Chapter 21

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Chapter 21

Surprisingly Sam’s ready for action as soon as the knock echoes throughout her hallway. As she opens the door, instead of his normal neutral expression, Adrian sports one of irritation and slight concern.

“I have no idea how you manage to live in this place,” he mutters while she just rolls her eyes.
“Well sorry I don’t have a doorman or fucking fountain in the tiny lobby,” she retorts while he shoots her a small glare. She talks as if he’s been born with a silver spoon in his mouth but that silver spoon was earned not given to him from birth. He lets it go though; perhaps he should have just kept his mouth shut and complimented her outfit. Which he only now realises makes her look absolutely stunning and incredibly elegant with of course, that hint of wildness with that hair of hers and huge brown eyes. His hands reach out to rest against her hips and pull her into an embrace, when she darts back.
Instead with a coy grin morphes on her face quicker than lightening as she takes his hand into hers. Then bringing it to her rose red lips she parts them to slowly envelope his middle finger into that warm wet embrace. His mind darts to the most primal thoughts, images of her naked and on her knees sucking a part of him far larger and longer than his finger flashes before his eyes, causing his pants to tighten and heart to race.

“Touch me again, Ade and I’ll break this finger first,” she sweetly warns him, the sultry tone catching him off guard for a moment before he registers her words.

With his eyes narrowing he crushes her towards him and fiercely crashes his lips onto hers, giving her no option but to submit after a brief flash of resistance. Quickly realising what’s happening, Sam pushes away and thumps against his chest with her hands curled up into fists.
“How dare you!-”
“I can touch what is mine,” he growls back but seeing the fury in her expression grow tenfold he knows he shouldn’t have said it-but it’s too late now and to him, it’s true. She’s his and he is hers. If he wants to hold her or touch her, then he bloody well will-no restrictions. Just as she can to him. He won’t let her give him this deal, he refuses.
“ ‘Yours’?! Yours?! Touch me again without permission and it won’t be a finger I’ll be breaking, it’ll be your hand. And remember there’s only 2 of them, so I’d be very careful if I were you, babe.”
Adrian wordlessly gazes at her in frustration and confusion. Why is she being so hostile? Are they not passed this now?

“Sam-” he starts his voice laced with concern.
Sam feels her glare softening but quickly interjects to return it back to its full man-hating level.
“Come on, let’s just get this over and done with,” she hisses resisting in his hold. With a deep sigh Adrian unwinds his arms from around her and takes out a handkerchief to wipe any lipstick he may have around his lips while she locks up.


Sam clenches her jaw tight as they enter the restaurant; it’s exactly as she’d envisioned from the fancy decor to the customers dressed in gowns and suits. Even Adrian who she’d thought had gone overboard with the black suit, looks like he belongs. It’s either that or it’s the fact he just oozes confidence and relaxation. She sends him another heated side glare. Noticing it, he places his hand against her waist and drags her in. With her previous promise to him in mind, Sam tries wiggling out of his hold but he just squeezes slightly at her side and leans down to whisper in her ear ‘relax’. It only angers her further when she feels her anxiety easing slightly from the contact and words.
“5 seconds Adrian, this is the first and last time I’m giving you a warning,” she hisses causing him to pull to one side. If she’s really this distressed and unhappy about this then he supposes he can always come back another time to this restaurant-although, Goddamit! He really did want to have a meal here with her.

“What?!” she sharply snaps watching with a sinking heart as his eyes seem to dim slightly and the frown on his lips morph into a sigh.
“If this is so bad then, say the word Sam and we’ll go,” he compromises.
Now Sam just feels bad and whilst a part of her leaps at the opportunity to not face this irrational fear she has, another part of her feels so bad for letting her boyfriend down. She knows Adrian is not one to lay down the white flag of surrender so quick but usually when it’s against her at least, she knows it doesn’t matter too much to him except now. Now she can see the disappointment practically radiating off his sexy self and Sam hates that it’s because of her. Her mind is torn-between what she wants and what she knows he wants.
Biting her lip, she hesitates in her decision before finally groaning.

“No, why bother? We’re already here and you have reservations right?”
A wide beam breaks out over his face as he softly leans down towards her for a hug.
“You’re going soft, sweetheart,” he whispers teasingly while pulling back and causing her to pout before a teasing smirk captures her own features.
“Not too soft-the no touching rule’s still in effect,” she winks when he groans lightly.
“I’m pretty sure that’s null and void now,” he mutters while stepping back into the short queue in order to be seated.
“Oh it’s not, especially now that I’m going ‘soft’,” she grins back making him eat his words.


As soon as their seated, Sam’s anxiety kicks in. She subtly glances around while Adrian pours over the menu at the other customers. They were all so much older and even looking around, she can see they're so poised and sophisticated-the kind that no matter how hard Sam fakes it, she’ll never be able to achieve.
“Sam, red wine, okay?”
Sam snaps out of her staring and glances back at him with wide eyes.
“Hmm, yeah, yeah that’s-”
“What’s wrong?” Honestly what is with her social anxiety issues now? She doesn’t have them when going out with friends, with going to work and all her other usual day to day life activities, so why have them with him?
“Nothing. Why would something be wrong? This is a nice-”
“Sam, can we skip the lies please?”
“Fine...” she groans and then as a red tinge coats her cheeks she shuffles awkwardly in her seat, “I’m not exactly comfortable in places like this...The kind of Gossip Girl place scenes, alright? That’s just...not me.”

Adrian gives her a light frown. Does she think he’s one of those people? Just because it’s his kind of scene doesn’t mean he engages completely in it. Sure he’s like quality in his clothes and enjoys fairly sophisticated hobbies but that doesn’t mean he’s sucked into their ridiculous social politics and mind games. No, like everything in life, he likes it straightforward and people, unfortunately are not straightforward.

“Sam, these people are here for their own purposes just like you and I. In the nicest way possible, they simply don’t care what we’re doing,” he tries assuring her, “besides they’re all bark and no bite.”
“Oh they bite as well, probably not at you because you’re like their God or something,” she sulkily replies remembering both their bark and bite.
“That’s not true and that’s not very fair of you either. You’re judging a whole society of people by a few that may have hurt you,” he patiently points out to her causing her cheeks to flame again as she realises the truth in his words.
He’s right. The assholes who claimed to be better than her back in her hometown aren’t the same people here; she shouldn’t judge them based on that and she knows that but she can’t help the nervous thumping of her heart.

“Speaking of society tell me, what kind of pack was your old one?” he asks, trying to move the conversation on. He feels that maybe distractions will help her take away her nerves.
Sam raises her eyebrows in questioning-she didn’t realise there was more than one type. Voicing this to Adrian he just smiles and nods. And after the slight disruption from placing their order, he launches into his lecture.

“There are 3 known established kinds. The first is very...how can I put this?...Simple, shall we say. They have their conventional society and are very family orientated. It’s for that reason, their offspring are not as...genetically stable as other were’s.”
Sam’s eyes bulge and she presses her lips together to cease the giggles that threaten to spill over. Only Adrian Carter would be able to say that ‘they’re a bunch of inbred hicks’ so eloquently.
“No, definitely not that kind,” she quickly states.
“Okay well the total opposite of that would be the completely integrated society then. The one where there is a loose pack society but it’s very much interlaced with human society so it’s very relaxed. It’s the most common nowadays and in my opinion the best kind,” he tells her knowing that her wishful sigh means that that’s not it either.
“So you’re from the semi-integrated then? A pack of only werewolves in an isolated part of land with financial ties with the human world and some mixing with other weres but not much.”

Sam nods, he’s got it spot on, “yeah, pretty much. It's a small community far out into the woods. Timber and paper being the main export, the companies like the land are owned by the Alpha family. My..er-adopted family. There's a small human town a good few kilometres away but no one went there unless it was necessary. Too much...association with humans's frowned upon there.”
“Really even with you around? Surely if they were tolerant to having their Alpha’s adopt a human they must have been to other humans too?” reasons Adrian.
Sam just grimaces and shrugs. Tolerant is not exactly a word she’d use to describe any of them. Begrudgingly indifferent-yes, but tolerant? No. Definitely not. Tolerance would mean some level of acceptance and when she said they weren’t particularly fond of humans she meant even her-not that she can tell that to Adrian. A pity party is not one that she enjoys and besides everyone has their sob story.



As they worked through their main meal and Sam felt herself forgetting where they were sometimes before remembering to muffle her laughter. Then as dessert is place before them Adrian knows he cannot delay it any longer.
“Sam-”
“Uh-oh, I know that face.” It’s the same slightly cold, neutral expression he wears when he’s nervous about telling her something.
“What face?”
“Nothing,” she secretly smiles, “just tell me whatever it is.”
He awkwardly clears his throat, “I was thinking that it may be beneficial to both of us if we were to...share resources-”
“Ade, do you want us to start a bank account together? Because I’ll tell you now your ‘resources’ far outweigh mine,” she says with a wide grin causing him to turn away momentarily and shift in his seat-the closest he’s come to squirming in embarrassment.
 “No, that wasn’t quite what I had in mind. I was...” he sighs deciding to just rip the band-aid of quickly, “move in with me.”

Is-is she hearing this right? Or has that final glass of wine finally gone to her head?
“I’m sorry-what was that?!” she exasperates.
“I think you should move in with me,” he repeats carefully taking in her expression. It morphs into a frown while a stubborn glint flickers in those dark chocolate orbs.
“Oh, I should move in with you,” she says emphasising the exact parts she so doesn’t agree with, “want to retry that sentence, buster?”
He just frowns, what’s he said wrong?
“Here’s an idea, why don’t you move in with me?”
Horror washes over him as he imagines the idea of having to live in the tiny grovel she calls an apartment. Sam can’t help the slight tinge of amusement with her annoyance. Okay so her apartment complex may seem like the hunting grounds for Jerry Springer but so what? Truthfully it’s grown on her. And it’s not so bad...
“....Sam....” starts Adrian not quite sure if she’s being serious. He is not living in that place! Not when they can be living in comfort in a much better suited apartment.
“Look, either way I need to think about it, okay? This is....a little fast. And....” Sam trails off biting her lip.
“ ‘And’ what?”
“It’s just...do you think living together is going to be a good idea right now? I mean, we don’t really know each that well and we need our privacy Adrian. Besides, you work late, I work late...I just....I think that you have this perfect image in your head about how it’ll be and I don’t think the reality is going to quite match up,” she explains with a slight wince.

She doesn’t want to offend him- she just wants to be realistic. They’re so early into their relationship that they’ve yet to really discover each other’s annoying habits so imagine if they start to live together and all those annoying habits just converge into one big pile at once-it would be a nightmare. Besides, she’s not quite sure she’s ready to give up her private space like that. Sure staying over the occasional night is great. Sure, snuggling with him in bed is amazing as is waking up to him but what about when they’re both coming home exhausted and too tired to cook dinner? What about the arrangement of household chores? What about laundry and sharing closet space and all the rest of it?

“Well there’s only one way to find out,” he evenly replies disappointed that she’s not as ready as him. If anything he would have thought that she’d be more ready to further this relationship than him-it’s usually always like that. It’s usually him that’s holding back.
“Adrian...” sighs Sam knowing that this must be a harsh blow for him especially after being the one to ask her, “it’s a no and it’s not a yes. We just-I just....need to think about it, alright? Surely you understand that.”
Ade just gives a curt nod causing Sam’s shoulders to slump in defeat.
“Ade...come on, don’t be like that-”
“Sam, it’s fine. You want time, I’m giving you time,” he interjects his words saying one thing while his tone contradicts it.
Sam doesn’t know what to say. She can’t just agree to moving in together just because he’s ready for it. It doesn’t work like that. Yet at the same time, she feels bad for rejecting him like this when he puts himself out there in such a vulnerable state which is rare for him.
The turmoil in her mind has her silently relishing in the silky chocolate pudding and swallowing it down with smooth, rich wine.



The next thing Sam knows her head’s swimming and they’re leaving the restaurant. With his urging, she clumsily rises out of the chair and with legs feeling like jelly almost stumbles over. Thankfully before she can face plant the adjacent table, Adrian’s hand coils around her waist and most of her body weight automatically slumps towards him.
“Adrian,” she whines the name coming out in a slurred tone.

“I suppose I should have cut you off after that 3rd glass,” he mumbles back, thanking the valet before helping her into the car.
“Guess what Ade?” she grins her body trying to twist under the seatbelt as he glances over to her. He can see her eyes glazed with a lack of inhibition and while it would worry him any other time see her in such a state, with her being with him, he knows it’ll be okay; plus, this little piggy is going straight to bed.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
Sam gives him a wide sultry smirk and flickers her eyes from his down to his crotch, “Hanna thinks I should go cowgirl on you...She thinks that I should fully appreciate you and....I think that too.”
Her hand reaches over the gearstick and down to the tops of his thighs. Ade’s heart rate starts to increase as he takes in her whole coy act that’s not fooling him one bit, though it is turning another certain part of him against his better judgement.
“Princess, I’m driving,” he hoarsely warns her.
“Then...pull over,” she responds with another flash of a cheeky grin and stroking up and down his stiffening length. Oh God, now that’s the dessert she wants.
“Sam you’re drunk,” he patiently tells her, his grip tightening on the steering wheel but not daring to leave the thing to remove her hand.
“I’m tipsy Ade- there’s a difference. The difference being that tipsy makes me horny,” she giggles her lips running over the bristling hair at his cheeks.
Thankfully they reach her apartment complex just in time.

Pulling over, he unbuckles his seatbelt and leans across to pull her into a rough kiss. Her lips move against his more lazily and he finds himself hating that. The only thing she should be intoxicated on is him and lust.
“Come on, you’re going to bed,” he tells her leaning away with much difficulty and getting out of the car.

Opening her side, he helps her out, as she swings an arm around his broad shoulder and stumbles to her feet.
“You’re taking me to bed, baby?” she whispers sexily her other hand trailing his abdominals under that cotton button up. Ade gives a low groan. She really is insatiable and right now he doesn’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing. Either way he takes her up to her apartment dodging her playful hands before he leans her against the wall to find the keys from her purse.
Helping her inside, he uses his foot to nudge the door shut behind them, while taking her into the bedroom. One inside, he tries to gently ease her to lie onto the bed but she has other plans. Taking him by the lapels of his blazer, she falls back bringing him down with her. A shockingly girlish giggle escapes her lips as curls her arms around his neck.

“Ade?” she whispers.
“Yes, Sam?” he replies patiently.
Her fingers spread across his cheeks, her thumbs rubbing in tiny circles as she answers so sincerely, “you’re beautiful.”
His heart stutters at that, his eyes blinking rapidly as eyebrows scrunch in confusion. He’s not sure whether that’s funny or completely adorable. He’s never been called beautiful before and certainly not in the completely genuine tone she used.
“Sweethe-”
“No, I mean it, Ade. You are so fucking beautiful, inside and out, and the best part is that you don’t act like some cocky asshóle about it.”
“Sam honestly I think-”
She cuts him off again but this time with a peck to his lips before she pulls back.
“So.” Another peck.
“Fucking.” And another.
“Beautiful.” This time the peck turns into a full blown hot and heavy kiss with even Adrian powerless to resist against its demanding intensity.

Finally managing to rip his lips from hers, he sits beside her on the bed and runs a hand through his perfectly combed hair.
Then sighing, he removes her shoes and places them on the floor.
“Sam, do you want to take the dress off?” he asks loosening her hair from its braid. Washed with fatigue she can only nod while hinging forwards from her hips to slump against his shoulder as he unzips the material.
“Ade do you not want to stay the night?” she asks while black material is shifted off her arms and bunches at her waist.
“I can’t, I have to be at the Pineville Country Club tomorrow for brunch,” he explains, peeling the rest of the dress from her body as she raises her hips.
“Oh...okay.”
 Adrian cups her face, smoothing away the loose spirals while he’s struck with just how beautiful she is.
“I’m sorry Princess, but I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? And keep lying on your side,” he whispers giving her a final kiss goodnight.
Straightening up he goes to leave when she calls his name.
“I really like you,” she breathlessly utters eyes filled with so much vulnerability.
He sends her a smile, “I really like you too.”

Slipping the key under her door after he locks it, he can’t help but smiling all the way back to the car. Never before has he felt like this. Even with his previous girlfriends, whom he’d liked, it wasn’t to this level. There were things about them that annoyed him and presumably things about him that annoyed them, yet unlike with Sam he couldn’t see past it. For some reason with Sam, those little games and irritating habits of hers are somewhat endearing. They make her her and Adrian can’t help but like that.



Sam stirs in her sleep. Her foggy mind dipping in and out of reality as her eyes are adjusting to the darkness of the night. For a split second she wonders what she’s doing awake when she hears unusual sounds. Sam holds her breath listening intently to see if it’s true. When she hears nothing, she decides to go back to sleep but then...footsteps. There’s no doubting them. More footsteps and then there’s a different noise-one she knows all too well-a spray can. Shit! Leaping out of bed, she grabs an old long t-shirt that’s thrown over her chair and slips it on, before grabbing her baseball bat from under her bed. If it’s just a teenager then a baseball bat rather than her gun will be all that’s necessary. Grasping it tight, Sam creeps slowly towards her lounge and takes a breath before slamming the lounge door wide open.
There in her lounge is man dressed in all black finishing off spraying whatever he was with a red spray paint can. With a cry of aggression, Sam can only launch herself at him but he moves far quicker and escapes through the window he’d broken open. She rushes to the window but he’s already parkoured his way down to the bottom of the buildings using the emergency fire staircase that’s far too rusted to be actually helpful, before running off. Taking a deep breath, Sam tries to commit everything about him to memory but with his entire body being covered there’s not much she can note apart from his 5 foot 9 frame, medium build and the faint traces of thescent of a masculine deodorant.  
Spinning around she drops the baseball bat as she reads what is sprayed onto her beige walls in crimson paint.

‘Stop digging’

She has no doubt in her mind who that’s from; although she is surprised. Santiago’s usually so much more low key than that, not to mention that this little prank of his is surprisingly immature. Does he really think that this is going to scare her? Honestly. When she first took on the case, she’d expected warnings and a lot scarier threats but this...this is so stupid. And as stupid as she thinks it is of him to do this, she feels even dumber to know even notice up until the last minute. She’s never been a heavy sleeper yet she slept through the entire thing!
Knowing there’s not much she can do now, Sam starts to dial the police station and Chief while slipping on a pair of sweatpants.


An hour later and her tiny apartment is already swamped with just a few cops in there. As they check out the broken lock on the window and dust for fingerprints, Sam finishes up her conversation with Chief.
“Torres listen, you got somewhere to stay tonight?” he asks with concern.
“Yeah, sure, don’t worry about it Chief. But I suppose this is a good sign,” she grumbles pushing back her hair with her hand as she rubs it down her face in fatigue.
“Only you-
“No, I mean it Chief. I mean, if Santiago’s actually getting his goons to start breaking into my apartment then he must be rattled. And if he’s rattled, then he’s going to be irrational, which means he’ll be careless and we’ll actually be able to finally catch him,” explains Sam in excitement. This is brilliant. As pissed as she is at herself the prospect of Santiago actually making a fearful move empowers her. He’s always been one step ahead. Always used alias to hide himself and paid those off who know him or his whereabouts. Plus every single time they come to almost catching him, he slips free. Any patterns they try to find never end up being right and so catching his bastard has been so impossible that none before have prevailed.
“Sure, fine, forget that for a moment though,” waves off Chief, “how are you actually doing? This is a serious threat against you Sam-”
Sam can’t help but snort at that-serious? Yeah right.
“Chief, apart from being completely pissed off that some sneaky kid managed to get into my home, I am totally fine.”
The Chief just gives her a weary glance before sighing and shaking his head as he says, “you know, any other person would be seriously worried for their safety and feel violated by the invasion of privacy.”
Sam just rolls her eyes and mutters, “whatever.”

As the guys pack up leave with the results coming in as inconclusive to the culprit, Sam knows there’s only one person she can really call to ask to bunk with and considering they’d just proposed to move in together, she’s sure this will put a smug smile of his disgustingly handsome face.
“Sam, it’s 3 in the morning...This better be worth it.”
“I need a place to stay,” she states flatly causing silence on the other end.
“What happened to being adamant about not moving in yet? What’s happened?”
Sam just sighs, “I have a...minor problem with my apartment at the moment and I kinda need somewhere to stay....at least for tonight.”
“....I’m on my way,” he sighs ending the call.


As Adrian knocks on the apartment building he must say he is slightly curious as to what the ‘minor’ problem is that she has to call him so early in the morning. Dressed in only a pair of sweatpants, a coat and an old pair of sneakers, Adrian can only hope this won’t take long.
“Hi, thanks for doing this,” she breathlessly smiles opening the door.
“Sure...” he replies eyes narrowed and assessing her.
“Alright, I’ll just...go pack some clothes then....” she nods allowing him in.
“Fine, I’ll wait in the lounge-”
“No!” she cries suddenly causing him to freeze in his position and curiosity to fill his thoughts.
“I mean...Adrian! No, don’t-”
It’s too late though; he’d only had to take one step in there before stopping straight.
“Sam...what exactly do you classify as ‘minor’?”
She bites her lip as she slides into the room guiltily.
“Um...this?”
His head lashes to the side as his piercing eyes glare at her and if she were a weaker woman, Sam would have no doubt cowered under their intensity.

“You’re staying with me from now on-”
“Am I now?!” cries Sam in disbelief her arms folding over each other and hip jutting out. Adrian’s eyes narrow and his frown deepens.
“Do you have no personal regard to your safety?” he spits rhetorically.
“I do, thank you very much. And I am more than capable of taking care of myself-”
“Clearly.”
The roll of his eyes just infuriates her further and with the night she’s been having he has definitely picked the wrong moment for a fight.
“This is part of my job, okay? There are bound to be some incidences like this. It’s nothing major. And you know what? If you can’t handle it then there’s the door.”
“Oh I bet you’d like that-to blame me. Blame the man, sure. That is what you women are good at.”
Sam can’t help but gasp at that, “Oh no, Adrian, I’m sorry. It’s all completely my fault. I’m so sorry, I dragged you into my life and I’m so sorry my apartment was broken into because I can’t afford some fancy palace with a butler to wipe my own ass for me!”
His arm shoots out, pulling her in roughly towards his chest by her bicep.
“Who the hell am I to you Sam to talk to me like that? Do you have no concept of respect?!-”
“Respect is earned Adrian,” she snarls back.
He lets out a noise of disbelief, “have I not done that yet? Have not been there for you when you needed me? Did I not just wake up at 3 in the fucking morning to come and help you? What more do I possibly have to do?!”
“Don’t give me commands,” she whispers firmly, “don’t just tell me to pack up and leave, I’m not your fucking dog.”
“Fine,” he lets his arm drop from her, “fine, Sam. Do whatever you think. But I find it unbelievable that I’m the one who’s more concerned about this than you are.”

Sam’s shoulders slump in defeat. Is that really what that whole asshole demand was about? Him caring about her safety. While any other person would have just admitted that straight off, of course Adrian would slip into arrogant alpha male mode.
“Ade...” she sings softly slipping her arms around him and shuffling into the embrace which he slowly returns.
“Baby...You don’t need to be concerned or worried, alright? I’m okay. I promise. Look, why don’t we work something out tomorrow morning, alright?” she gently reassures him gazing up.  
“Good idea, but it might have to be tomorrow afternoon because-”
“You have brunch, yeah, I wasn’t that out of it,” smiles Sam. Ade’s lips quirk into a small smile too before dropping and worry washing over his features again.
“Sam, are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Yes! Yes, I’m fine. Like I told the Chief, I’m just angry that some a-hole had the nerve to actually do this!”
“Okay...But Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“I would very much appreciate it if you wouldn’t speak to me like I’m some...pompous snob who looks down on you.”
Sam nods in agreement. There’s undeniably a divide of classes between them and in heated moments Sam has to agree that she does use it against him unfairly but she doesn’t mean it. Just like she knows that he doesn’t mean some of the unfiltered things he says.
“I’m sorry...I don’t mean it.”
Sam feels his hands slip down from her waist to smooth over her sweatpants and grab her ass.
“Good because if you do, I may have to enforce corporal punishment,” he breathes causing her to just giggle as if he were joking.

After temporarily ensuring the window is locked down and shut; Sam brings a bag of supplies she may need along with her to Adrian’s apartment. There they both collapse into bed exhausted, too tired to bother with much more talking.

However later that night Sam swears she hears noises and for some reason a sliver of fear shudders through her body.
“Ade...Ade, do you hear that?” she whispers nudging his arm as he mutters incoherently.
“Hear what? There’s no-one there, go back to sleep,” he mumbles shuffling back around and pulling the duvet higher up his shoulders.
“Listen,” she hisses persistently but hearing no answer Sam realises that he won’t do anything about it-which means she’ll just have to. So pushing back the covers she goes to leave the bed when he sighs and pulls her back.
“Sam, trust me sweetheart, there is nothing and no-one there. Come lie back down,” he insists, tugging her into his arms.
“But Ade...”
“Sweetheart, just go to sleep. I’m right here,” he urges wrapping his arms tight around her while she rests her head against his bare chest to listen to the steady heartbeats.
“...Okay...” she breathes her fingers clinging to his body as she tries to get herself to relax. 

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