Chapter 52
Dylan thought his theory made perfect sense. He mused, ‘Why else would Julian stay at my place? Obviously, he just wants to get close to me. It makes it easier to make a move.
‘No wonder when Chloe called me ‘honey,‘ he was so pissed that he kicked her across the room and knocked me over too.
‘He was jealous and had to punish Chloe. And I got knocked over because I defended her, so Julian decided I deserved to be punished, too!
The more he thought about it, the more convinced Dylan became. He was so shocked that cold sweat broke out on his back, and he didn’t even dare look Julian in the eye.
He said, “Mr. Hudson, I really don’t think this is a good idea. I don’t swing that way… How about I find someone more suitable for you-
Julian cut him off. “I told you–I don’t know anyone else well enough. I’m not comfortable. You’re the only one I trust. I can only share a room with you.”
Dylan was practically drenched in sweat. “But I…”
Julian looked a little impatient. He checked the time and said, “Stop dragging your feet, it’s late. Let’s go to bed.”
In the end, Dylan went upstairs with Julian and brought him into his own room. He was on high alert, already thinking about how to gently turn Julian down without hurting his pride if Julian really tried anything.
But it didn’t take long for him to realize he’d been overthinking things.
Julian walked over to the bed, took one look, and wrinkled his nose. “There’s a stranger’s scent on the bed. I can’t sleep like this. I’ll take the couch.”
Dylan wiped the sweat off his forehead and thought, ‘So he really is just afraid of sleeping alone. He’s not interested in me. I don’t have to worry about being forced to do it with him.‘
While Dylan was in the bathroom washing up, Julian sprayed something on his pillow.
Soon, Dylan came out and lay down. It wasn’t long before he was out like a light.
Julian went over and gave him a couple of kicks, but he didn’t react at all. Satisfied, he left the room and slipped quietly into Olivia’s.
Olivia was editing a script on her laptop. When she saw Julian come in, she frowned. “What are you doing in my room? Dylan said he’s sleeping here tonight. Aren’t you afraid he’ll walk in on us? You better leave while you still can.”
Julian walked over, bent down, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I drugged him.”
Olivia was stunned.
Julian rubbed his cheek against hers and said softly, “To stop him from coming to you, I told him I was scared of sleeping alone and asked him to share a
room with me.”
Olivia’s mouth twitched. ‘He’s almost 6’3“, and he says he’s scared to sleep alone? And Dylan actually bought that?‘ she thought, shocked.
Julian continued, “But I didn’t want to stay in the same room as him. I wanted to be with you.
“I was worried he’d wake up in the middle of the night, realize I was gone, and ruin things for us. So I knocked him out–he won’t wake up until tomorrow morning.”
Olivia said, exasperated, “What do you think is going to happen between us? Even though you drugged him, I’m still not going to sleep with you.”
Julian chuckled softly. “Just being alone with you is good enough for me.”
Olivia’s heart pounded, and her cheeks grew warm.
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Chapter 52
“It’s late. Stop editing. You can finish it tomorrow. A couple of hours won’t make a difference,” Julian suggested.
With her heart all stirred up by him, Olivia couldn’t focus on her script anymore, so she shut her laptop and got into bed.
Julian pulled her into his arms and let out a deep, contented sigh. Ever since she’d told him it was over, he hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep Tonight, he finally could.
Olivia thought he might try something, so she stayed tense the whole time. But even after a long while, he didn’t make a single move. He just held her tight, keeping her locked in his arms, his hands never wandering.
Before long, Olivia heard his steady, even breathing above her head. She was stunned that he had fallen asleep so fast and whispered, “Julian?” Hearing no response, she was sure that he was asleep.
But she couldn’t fall asleep. She couldn’t help but reach out and touch his abs, and only then did she finally start to drift off.
That night, she dreamed of racing down the highway at full speed, her hand glued to the gear shift until it ached.
When she woke up, she realized there was a good reason her hand was sore. She quietly and nonchalantly pulled her hand back before Julian woke up. Then she thought, ‘He didn’t catch me, so this never happened.‘
But before she could even relax, Julian’s low voice broke the silence. “What were you dreaming about last night? You were moving non–stop. I didn’t get a
wink of sleep.”
Olivia’s face instantly went up in flames. She couldn’t see herself, but she just knew she must be blushing like crazy.
She buried her face in his chest and mumbled, barely audible, “Forget last night. Pretend it never happened
Julian let out a low chuckle, his chest rumbling for a long moment before finally settling down. “Alright, whatever you say, honey.”
Olivia’s face burned even hotter. She pinched his side. “Don’t call me that.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
“No!”
text “How about… darling?”
“Also no!”
“You only get three vetoes. Pick one–or I’m rotating through all of them.”
“Can’t you just call me by my name?”
“I could, but I don’t want to. I like calling you honey.”
“We’re not as close as you think. Stop calling me that.”
“I don’t think that’s a problem. You will eventually marry me.”
Olivia snorted and rolled out of his arms. She glanced toward the faint light seeping through the curtains and reminded him, “Shouldn’t you be going? It’s already morning. Dylan’s probably about to wake up.”
Julian just lay there and said, “Give me a minute. My arm’s numb.”
Olivia burst out laughing. “If your arm’s numb, why didn’t you just let go of me?”
Back on Silvermoon Island, even if they started the night cuddling, they’d always end up apart halfway through and then snuggle up again. It went back and forth like that so their arms could get a break.
CLO
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Chapter 52
No matter how tough Julian was, he was still human. Of course, his arm would go numb after hours of holding her.
“It’s been ages since I held you. I didn’t want to let go,” Julian said.
Olivia’s cheeks grew even hotter, and her heart started racing.
After a while, Julian could move his arm again. He pulled Olivia back into his arms again and then leaned in for a kiss. Olivia turned her face away, saying, “We haven’t brushed our teeth yet. No kissing.”
“So if we brush our teeth, I can kiss you?” Julian asked.
“You’re really good at finding loopholes, huh?”
“Thank you for noticing.”
S
Julian was a man of action. He hopped out of bed, went to the bathroom, and brushed his teeth with Olivia’s toothbrush. Then he came right back, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her affectionately.
“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet,” Olivia protested.
“I don’t mind,” Julian said.
