Page 37 of Born a Billionaire

THIRTEEN

An hour had passed since Oliver had gone up to bed, but he hadn’t drifted off yet, waiting for Adelia’s latest sleepwalking adventure. He feared that, like last night, she would unlock the front door in her sleep and wander outside, and he couldn’t have that.

He glanced over at the clock. She had retired to her room before he had, so if she was going to sleepwalk, it probably would’ve already happened. He breathed a heavy sigh and rolled over, letting himself relax.

Just as he was close to drifting off, he heard the familiar squeak of his doorknob and looked over to see Adelia’s silhouette in his doorway. The faint glow from the nightlight at the end of the hall made her look almost angelic.

The loose cotton sleep shirt she wore hung about mid-thigh and gave him a view of her long smooth legs as she floated across the floor toward him.

She stopped beside his bed, and he propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at her.

“Adelia?” he whispered.

No response came, but she turned and sat down on the bed, causing him to scoot over to make room. She twisted until she was facing him, pulled the covers over herself, and lay down with her head resting on his pillow.

He smiled to himself, knowing she would be shocked to learn the things she’d been doing in her sleep lately. After tonight, he really needed to tell her. But in the meantime, he made room and let her settle in. He needed to make sure she was asleep before he moved to the guest room.

He lay his head on the other pillow and watched her, looking so peaceful despite everything going on in her life right now. He reached over and smoothed a hair back from her face. That was all he meant to do, but his fingertips traced along the contour from her temple to her jaw. Her skin was so soft and smooth, and she was radiant, even in her sleep.

She let out a soft hum, and he pulled his hand back, but it was too late. She breathed in deep through her nose and reached out for him, arching her body toward his. Her hand landed on his bare chest, sending goosebumps over the surface of his skin. He closed his eyes as her hand traveled in a path to his hip, sliding around his back, until she had managed to snuggle up against him, burrowing her face into his neck, like she had when he carried her all those nights. Only this was not like him carrying her. They were body to body, close and intimate, her breath warm against his neck, her fingertips gently trailing up and down his back, every nerve in his body on high alert.

As much as he needed to get out of there, he knew he had to wait until he could carefully extricate himself from the situation without waking her. Because if he moved now and she woke up, she would surely be embarrassed and humiliated. And what if she asked for a different bodyguard? He didn’t want someone else looking out for her now. He was invested in this situation, in her, and he wanted to see it through to the end.

So he stayed still, struggling against his body’s traitorous reactions, praying she would drift into a deeper sleep soon.

For a moment, he imagined what it would be like to touch her the way she was touching him, to feel her smooth skin beneath his palm. He wondered what it would feel like to kiss those full, petal pink lips of hers, and to have her return the kiss. He shook away those thoughts before he got carried away and gave in, which he could not do.

As much as he enjoyed Adelia’s company, they came from very different worlds. She was ten years younger than he was. And he was her bodyguard. Crossing that line would be unprofessional. Besides, Adelia didn’t see him in a romantic light. She was seeking some kind of comfort in her sleep right now, that’s all it was. He couldn’t fault her for something beyond her control.

Several minutes later, Adelia’s breathing steadied out again, and her hand slowed until it was no longer moving against his back, which he was relieved about. He slowly put some distance between them, an inch at a time, until he could see her face. Her lips were parted, and her body had relaxed. Now was his chance.

He reached up with one arm and carefully moved her arm to the bed between them as he rolled back a little to make even more space. Carefully, he sat up and turned, climbing out on the opposite side.

Before he left the room, he rounded the bed and tucked Adelia in. Then he slowly leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before crossing the hall to the guest room for the night.

The bed smelled like her, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t get thoughts of her out of his head. He groaned as he flopped his arm across his face. He really needed to get a girlfriend. It had been far too long since he’d dated, and he’d done very little of that since his divorce. Dating would require him to actually go out and meet new people.

He rolled over and drifted off with the scent of Adelia on the pillowcase and the lingering feeling of her in his arms.

In the morning, Oliver was abruptly awakened by a pillow slammed against his head.

“Hey!” he cried as the pillow moved away.

Adelia swung the pillow at his head again, and he raised his arm just in time to block his face.

“What are you doing?” He scrambled to get out of the bed.

“Why was I in your bed?” Her eyes were wide, searching for answers.

He held his arms up. “Put the pillow down, and I’ll explain.”

She eyed him over the pillow but kept it in her grip.

His eyes met hers and held. “You sleepwalked into my room.”

The pillow lowered. “No, I did not.”

“Uh, yeah, you did.”

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