The thought of how much he'd paid for this would not leave Bella's mind, and she opened her eyes a fraction to peer around the room.
She had kept her promise and Drake seemed to trust her as he'd once again returned, this time booking her for the entire night. Once more, he only wanted to sleep and Bella could only imagine how restless his sleep at home must be if he was pushed to this. She had half a mind to ask Susan to give him some of his money back.
The room was eerily silent; even the clock seemed to tick quieter as Sergeant Drake slept on the bed, Bella curled up next to him with her head and hand resting on his chest. It had been an hour, and he'd paid quite literally for the whole night, leaving at 6am. She should've been thankful that she could just sleep for the night and still get paid, but it was difficult to shut her mind off right now.
Every time he inhaled, his chest rose just a little bit and with it her head. It was soothing, like being rocked to sleep, and it made her eyelids heavy. But every now and then she moved her hand and would feel that gentle thumping of his heart. It irked her that he was so troubled, because she felt he did not deserve it. He was a decent man, sweet and kind and an honest gentleman. He worked hard to protect the people of Whitechapel and he respected women of her profession far more than some of her most regular clients.
His hand gripped her shoulder a little tighter and Bella remained still so he could settle again. After a few minutes, she looked up a little to peer at his face. There was a hint of his aftershave still lingering on his skin and it smelled stronger as she breathed warm air against his neck. She could see every one of the little thick hairs of his beard from up this close, and spotted a few stray ones he'd missed in his last shave.
The buttons of his shirt found their way to her fingers, and she twisted the little white circles before worrying she'd pull the thread loose. So instead she held his tie, lacing the thick (and probably cheap) material between her fingers. Underneath the tie she could feel the heat of his body and that heartbeat again. It was a bit faster now, and she hoped she hadn't woken him.
Had he come back to her because he trusted her? Bella had not told a soul about his visit and luckily had not been questioned. But many of the other girls could be trusted just as much, and she had thought he would not want to bring his burdens to the same girl again for fear of embarrassment. A little part of her hoped he was fond of her company over others. It was unlikely; how could he trust any woman so soon after having his heart broken? Bella was just another prostitute at Tenter street and surely if Drake had any sense he wouldn't offer his heart to another woman in that situation.
Drake inhaled sharply as if jolting awake, and his chest rose higher, prompting Bella to lift her head up completely to look at him. His eyes flickered open and he exhaled now, sounding groggy.
"It's still late, Sergeant. You can go back to sleep." Bella whispered softly, patting his chest. Drake blinked a few times and glanced up to the clock hung above the room door. He breathed heavily again and then sat up, Bella shuffling aside so she was not tangled with him. "What's wrong?" her voice still soft, she hoped he wouldn't call this off.
"Nothing, nothing." She watched him draw a hand over his face, rubbing those weathered and tired features. He lay back again, staring upwards at the roof above them. "Are you sure you're comfortable doing this?" he said, voice breaking with the remains of sleep. "If you can't sleep too I don't want to-"
"I'm more than comfortable, Sergeant Drake. It's not often I get to sleep with an arm around me." Bella smiled at him and moved closer again, snaking her hand over his torso to hold on. Drake was silent, chewing his tongue, and then whispered so quietly it took Bella a moment to understand what he'd said.
"Please, call me Bennet." It was a plea more than a polite request; she could hear it in his voice, and simply nodded in reponse.
Then without another word he closed his eyes and turned his head to face her. Bella pressed her face to his collar, his chin resting among the ginger curls of her hair. Once more, Bennet's breathing began to slow again and Bella's own eyes closed. She remembered feeling his other hand move to his chest, fingers wrapping around hers to hold on. From that point on Bella remembered nothing of the real world and dreamed all the way through 'till morning.
