For Her Honor

Chapter 19

My lips tugged upward as another smile appeared on my countenance but I didn't even try to hide it. He had kissed my temple. Oh how I wished he could move his kiss down from my head to my lips, and keep it there. For a long time. Maybe then he'd finally realized that he didn't have to force himself to stay away from me, that we could be together and it wouldn't ruin everything.

This was a stepping stone. To what, I wasn't exactly sure however it definitely led somewhere.

But just as I was about to drift off to sleep again, I heard Marco whisper, "And wipe that smile off your face."

My heart skipped a beat but my mind was already distant and it pulled me back under the dark waves of unconsciousness.

The next time I woke up, sunlight was dancing through the room. The curtains were still blowing in the warm southern breeze but I noticed that the window had been shut slightly from how open it had been when we went to bed last night. Which meant Marco must have gotten up to close it.

Oh god, Marco.

He had kissed my temple and he freaking knew that I was awake the whole time.

That dick.

I gently turned my head to see if he was still sleeping behind me, but I noticed all at once that Marco wasn't sleeping beside me anymore. He was sleeping under me. At some point during the night, we must have rolled over until my body was resting on top of Marco's. My head was laying on his chest and his arm was wrapped tightly around my back, his fingers spread wide on my hip.

My body rose and fell as he breathed, his chest moving me along with him.

Then I looked up and found Marco already watching me, his eyes alight with amusement. I felt my cheeks heating as I realized he had been watching me take in my surroundings, including the happiness that no doubt dressed my face when I saw how we were sleeping.

"Good morning princess." He smiled, his voice low and husky.

But I wouldn't let him win this one. So I folded my arms under my head and laid back down on his chest, "Good morning. How was your night?"

Marco chuckled as he realized that I wasn't going to get off of him, "Oh it was fine. It got a little hot during the night though, don't you think?"

I kept my head on my arms as I replied, doing my best to keep the annoyance out of my tone, "Not really. There must have been a bug in here though, I think I felt it land on my temple last night. It was kind of disgusting actually."

"The poor little guy, he was probably just looking for a place to sleep. But seeing as you took up the whole bed, it was probably difficult for him to find a place." Marco replied coolly, his comebacks completely thought out and controlled.

If only I could hold the same professionalism as my bodyguard. All I could do was look up at him and stick my tongue out, like the child that I was. It was my only defense.

But then I felt myself flipping through the air and the next thing I knew, I was laying on my back with both of my hands pinned against the bed above my head while Marco sat over me. His hair hung down around his face and brushed against my cheeks.

I could feel his hot breath against my skin and I momentarily wondered how his breath was still minty fresh even in the morning. I was almost certain that my breath smelled similar to that of a dying animal. How could Marco stand it?

My thought were snapped back to the current situation when I felt Marco's lower half adjust over mine. Those butterflies wrecked havoc on my poor stomach as my heart threatened to pound itself out of my chest. I did my best to stare back up into Marco's eyes without showing any uncertainty, but it was extremely hard when my whole body was begging for me to kiss him.