CHAPTER 14: LIES AND TENSION

MICHAEL

I've never been one to sleep with women more than once, let alone linger for pillow talk or cuddles. Yet here I am, comfortably lounging in her bed, twirling her golden locks around my fingers while she nestles into me.

Her head rests on my chest, likely attuned to the rhythm of my heart, which had been racing just a few hours ago.

Three days, I was gone.

Three days of madness and turmoil, during which I was so out of sorts that I nearly unleashed my frustration on my father. Thankfully, I managed to keep him at bay.

The dinner with the Solons went surprisingly well, despite the persistent bitch they wanted me to marry causing my skin to crawl.

After such stressful days, rest was essential. And I found it with Tasha.

"Would it be intrusive if I asked where you've been?" She queried out of the blue.

"Thought you were asleep," I responded.

She propped herself up on her elbow to face me, her hand tracing the contours of my chest as her eyes followed her fingers' path.

Meanwhile,