Bound To You

Chapter 16

Valeria

The sudden visual attack of royal blue the next morning threw my nervous system for a toss before I remembered where I was. Then my nervous system went for another toss, though this one had a completely different undertone to it.

I kept still, listening for his breathing to check if he's still asleep, then slowly turned over-

To find him staring at me through half-lidded eyes.

The silence lasted all of a second before we were both laughing like maniacs into our pillows, checking to see for any activity in the foyer in case someone was there, and catching each other doing the same thing, which only made it worse.

I felt his arm wrap around my midriff, pulling me into his chest like I weighed the same as a soft toy, nuzzling my neck as one of his legs came to rest over me. I felt him smile at how my toes curled against his shin, my hand gripping his forearm as my spine curved to fit into him better before I'd made any conscious decisions whatsoever.

"Good morning," he whispered, his smile widening as my temperature rose.

"Morning."

"How is my lovely wife?"

"She's very well, thank you."

"Has she slept well?"

"Better than she ever has."

"Mmm," he pulled down on the right side of my stomach, flipping me over to face him, "such high praise so early? Save some of the ego-stroking for later."

"Who says you were the reason, huh?" I grinned at him. "This was the mattress."

"You do realise I picked it out?"

"I- wait, what?" I blinked, looking at him more attentively. He blinked a few times, sleep leaving his eyes. "You picked it out? Don't the designers do that?"

"Generally, yes, but this is my childhood room. I've been in charge of all the renovations - too much of a control freak to give it up to anybody else, if I'm being honest," he said with that half smirk I lo- I mean, hated so much.

"Really?" I stopped myself just in time from asking for-

"Do you want a tour?"

"YES!"

He laughed, grabbing my ankles and sliding me off the bed.

* * *

"But how on earth did you even vault yourself backwards yet hit the corner face-first?"

Juan pretended to glare while I stared at him in amazement. This man's physics-defying capacity was unending. He had managed to twist himself so as to land forehead first into the corner of his dresser and managed to chip it ever so slightly. I hadn't noticed it before, but now I could see the little bit of glazed skin peeking out from under his fringe. His "glare" melted into that same half-smirk as he tracked my eyes flicking to his scar and back.

"What can I say?" he said, spreading his arms and tilting his body slightly like he was a performer, "I am a man of many talents."

"Talents, yeah, sure, let's call them that," I scoffed.

I turned around just in time to see his fingers reach for my midriff - the next second I was doubled over, laughing and yelping. His own chuckle sounded far away (probably because I was closer to the ground than I was to him), reduced further by my own volume.

We barely heard the knock in time to straighten up, righting our clothes as Gloria came around the corner.

"Darlings, I have work for you two this mor-"