Chapter 34: Tested Loyalty

Emilia lifted the silk sheet on Tommy’s bed and slid in beside him. He sighed in his sleep and rolled over, reaching for her instinctively.

She bit her lower lip and rested her head on his chest. She listened to the steady thump… thump… thump of his heart.

“What are you doing here?” Tommy asked, his voice thick with sleepiness.

Emilia ran the tip of her pointer finger down the crease in his chest, down his abs.

“It is almost midnight. You’ve been sleeping the whole night away,” Emilia pouted.

Tommy chuckled and sighed. He tightened his arm around Emilia’s shoulders.

She nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

“Can you tell me what it was about Dulcinea that you didn’t trust?” she asked.

“Did something happen?” Tommy asked. He sat up, leaning back on the pillows.

Emilia adjusted her position so she could keep her head on his chest. The sound of his heart kept her ground, a tether holding her in place when her mind could so easily drift away.