Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
“Sorry. I just can’t stay awake. It’s like eight o’clock. This is ridiculous.”
“I would bet you haven’t slept for a few days while you were traveling,” he guessed.
“No.” Every time she’d fallen asleep, she’d jolted awake, feeling like someone was about to get her.
“Then, tonight, you go to bed early.”
“I won’t sleep well,” she said sadly. “I always think they’re going to find me.” Her breath hitched as those words left her mouth. Even though Hawking seemed to mysteriously know she was in trouble, he surely didn’t know all the details of her predicament.
Hawking wrapped an arm around her and did not comment on her statement except to whisper, “I’ve got you.”
As they entered the main building, Hawking guided her through the vacationing couples and families. Keeping her tucked against his powerful body, he didn’t ask questions but held her close until they exited the elevator on the fourth floor. Another couple preceded them out of the elevator and walked past her door.
Celeste opened her door and tugged Hawking inside. “This is going to sound awful. I’m not putting the moves on you, but could you sleep here tonight?”
“Do you think you could sleep better if you have someone here?”
“Not someone. I know I would be able to keep from waking up every five minutes if you were here,” she said, stressing the word you. Please say yes. She would be mortified if he turned her down.
“I will need to get up early for work,” he warned her.
“That’s okay. I like to work in the mornings.”
“Go get ready for bed, Little girl,” Hawking instructed.
“Really? You’ll stay?”
“I’ll stay tonight.” He was smiling.
“Thank you.”
She bustled around to find her nightshirt and darted into the bathroom to shower, brush her teeth, and potty. When she returned to the main room, Hawking was sitting on the office chair, looking through his phone.
“You look ready for bed,” he said as he stood to pull back the covers. “In you go, Little girl.”
Celeste dropped her dirty clothes on her suitcase and carefully slid into bed. She never wore panties to bed, so she had to be very careful not to flash him as she got under the covers.
When she was settled, she quickly snagged her stuffie from the pillow and pulled her under the covers, grateful that Hawking didn’t comment on her need to have Hades close.
As she watched, Hawking turned off all the lights except for the one on the other side of the bed. He laid down on top of the covers with his head propped up. Tapping on his phone, he pulled something up before looking over at her.
“Time to close your eyes, Celeste. Let’s take three deep breaths together. Count to three on the inhale and six on the exhale. Ready?”
She didn’t really know what she was doing, but Celeste followed his lead as he breathed in, chanting, “One, Two, Three.” And then she slowly let it out as he announced the numbers to six. By the third time they repeated that, she was focused totally on her breath.
“Keep breathing like that, Celeste.”
She nodded and saw him tap the screen on his phone. To her delight, he announced, “Chapter one.”
The story was wonderful. The characters came to life as he read the tale of the princess who went on a glorious adventure. Celeste found she could imagine everything that happened easier if she closed her eyes. His deep voice wrapped around her. Feeling secure for the first time in days, Celeste drifted to sleep.
“Good morning, Princess.”
“I’m not a princess. I’m a scientist,” she mumbled and shimmied closer to the heat radiating her way. A warm band wrapped around her waist, tugging her a bit closer. “Mmm.”
“I have to leave, Little girl. All the guests in the hotel will be up and wandering around.”
“Guests?” she echoed, trying to process what those words meant. Slowly, she blinked open her eyes to see a handsome face just a few inches from hers. “Hawking?”
“Hi, Cuddle Bug.”
She couldn’t argue with that. He’d stayed exactly where he had stretched out last night. She had snuggled as close as possible overnight. She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry?”
“No apologies needed, Little girl. I’ll never be unhappy to hold you in my arms. Did you sleep well?”
Nodding, Celeste realized she hadn’t woken up once all night. Hawking had kept all the worries away. Having him there as her personal security guard solved her problem of not getting any rest.
“Thank you. I feel so much better. Did you get to sleep at all?” she asked.
“I always sleep lightly, but you only snored a couple of times.”
“I don’t snore,” she said, appalled.
“You’re right. You don’t. I was teasing you, CB.”
“CB? What does that mean? My initials?” she asked, trying to fully wake up and follow his words.
“Cuddle Bug. Though it does match your name, Miss Celeste Blanke.”