Phryne stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, the moon casting its light through the open curtains giving the room an ethereal glow. She very much wanted to be able to close her eyes and drift off to sleep, but everytime she did, she was just made more aware of the empty space beside her. In the few short months since they had spent their first night together, she had grown used to falling asleep in his armsーthe scent of his soap filling her nose with every inhaleーthe little noises he made when he slept lulling her to sleep.
Pulling the blankets with her and drawing them tightly around her, she turned to bury her head in the pillows as a groan of frustration escaped her throat. She had no idea what time it was, but she was sure it was very late. There was no way she was going to be able to get through another day without any sleep.
Damn you, Jack!
With a quick movement, she threw the blankets off of her and slid to the edge of the bed. There was a chill in the air, so she quickly grabbed her robe and wrapped it tightly around herself.
Making her way down the staircase, she couldn't help but laugh. This had been his plan. He knew he would be able to hold out longer than her, leaving her with no choice but to concede. She had made it three days.
Her silk pajama pants were not ideal for the cool evening, but Phryne refused to give herself a chance to second guess the decision. All she wanted right now was Jack's warm bed. She grabbed a coat from the closet and slipped on some shoes. The idea of admitting she was wrong didn't hurt so much when she knew that she would be able to curl up beside him, feel his hands on her skin, and taste his lips on hers.
She entered Jack's house as quietly as she could, draping her coat over a chair and slipping out of her shoes. On tip-toes, she made her way to his bedroom, the moon lighting up the rooms just enough for her to see.
His sleeping form could be seen in the darkness, and she made her way to the empty side of the bed, pulling back the covers to crawl under them. The familiar scent of his soap instantly calmed her restless mind. Her arms snaked around his stomach as she snuggled up against his back, her nose nuzzling the nape of his neck as she inhaled his scent. There was almost nothing she wouldn't do to be able to curl up next to this man. How had she gotten to this point? She didn't know and didn't really care, because everything inside her melted when Jack Robinson turned his crooked grin in her direction.
A shift in the mattress made her hold her breathーshe hadn't meant to wake him. Not that he would mind if she had. It never seemed to bother him what time she came to bed. He was only ever glad that she was there and that he usually got to wake up beside her.
She felt him clasp her hand and pull it tighter around him. "Does this mean you are ready to let it go?"
The words came out raspy with sleep, and despite the fact that he was going to make her admit she had been wrong, his teasing voice caused a yearning somewhere deep in her stomach.
She placed a soft kiss on the skin behind his ear and whispered, "You were right." Her silk clad leg wrapped around his thigh, and she felt his hand slide up it.
"You have clothes on."
It was almost a question, as if he had expected her to crawl into his bed naked and seduce him into saying it was he who was wrong.
She smiled and again whispered in his ear, "We could fix that."
He turned in her arms and pushed her onto her back causing a gasp to escape her lips.
She was expecting a smug look to be on his face, but all she saw was love and maybe a little desireーhe pressed his body against herーdefinitely desire.