Ana didn't expect the knock.
Not this late.
Not from him.
She opened her bedroom door slowly.
Christian stood there — barefoot, hair messy, hoodie hanging loose on his frame like he'd stopped trying to impress anyone.
He looked… undone.
And for once, not because of her.
"I can't sleep," he said softly.
Ana stepped aside.
Didn't ask questions.
Didn't make it harder than it already was.
She just moved the extra pillow, pulled the blanket back, and got in first.
🛏️ Two Bodies, One Bed
He lay beside her like a man who wasn't sure if he was allowed to breathe.
She kept her eyes on the ceiling.
"You can relax, Christian. I'm not going to bite."
He didn't answer.
But she felt his hand graze the sheet between them.
Not touching her.
Just close enough to say I want to.
Minutes passed.
The storm outside was quiet tonight.
It was the one inside him that was still raging.
Finally, he spoke.
"She taught me never to sleep beside someone."
Ana didn't move.
"Because it makes you vulnerable," he added. "Because if someone's close enough to hold you…"
He trailed off.
"They're close enough to leave."
She turned her head slowly toward him.
"I'm not leaving tonight."
He looked at her.
And something in his chest cracked — so quietly that she didn't even notice it at first.
But his hand moved again.
This time, he touched her wrist.
Ana didn't flinch.
She simply laced her fingers through his.
No kiss.
No breathless declarations.
No shattered moans.
Just the sound of skin meeting skin.
Of walls coming down — softly, finally.
And sometime past midnight, when Christian Blake fell asleep holding her hand—
It was the first time in years he didn't dream of losing everything.
Because somehow…
He had found someone worth keeping.
To be continued…