“One of us will have to sleep on the floor,” Mariam hesitated before continuing, “It should be you.”
Jackson stared at her in disbelief.
He looked incredibly annoyed—furious, even.
“You have to be joking!”
His voice rose slightly, making Mariam flinch, but she wasn’t joking.
“I’m serious. How are we supposed to sleep in the same bed?” she argued.
“There’s only one bed in this room.”
She had already made the mistake of sharing a bed with him once.
She had no intention of repeating it.
Jackson felt a familiar throb begin behind his eyes.
His headache was returning.
Rubbing his forehead, he exhaled a fiery breath.
This woman had nearly died an hour ago, yet somehow she still had enough energy to make his life difficult.
“Listen carefully,” he said.
“It’s freezing outside. The temperature is below zero. I’m not sleeping on the floor.”
“Then you should—”
“You can sleep on the floor if you want to.”
Before she could argue further, Jackson strode toward the bed, pulled back the blanket, and dropped onto the mattress.
A second later he wrapped the covers around himself and settled in as though the matter had already been decided.
The entire maneuver happened so quickly that Mariam was left standing there speechless.
Fine!
If he wanted to be insufferable, she could be stubborn too.
She had slept on the floor before.
One more night wouldn’t kill her.
Without another word, dropped down on the floor and curled herself into a small ball near the side of the bed.
Jackson closed his eyes, convinced she would eventually give up and climb onto the mattress beside him.
After all, the floor was cold, hard and uncomfortable.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
The sight that greeted him made him freeze.
Mariam was actually sleeping on the floor!
She had tucked her knees against her chest to preserve warmth.
Her face was pale, and despite her efforts, her body seemed small and fragile against the cold hardwood floor.
On top of that she hadn’t even bothered to cover herself with a blanket.
Jackson stared at her in disbelief.
She wasn’t bluffing.
The crazy woman had actually chosen the floor over him.
Jackson’s shock slowly transformed into irritation.
His expression turned icy, somehow even colder than usual.
He threw aside the blanket and climbed out of bed.
Mariam looked up just in time to see him approaching.
“What are you—”
Before she could finish, Jackson bent down and scooped her into his arms.
She let out a startled gasp.
“Jackson! Put me down!”
He carried her effortlessly in a bridal hold as though she weighed nothing at all.
“Jackson! You are an asshole!” she cursed him.
The cold look he shot her over the top of her head immediately silenced her.
Mariam’s mouth snapped shut.
Frankly speaking, Jackson was far more terrifying than any assassin she would ever encounter.
Ignoring her protests, he carried her back to the bed and deposited her firmly onto the mattress.
Then, to her astonishment, he climbed in beside her and pulled the blanket over both of them.
Mariam immediately tried to sit up.
“What are you doing?”
Jackson could already tell from her expression that she was preparing another argument.
To stop it before it began, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest to stop her from moving.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She immediately shoved at him.
“Why are you hugging me? Let me go!”
Jackson glanced down at her struggling form.
“Oh?” he drawled.
“So you’re allowed to hug me whenever you want, but I can’t do the same?”
Mariam opened her mouth.
“That’s not…”
“Not what?”
She found herself completely cornered.
Earlier, she had thrown her arms around him because she had been terrified.
It had been an instinctive reaction.
She hadn’t actually meant—
Well.
Not in that way.
But trying to explain that now would only make her sound ridiculous.
And unfortunately, Jackson knew it.
The amusement in his dark brown eyes grew more obvious as he watched her struggle for an answer.
For once, the great Mariam Doyle had nothing to say.
“Thought so,” he murmured.
Mariam glared at him with her glowing green eyes.
Jackson merely tightened his arm around her.
“Stop talking and go to sleep.”
The room felt warm.
The blanket was warm.
And despite how much she disliked admitting it, Jackson’s embrace was warm too.
The exhaustion she had been fighting for so long finally caught up with her.
Her eyes grew heavier with each passing second, and before she knew it, she had drifted into a deep sleep.
Jackson felt her body gradually relax against him and lowered his gaze to look at her.
She appeared peaceful, like a butterfly finally pausing to rest its weary wings after a long and exhausting flight.
All the tension seemed to drain from her features, leaving behind a rare sense of calm.
As he admired her sleeping face, his expression softened.
Throughout the entire night, he kept her close, never once loosening his hold, as if letting go was not an option.