Page 35 of Adonis: The Cost of a Billionaire's Heart
“Adonis?” I called out quietly.
No response. I knocked again, a little louder.
“Adonis? Are you awake?”
The door opened suddenly, revealing Adonis in just basketball shorts. His chiseled, tattooed chest was bare, revealing his hardened abs, and his eyes were low. The sight of him momentarily stole my ability to speak. I’d seen him invarious states of formal and casual dress all week, but not quite like that—unguarded, heavy-eyed, and undeniably masculine.
“What’s wrong?” he probed, his voice deeper and rougher than usual.
I forced myself to look at his face, not the tattoo ink etched into his well-defined chest. “I’m sorry to wake you. It’s just, it’s freezing out here, and I can’t figure out how to adjust the temperature on the damn thermostat. I even tried cutting the stupid thing off, but it’s not working.”
He ran a hand down his beard, glancing past me to where I’d left the blankets in a heap on the sofa. “What time is it?”
I shrugged. “Quarter past one.”
He grunted. “The controls in these buildings are often centralized. There’s probably nothing we can do about it tonight.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to suppress another shiver. “Damn. Okay. Again, sorry to wake you.”
I turned to go back to my ice rink of a sofa bed, but his warm hand on my arm stopped me.
“Nah. Take the bed. It’s warmer in here, and I run hot anyway. I can handle the sofa.”
“No, that’s not what I—” I began, but he cut me off.
“Sim, it’s dark and I can still see you shivering. This isn’t a negotiation. Get in before I throw your stubborn ass in.”
His tone allowed for no argument, so familiar from our business discussions all week. But I sensed something else there too—a genuine concern that he was trying to mask with level-headedness.
“We could . . .” I hesitated, then pushed forward with the obvious solution. “The bed is huge. We could share it. Just to sleep,” I added quickly, feeling my cheeks heat despite the chill deep in my bones.
Adonis went very still, his tired eyes searching mine as his brows slightly heightened. “You sure?”
“We’re adults,” I replied with more confidence than I felt. “And it’s just one night, really a few hours.”
He considered my suggestion for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded once before stepping back to allow me full access to the room.
The king-size bed was indeed enormous, easily accommodating two people with plenty of unused space between us. The covers were turned down on one side where Adonis had been sleeping, while the other side was still perfectly made.
“I’ll take that side,” I said, moving toward the undisturbed portion of the bed.
“Bet,” he agreed, his tone carefully neutral.
I slipped under the covers and tossed my leg over on his side, immediately sighing with relief at the warmth of his body heat. The sheets were silky against my skin, and the mattress was the perfect blend of firm and soft. Adonis hesitated a moment longer, then continued around to his side and got in. I slid over, keeping a respectable distance between us.
We both lay rigidly on our backs, staring at the ceiling, hyperaware of each other’s presence. The silence stretched between us, tense with our unspoken thoughts.
“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” I finally muttered, unable to bear the tension.
To my surprise, Adonis let out a low chuckle. “Perfectly normal situation.”
His unpredictable humor lessened the pressure, and I found myself cheesing from ear to ear in the darkness. “Absolutely. Just two business associates sharing a bed. Happens all the time.”
“Standard clause in most contracts.” He agreed, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
I turned my head to look at him, finding him already watching me, his profile visible in the dim light coming through the open curtains. For a moment, neither of us uttered a word. There was something intimate about lying there together in the darkness with all the charades of the week stripped away. It was just him. Just me. Just us.
“I know I’ve said it a million times, but thank you,” I said softly.
