The guest bed was so far from the heating in the cold air of the night that Zhu Li's teeth were chattering and her whole body shivering. Granted, she could still be considered lucky as most prisoners did not have the luxury of a comfortable bed in prison and slept on bunks, but most prisoners were in prison because they had committed crimes. She had done nothing but stay loyal to her Varrick and this was where he had led them. The billionaire was sleeping soundly in his king size bed, snoring and coughing from time to time. He had several thick blankets and soft pillows. How much she wanted to join him. They had yet to share a bed. She had slept in his room for years: he never went anywhere without his assistant. But even now that they were dating, they had not taken the step of being as close physically as they were emotionally. Neither of them had initiated any romantic contact except the goodbye kiss at the end of every date, which was beginning to seem ridiculous, considering they went back to the same home and even the same room.
After tossing and tossing on her pillow, shaking like a leaf, she finally decided that she had had enough. She was in this prison for better or for worse, and she might as well try to help herself, considering Varrick did nothing to help her. Rubbing her arms, she stood up, tiptoed to the other side of the room and slid under the blankets, trying not to wake Varrick. Which was a miserable failure. He stirred, stretched, yawned, blinked and stared at her with blank sleepy eyes, trying to figure out what was happening. Recognizing her, he grinned, putting his head on his elbow and making lovey-dovey eyes. He raised his other hand toward her and stroked her cheek.
- My sweet tiger seal! Paying a friendly visit to your dear Varrick, huh?
- I was cold, Sir.
- Enough of this "Sir" nonsense, call me Varrick! And you did the right thing coming here! There is no one hotter than me in this prison!
She hid a smirk and leaned into his touch. Lying next to Varrick felt a lot warmer than shivering in her little bed indeed. The amount of blankets probably had but a tiny influence on the heat she felt.
It felt natural to relax and let her guard down around him. She was well aware of how open the cell was, how exposed they were, but somehow, it did not bother her in the least. No sooner had she thought about how cozy lying here was that Varrick had snuggled against her, wrapping his arms around her. She let out a small gasp, which he did not seem to hear, but soon accepted the embrace and rested her head against his torso. His hands were tracing patterns on the small of her back and soon the cold became a distant memory, completely forgotten.
- You've become quite the tiger seal for real, Zhu Li, he whispered. I didn't think you were the adventurous type, coming into a man's bed in the middle of the night, when everyone's asleep.
His hands slipped lower, grabbing her butt, and he searched her mouth. The kiss he gave her had a tinge of passion that she had never tasted before. She was not expecting it at all and, to be fair, it made her rather anxious. Startled, she pushed him away from her with her hands on his chest. Immediately, he let go of her and drew back, his eyes wide open, just as surprised as she was. She hugged herself and avoided his gaze. A few minutes passed in silence. Zhu Li wanted to tell him something, anything, but did not know how. Even after them getting close as ever, it seemed that years of being emotionless had left an impact on her after all. Varrick encouraged her to always be just as blunt as he was but it simply went against her nature to do so freely like he did.
He was braver than her by breaking the awkwardness first and took her hand gently, rubbing his thumb inside her palm.
- I'm sorry, she said.
He pressed a kiss against her knuckles.
- Don't be, he said. I am sorry.
Tentatively, he reached for her and she melted in his arms. Before Varrick and she started dating, she had not been hugged for almost her whole life. He gave her what she never knew she needed, even though she would not say that out loud.
- Were you afraid, my lovely tiger seal? he asked and nuzzled against her neck.
- I was surprised. I came because I was cold and I never meant to wake you up and then…
- That's what it was! Oh, my sweet sweet Zhu Li…
He stroked her hair and hugged her close.
- Here I was, thinking a pretty woman was coming to seduce me! Now I look like an idiot!
She hid her face against his shoulder.
- Zhu Li! You don't have to be embarrassed. If anything, silly Varrick should be. I should have known! We barely even kiss!
- You… you don't feel you're missing out, do you?
- Of course not! I haven't escaped a bad date for months now! And we understand each other better than anyone I know!
- I like things as they are.
He took her chin and made her look at him.
- As do I, Zhu Li.
In a sudden fit of courage, she gave him a quick kiss that turned into several and soon they were almost as passionate as the one he had given her before. And Zhu Li felt good in his arms. He gave her a comfort she had never felt before. Maybe one day, they would be close enough for her to tell him everything she had kept hidden. Until then, sweet prison kisses on cold nights would make sure her heart did not freeze again.