Getting a good look at her reaction, Charlie's eyes crinkled with pleasure.
"Like what you see, Mrs. Peck?"
He asked, lifting his arm and toweling pearls of water off his hair.
Bright red, Victoria cleared her throat awkwardly and bit her lip, lying through her teeth, "Nobody's looking at you! Shameless bastard!"
With that, she turned around and faced the other way, ignoring him deliberately.
The way she meant an entirely different thing to what she said really revealed a lot about what she felt.
Charlie's mood suddenly improved, and the pressure that had come along with him faded by quite a bit.
He dried his hair, then took the towel off and clambered into bed.
Victoria was still confused when she suddenly felt a ball of heat approach.
She panicked, sat up, and looked at the man as he spread the blankets and clambered in.
Victoria shrieked, "What are you doing?"
Charlie raised his eyebrows innocently. "Sleeping."
Victoria glared at him. "Don't you have your own room? Can't you go back there if you want to sleep?"
Charlie shook his head helplessly, explaining with utmost patience, "We weren't married before so we slept separately. But we're legally husband and wife now. What husband and wife would sleep separately?"
"..."
She knew it!
Huffing, she tugged the sheets inwards and growled, "Well, you can't sleep now, either. It's broad daylight, so what are you sleeping for?"
Charlie chortled. "Then why are you allowed to sleep?"
"I... I'm in a bad mood and I'm not feeling well, okay?"
Charlie squinted.
Then he reached over.
"Where aren't you feeling well? Show me."
Victoria stiffened. That had only been an excuse, she wasn't really feeling ill.
Seeing that man reach over, she couldn't hide it and sat up.
"Fine, fine. I'm not ill, I'm not sleepy, either. If you want to sleep that badly, then go right ahead. I'm going out."
With that, she threw off the sheets and got up.
Unexpectedly, just one second later, her entire body was picked up and a warmth surrounded her. She'd already been stuffed inside the blankets and the man had come lying in swiftly, wrapping her in his embrace.
Victoria, outraged, snarled, "Charlie Peck!"
Charlie shushed her and soothed, "Don't fuss. Lie down with me for a bit. I promise I won't do anything."
Victoria wanted to struggle, but with the man's arms clamped around her like a vice, what could she do?
She was fuming and turned around to glare at him.
But the moment she turned her head, she came face to face with the tired bags under his eyes. With them closed, the bruised, puffed up skin was so obvious even though she hadn't noticed.
Maybe because he really was tired. The moment he got in bed, his tightly strung nerves relaxed. Combined with the faint, familiar fragrance in his arms, his entire body loosened, and the fatigue he'd been hiding revealed itself entirely.
Victoria paused, the snaps that had already come up to her throat deflating like a punctured football.
She didn't know where he'd been and what he'd been doing these past two days to end up this tired.
Couldn't have been anything fun.
She suddenly felt a bit of pity as she murmured, "Let go of me for a bit!"
Then she tried to struggle again. This time, Charlie didn't force it and loosened his grip a bit. Only a bit, though, to get her more comfortable. She still couldn't run away.
Victoria tried several times to no avail and gave up.
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