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I lay curled against Christian, my head resting on his bare chest, my fingers tracing lazy patterns over his skin.
His heartbeat was steady beneath my palm, grounding me in a way I hadn't realized I needed.
We hadn't spoken much after. We hadn’t needed to.
But now, in the slow, sleepy haze of the aftermath, I found myself wishing time would stretch, that we could stay wrapped in this moment, untouched by the outside world.
I sighed, shifting just enough to press my cheek against his chest. "I wish we could stay here forever,” I told him.
Christian chuckled, his hand running up and down my spine, a slow, soothing motion. "Then we will."
I smiled, letting my eyes drift shut. "You say that like you have no responsibilities. Like you’re not the Christian Valen."
"Being Christian Valen has its perks," he murmured, his lips brushing the top of my head. "And right now, one of them is keeping you here as long as you want."
For a moment, I let myself imagine it.
Waking up to the sound of the lake, spending days hiking or doing absolutely nothing at all, cooking dinner together, falling asleep wrapped in his arms.
No press. No rumors. No people whispering about me in the industry, questioning if I was worthy.
But I wasn’t the type to hide.
I let out a small breath, curling my fingers against his chest.
"I don’t run, Christian," I said softly. "Eventually, I’ll have to face the music."
His hand stilled against my back.
"I know," he said after a moment. His voice was quiet, but firm, like he had no doubt. "That’s one of the things I love about you."
I swallowed hard.
He said it so easily. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze.
The way he was looking at me made my heart ache—like he saw right through me, like none of my defenses had ever really worked on him in the first place.
I didn’t say anything. I just held his gaze, taking in every sharp line and softened edge of his face.
Once everything settled—once the rumors stopped, once the industry found something else to talk about—where would that leave us?
I traced my fingers over his collarbone, biting my lip. "When this is all over… could you bring me here again?"
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
And immediately, doubt crept in.
Was I being too presumptuous?
Assuming that when the dust settled, we’d still be here, like this? That we would still be us?
Christian’s eyes darkened, his grip tightening around me.
In the next second, he rolled us, pinning me beneath him, his body pressing me into the mattress.
His lips crushed against mine, stealing the breath from my lungs, kissing me like he was trying to erase the doubt before it could take root.
Heat sparked, curling in my belly as I arched against him, my fingers threading through his hair.