29. cuddles

Xavier woke up feeling his neck stiff by the way he positioned his head while sleeping. Smelling the familiar scent he likes, he smiled before opening his eyes. He checked the soft ball of life in his arms and felt his mood brightened some more, his fiesty Lioness has fallen asleep herself. She looks so lovely even with her mouth slightly opened, so innocent and carefree when she's unconscious. She normally has this look when she's with her unit or with her girl friend, he wonders when she'd put her guard down around him like this as well. With that thought in mind, he stared at her for quiet sometime, savoring the peace, feeling contented for the first time with where they're at. He has this urge to stroke her features with his finger and kiss her cherry lips but held back, he might have acted perverted and teased her a lot -gambling his reputation in the proccess to get close to her however he'll never do something that she's not aware of. He knows how high her defenses are, indicating that she's guarding something sensitive and he wouldn't cross the line and test it no matter how hypocritical it may sound but atleast when he teases her when she's conscious, he's giving her a chance to retaliate and he'll willingly take it.

'Being attracted to you is like walking on thin ice.' his musing was interrupted by the sound of the car door opening.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing you boss, just wanted to get my phone." Sam whispered an explanation before closing the door in a hurried manner.

He was too caught up with the beauty in his arms that he didn't notice his men had left them alone in the car, they must have wanted to give them privacy given that they were both asleep. He checked outside and noticed that they were already parked in front of the most popular haute boutique in the country as per his order earlier, now he just needs to wait until the sleeping beauty wakes up.

Slightly awakened by a soft humming, she drifted in and out of consciousness. The lullaby sounded familiar and soothing and felt like she was being transported back in time when she was not yet tainted by this cruel world. Feeling the warmth she's been missing enveloping her, she nuzzled closer to the source. For years she never felt this comfortable while sleeping and with that thought she fell in a deep sleep again.

Xavier chuckled looking at the woman who is supposed to be uncomfortable with him stirred a bit on her sleep just to pressed her face on his neck and fell back to deep sleep again. How is he supposed to react when she's acting cute at the most unexpected time?

"God, I'll definitely find a way to keep you to myself if you keep acting this way honey. You can't roam around with this fatal charms of yours." he stated as he gently pat her shoulder and decided to let her sleep longer.

After waiting for an hour tho, he is completely stupified. Leona is not showing any sign of waking up soon and although he can take the burning of his arm that is starting to go numb for supporting half of her weight for God knows how long, he doesn't like her to wake up with body sores later and to be honest she looks too tempting right now. He has to wake her up for his own good as well.

He gently leaned her body back with one arm supporting her upper back and gently caresses her check. "Honey wake up."

"Hm." he watched as Leona cutely scrunched her forehead before groggily opening her eyes and then when reality finally hit her, she pushed him away and scooted on the other side of the car. "What the hell."

Xavier who was half expecting this reaction tried to suppress the chuckle from escaping his lips, waiting patiently until his Lioness successfully gets out of the state of confusion she's in right now.

Leona surprised with how she had completely let herself defenseless in his presence today, opened and closed her mouth a couple of times to utter an excuse or maybe something to diss him like taking advantage of her while she's unconscious. However deep inside she knows she has no one to blame but herself, how can she comfortably sleep in this kind of situation? Is she still the same girl who was sent on a training camp with her brothers when she was just 17 to be deprived of sleep while under strenuous activities and mental exercise.

'Wow, last time I checked I had insomnia so it was just a walk in the park for me.' feeling embarrassed of herself, she ended up speechless.

Xavier looking at how many times her expression has changed could read how she's on the verge of mental breakdown at the moment. 'She must be scolding herself for letting herself at zero defense with me.' He is feeling triumphant looking at how his presence is continuously affecting her but knows better that it could either cause them to become closer or could lead to a complete fall out so it is a crucial time to tread cautiously, this time he has to attack gently.

"Let's go inside the boutique."

Saving her from her own mulling he decided to change the awkward mood in the car.

"Why do we have to go there?" she thought after realizing where they are. She doesn't peg him as someone who likes shopping.

"Wedding Gown."

"Wed-, wait what??? but why???" with round eyes she gave him an appalled expression. "You don't have to waste your time on small matter like this, DoSOC will take care of it."

He did not answer her right away and instead went out the car and went to her side and opened the door for her.

"We need smoke and the best way to do it is to prey on the media's greed for gossip."

she furrowed her brow and just looked at his extended hand, leaving him half leaning forward the frame of the car door waiting for her to get out the car.

"No worries, I'll make sure that they won't be able to publish photos with our faces on it."

She sighed, 'Why didn't he say so right away? Giving me panic attacks, geez.'

"Can't you give me heads up and the details? What's so hard about it? Geez, always keeping me in the dark." She can't help but give him a piece of her mind but the guy just let out a melodious laugh.

"Honey, we're not married yet and here you are scolding me already."

Leona: ○___○

"Excuse me???"