THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Stefan entered his room with Mia still curled in his arms. Inside, the lighting was soft, just one small lamp on his nightstand illuminating the space with a faint hue. He lowered Mia onto the bed with the same care a fragile something is held. Her face nestled into the pillow, her lips parting slightly. Her exhaustion had pulled her under completely.

He knelt to remove her shoes, placing them carefully to the side. Then, he stood up, watching her one last time before disappearing into his walk-in closet to change.

When he returned, Mia was curled up in the middle of the bed, blankets tangled around her legs. She looked impossibly small in his large bed, like she was trying to disappear into the softness.

He leaned against the doorway for a moment, unsure why he hadn’t taken her to her own room. Maybe because some part of him had needed to see her like this. Safe, peaceful. Here.

He moved around the bed and climbed in beside her, careful not to wake her.

Minute later, Mia stirred slightly, snuggling deeper into the warmth pressed against her.

Her brows drew together lazily in her sleep. It felt oddly comforting… like a teddy bear. Big, firm, and safe.

Her arms tightened around it with a little sigh. Huh. Since when did she have a teddy? But this one felt different, not soft and fluffy… but warm. Solid. Strong. Protective.

Still half-asleep, her hands wandered lazily, tracing the “teddy’s” shape.

Then she felt it.

Something a teddy definitely shouldn’t have.

Her eyes flew open.

She blinked once. Then twice.

She sat up like lightning struck her spine. Her breath caught in her throat. She looked around quickly.

This wasn’t her room.

Her room didn’t have dark marble walls and a massive black-and-gold bookshelf.

Her room didn’t smell like cologne and leather and…

Stefan.

Her eyes shifted quickly to her left.

And there he was, Stefan. Asleep. Lying peacefully on his side, facing her. His chest rising and falling evenly, one arm folded under his head, the other resting between them so close it almost touched her again.

Mia nearly choked on air.

She looked down at herself. She was still dressed, thankfully, but her shoes were gone, and the blanket covered her gently from the waist down.

She peeked at Stefan again.

He looked… peaceful. His sharp features softened by sleep. His long lashes resting lightly over his eyes, lips slightly parted. He didn’t look like the cold, terrifying Stefan Sterling who everyone feared. No, this one looked

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65 SHE THOUGHT HE DIDNT KNOW

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like a man she could lean on.

And then she remembered.

Her face went red.

She touched him. There.

Oh my God!

Her palms flew to her cheeks. I touched Stefan in his sleep. touched him.

She glanced again, he hadn’t moved. Still asleep. Still unaware.

She let out a deep breath, nearly collapsing in relief. “Thank God,” she whispered to herself.

She didn’t mean to stare. But her eyes traced all over him. Over the sculpted lines of his torso. Over the soft rise and fall of his breath. His shoulders. The curve of his jaw. The way a loose strand of hair fell over his forehead.

Her breath hitched.

He was beautiful. And dangerous.

And for some reason, he made her feel safe in ways she didn’t fully understand.

Her hand moved again. Before she could stop herself.

She brushed her fingers gently over his lips. Just once.

She didn’t know why, but something about the way they were parted just a little, the peacefulness on his face, the quiet strength, it made her smile softly.

He looked like a boy here. Innocent.

Her finger lightly traced the curve of his mouth, and she smiled to herself.

He didn’t wake.

Then her hand hovered lower, tracing his abs. 1

She stopped mid-air.

No. No. No.

What am I doing?!

Her heart skipped.

This wasn’t a dream anymore. She wasn’t half-asleep, mistaking him for some cuddly teddy bear. She was fully awake. Aware. And right now, she was clearly acting insane

Her eyes widened as the realization hit.

“I need to leave,” she whispered to herself, more like a prayer.

She quickly pulled her hand back like she’d touched fire, her face burning as if caught red-handed.

Careful not to make a sound, she tiptoed out of the room, her breaths coming fast, hand over her heart like it would burst out of her chest.

And as she reached for the door, she gave him one last look

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Then slipped out.

She leaned against the hallway wall, heart racing.

What just happened?!

Stefan opened his eyes the moment the door clicked shut.

He hadn’t been asleep.

Not for a second.

He had just been lying there, watching her chest rise and fall gently beside him. Her long lashes fluttering now and then, the way her lips parted ever so slightly when she sighed in her sleep.

She looked… peaceful.

Soft.

And for the first time in a very long time, he hadn’t wanted to be anywhere else.

He watched her sigh in her sleep, watched her curl toward him like he was her home. And when her hand touched his chest, he hadn’t moved. He thought she was dreaming. Harmless.

But when her fingers moved lower, when her hand brushed somewhere entirely inappropriate, his breath caught. Every muscle in his body froze.

Her fingers were so light, so soft, they felt like whispers against his skin.

He nearly let out a groan. But he didn’t move. Didn’t dare breathe too loudly.

He pretended to sleep.

He thought she would stop. Maybe leave out of embarrassment but she didn’t.

Her fingers had wandered slowly, curiously, along his lips, his chest… then.

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