She inhaled sharply, her back brushing his chest.
"Let go, Zain," she said—steady, but quieter than she meant it to be.
He didn't move.
"Say please," he murmured.
Her jaw tightened. "Don't push it."
Something in her snapped back into control. In one swift motion, she twisted her waist free and stepped back, her robe brushing his arm.
"Keep dreaming," she said, chin lifted, pretending her heart wasn't still racing.
"Five feet," she warned, pointing to his side of the room as she pulled her bed away, though her voice wasn't nearly as firm as before.
He grinned, hands raised in mock surrender.
"Sweet dreams, boss," he said softly, settling back, still watching her as the tension hung in the dim light—thick, unspoken, electric.
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Just as they finally settled into their beds, five feet apart, rain began to pour outside—thick, heavy, restless, the kind that came with rolling thunder.
In the dark, Lara started murmuring in her sleep.
"No… please don't leave me… please, I beg you," she whimpered, her voice breaking between words.
Zain stirred awake, turning toward her. For a moment, he just watched her twist beneath the blanket, her face drawn tight with fear. Then he slid quietly from his bed and moved to hers, sitting on the edge before lying beside her.
"Hey," he whispered, brushing her shoulder gently. "No one's leaving you. I'm right here. Calm down."
She shifted toward his voice, curling into his chest as if she already knew the shape of his warmth.
"Don't leave me… ever, Lisa," she breathed against him.
Zain's eyes widened. He let out a quiet exhale, understanding settling in.
"Yeah… yeah," he murmured. "I'm not going anywhere," his arm tightening protectively around her.
He stayed like that until her breathing slowed, the storm outside fading beneath her steady, peaceful sleep.
He looked down at the little rabbit clinging to him—so unlike the fire she'd shown earlier. A faint smile played on his lips. Carefully, Zain reached up and tucked a loose strand of her damp hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing her skin for the briefest moment. His eyes lingered on the flutter of her lashes, the gentle rise and fall of her breath, the soft curve of her lips.
"You're driving me crazy," he whispered, amusement and something deeper tangled in his tone, "and sleeping like a baby in my arms."
He stayed there a moment longer, watching her, before sighing quietly.
"And maybe that's what makes you impossible to forget."