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Blake’s chest hurt with his every rapid breath, but he rejoiced on the inside.
Annalise raked her hand through her hair, collecting her silky locks at the back, then looked at him over her shoulder, a smile splitting her lips. Blake put his hands on her hips and slowly guided her off him.
Annalise lay down next to him, her breathing heavy. She looked at him with concern.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
“Yes,” he croaked. “But I don’t regret it even for a moment.”
* * *
Annalise woke up the next day in Blake’s bed. She turned and saw him, sitting propped by the pillows, watching her. He smiled, and she covered her face with her hands.
“Do not tell me you have been watching me sleep. I don’t have my nightcap. My hair probably looks like a bird’s nest.”
“You’re beautiful,” he said. “And that nightcap was an abomination.”
Annalise chuckled, snuggled up closer to him, and kissed him on his arm.
“This is the first time I am waking up next to you,” she said.
Blake looked at her curiously. “Is it, truly?”
“Mm.” Annalise closed her eyes and pressed herself closer to his arm, careful not to touch his torso.
His finger started playing in her hair. “I’ve had trouble sleeping in a bed because it’s too soft. I used to sleep on hard wooden or even stone floors. The mattress is… uncomfortable. But the real trouble is the dark. I wake up in the middle of the night and think I am back again, either in the dungeon or on a ship. The fright doesn’t let me fall asleep again.”
“That’s why you always went to your study at night?”
“I thought working would take my mind off the horrible memories. Didn’t always work. Waking up next to you was the favorite part of my day, though.”
“Was it?” She smiled cheekily, and Blake laughed.
He grimaced as the pain must have hit him again. “Second favorite.”
“Do you still find the bed uncomfortable, then?”
“Less so now. I think I shall persevere.” He grinned.
“Well, we can ask the maids to reduce the padding on your mattress and add a wooden base to the frame if you want.”
Blake shook his head. “No, it’s all right. I shall get used to it, eventually. I don’t want you lying on hard surfaces. and I am planning to spend every night beside you.”
“What about the dark?”
“Waking up and seeing your face eases the pain. It will start bothering me less, too, especially when our captors get what they deserve. Speaking of which, I am going to Newgate prison today.”
“Pardon? Why would you go there?”
“I want to know why me,” Blake rasped.
“But you’re not back to your full strength.”
“I can walk, and I hope it will make me feel more secure to know why. But please, do not leave this house before I come back.”
“Blake, are you certain this is the best course of action?”
Blake raised her fingers to his lips. “Yes, darling. This is something I have to do.”
