Page 88 of A Change of Heart

“No.” He crossed the room and sat beside her with his back against the headboard. “I only said that so you’d let me carry you. I didn’t have any intention of leaving you alone. But I was expecting you to fall asleep so I wouldn’t have to bother arguing with you about it.”

She rolled her head to look up at him. “So you were planning on hanging around and watching me sleep?”

“That was the idea, yes.” He smiled widely. “I saw you have theTwilightbooks on your shelf, so I figured you’d be fine with someone watching you sleep.”

“Have you read them?” she asked with a sleepy smile.

“No. But I once heard a couple of women on my train having a heated debate about them. One of them reckoned the books romanticised stalking or something. She thought it was very creepy that the guy came in uninvited to watch the woman sleep at night.” He tilted his head. “But the guy’s a vampire, right? So he must’ve been invited in or he wouldn’t be able to get in the house … or is there more to it?”

“I think she’d invited him in another time,” she said wearily. “Then he just came in whenever he felt like it and watched her sleeping.”

“What’s your take on it?” he asked with a mischievous grin. “Creepy or romantic?”

“I think it’s perfectly acceptable in fiction.”

“Of course. In real life no one’s going to be cool with a vampire lurking in their room at night.”

“Definitely not,” she said, chuckling.

“Just to be clear though – I was going to hang out here to make sure you keep breathing, not because I’d get any pleasure from watching you sleep.”

She shifted her head on the pillow. “Won’t your girlfriend have something to say about you staying here?”

“I imagine if I had a girlfriend she might have something to say about it.”

“Everyone knows you’re seeing Holly.”

“You mean everyone except me? I don’t think Holly knows either, so that’s slightly awkward.”

“Deny it. Whatever. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Why do you have such an issue with me hanging out with Holly?”

“I don’t,” she insisted as she closed her eyes.

He watched her for a moment, then scooted down the bed a little. “I went on two dates with Holly,” he told her. “I thought it would be a good way to take my mind off you. It didn’t work and I felt bad for leading her on. Only it turned out she was using me as a distraction from her ex. We like hanging out together, so we kept seeing each other … as friends.”

Seren’s eyes slowly opened. “Justfriends?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you were seeing her.”

“No.” The spark of hope he’d felt earlier increased dramatically. “Would you have a problem if I was seeing her?”

“Yes. I would.” She pulled her hand from the bedding and sought out his. “I’d have quite a big problem with it.”

He lay on his side to look at her. “I thought there was something going on between you and Felix.”

“Definitely not.” She smiled lightly but looked exhausted. “Can we continue this conversation tomorrow?”

“Yes. You should sleep.”

He ran a hand over her hair and their eyes locked for a moment before her eyelids slowly closed.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

When Seren woke, the events of the previous evening came back to her in slow flashes. Beside her, Kit slept sitting bolt upright against the headboard. The way his head slumped on his shoulder looked anything but comfortable.