Separate Weddings, Separate Lives novel Chapter 31

Louisa fell into a deep, heavy sleep. When she finally opened her eyes, the room was flooded with bright daylight.

She had been exhausted, and combined with the sleepless night before the wedding, she had simply wiped out. But this was her first morning as a member of the Holten family. Waking up this late was a bad look.

She started to scramble out of bed, but a lazy voice stopped her. "Sleep a little longer."

Louisa froze. She didn't expect Elijah to still be in bed.

She took a breath, still trying to get up. "It's late. It won't look good if I stay in bed."

Suddenly, Elijah wrapped his arm around her waist. Even through the duvet, the contact made Louisa's skin flush hot. She froze instantly.

"It'll look worse if you get up early," Elijah murmured, his voice closer now.

Though her back was turned to him, she could feel that the distance between them had shrunk significantly since the night before.

Louisa closed her eyes tightly. "Your parents will talk..."

"They'll talk if you get up early," Elijah murmured against the back of her neck. "They'll say I didn't work hard enough last night."

Louisa was speechless.

Elijah didn't say anything else, and for a moment, she wondered if he had fallen back asleep. But the weight of his arm was making her incredibly restless.

"Um, I need to use the bathroom. Could you... move your arm?"

There was no response. Was he actually out?

Louisa reached down to try to lift his arm, only to find it was surprisingly heavy. Just as she gathered enough strength to push it away, his grip tightened. Quickly, he hooked her waist and rolled her over, pulling her into his chest.

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