself. I panicked and let all those people get hurt and I have to do something about it."

I nodded, holding her against my chest. "I know your first instinct is to jump up and help, but sometimes the best thing you can do in a situation like this is to be patient. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Like I said last night, your reaction was completely justified. You're not going to be the hero in every situation, and it's better for you to realize that now. It honest make you any less of a leader."