Page 39 of Beautiful Lies

I tell myself that if I stay perfectly still, maybe I’ll forget he’s here.

But the truth hums beneath my skin: Knox Vale is impossible to forget. And this is only the beginning.

Chapter Nine

Isla

Warmth fills my body.Not the kind from sunlight or heat, but something heavier, deeper. Like being wrapped in a dream I don’t remember falling into.

Sleep clings to me as I drift in that hazy space between awareness and whatever came before.

For a moment, I just lie there, weightless, cocooned in softness. My body feels loose, boneless against the mattress.

The steady rhythm of another heartbeat nearby seeps into me, calming the storm that’s lived under my skin for days. I can’t remember the last time I felt this…safe.This still.

A faint flutter of fingers grazes my bare waist, and the moment shatters.

My breath catches as the fog slowly clears from my mind.

Memories of last night rush back. I blink against the bright morning sun… and then I see him.Knox Vale.

He’s right there in front of me, still asleep. And somehow, I’ve ended uppressedagainst his chest.

Shock holds me in place as I take in the dark fringe of his long lashes, the rough stubble shadowing his jaw, and the faint furrow between his brows that makes him look less like my villain… and more like a man.

Then his fingers flex at my hip, and I realize his arm is draped possessively across my middle, like we’ve done this a hundred times before.

And God… our legs are tangled beneath the sheets.

My heart stutters painfully against my ribs as the realization crashes through me—I’ve been wrapped in him thiswholetime.

For one crazed heartbeat, I can’t move. I can’t think. I just feel the weight of his arm, the rise and fall of his chest against mine, and the steady thrum of a pulse that might be his… or mine.

I need to get up.Now. This is way, way,waytoo close to my villain for comfort.

My intense staring must make him stir.

His breath hitches, then bright blue eyes open and lock on mine. They’re clear as glass, cold as frost, calm at first glance, yet there’s a storm waiting beneath the surface.

Knox lifts his head, hair falling over his eyes in a sexy mess.

We stare at each other. Him realizing he’s holding me; me still trying to get my frozen-in-shock body to move.

His eyes drift to my waist, where his arm still rests. His eyes widen slightly, and a flicker of raw heat sparks there.

I follow his gaze and, to my absolute horror, realize my shirt has ridden up to my chest, leaving my stomach bare and my black lace panties very much on display.

Mortification detonates inside me, enough to kick my body into motion.

“Get off me!” I yelp, wriggling out of his arms.

I scramble off the bed, snatching one of the sheets to cover myself as humiliation floods me.

A deep rumble of laughter fills the room, low and amused. I glance back to find Knox sitting up, watching me. He pushes a hand through his hair, brushing it from his face. And there it is again, that unfair beauty. No one should look that good when they first wake up. I already looked like hell when I got here. God only knows what I look like now.

“Good morning, love.” He smirks, flashing me a wicked grin.

“Don’t yougoodmorningme.”