Chapter 18
When the fire gets low and the room chills, I untangle myself from Liberty, regretting the separation.
“Stay put. I'll be right back.”
Liberty blinks up at me from her cocoon of blankets, looking soft and drowsy and so beautiful it physically hurts. “Where are you going?”
“Security check before bed. Won't take long.” I press a kiss to her forehead, forcing myself to step away before I get distracted and climb back in next to her.
“You mean you're going full operator mode on a cave in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Eve?”
“Old habits.” I'm already moving toward the control panel near the entrance. “Humor me.”
Her laugh follows me down the hallway, warm and easy. “You're ridiculous.”
Maybe. But I need to know every door is sealed, every sensor active, every backup system online before I can fully relax.
It's not about actual threats—it's about being able to give her my complete attention without my brain running security scenarios in the background.
The master control panel glows green across the screen. Perimeter sensors active. Main entrance sealed. Emergency exits are armed but accessible from inside. Generator at full capacity with enough backup fuel for weeks.
Perfectly ready for anything.
I make my way back to the great room, dimming lights as I go. The cave transforms in the low light, even more of an intimate sanctuary.
Like it was made just for this purpose.
Liberty's exactly where I left her, but she's sitting up now, watching the tree with an expression that makes my chest tight.
“All secure?” She asks without looking at me.
“Locked down tight. Nothing's getting in here that we don't want.” I crouch beside her, adjusting the fire screen to make sure no sparks can escape. “You good? Need anything before bed? Water? Snack?”
She turns to me then, those whiskey-brown eyes searching my face. “I'm good. Really good, actually.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” But there's something uncertain in her voice, a thread of nervousness she's trying to hide.
I settle beside her, pulling her back against my chest. “Talk to me. What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
She's quiet for a moment, her fingers playing with the edge of the blanket. “I've never... I mean, I've obviously never spent the night with someone. I tried to date a few times after high school, after the abuse, but nothing felt right.”
Hearing this makes what she's trusted me with even more precious.
This locks my lungs up and causes my arms to tighten around her. “We don't have to sleep together, but I want you close so I know you're safe. I can take the sofa in one of the guest rooms and you can have the bed.”
“No, I want to sleep with you. I really want to.” She twists to look at me. “I'm just... what if I'm weird about it?”
“How would you be weird?”
“What if I snore or steal the covers or have some terrible sleeping habit I don't know about?”
Her answer is so adorable, a laugh rumbles through my chest. “Sweetheart, I've slept in mud, in the desert, on planes, in helicopters, in metal bunks surrounded by thirty guys who definitely snored. If you think anything you do is going to bother me, you're wrong.”
“But what if—”
I kiss her, slow and thorough, trying to chase away her worries.
“Here's what's going to happen,” I say quietly.
“We're going to go to the bedroom. We're going to get ready for bed like normal people.
Then we're going to lie down together, and I'm going to hold you while you fall asleep.
That's it. No expectations. No pressure. Just you and me and a really comfortable bed.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“Because it is easy. This isn't complicated, Liberty. I want to sleep next to you. Want to know you're safe and warm and right there if you need anything. Want to wake up with you tomorrow morning. That's all.”
Her smile is shaky but genuine. “Okay.”
“Great.” I stand, pulling her up with me. “Let me grab our stuff. You pick which room you want.”
“The one with the waterfall,” she says immediately. “The big one... if that's okay?”
“More than okay.” I head for the hallway where we dropped our bags earlier, gathering both duffels. When I return, she's still standing by the tree, arms wrapped around herself.
“Come on, beautiful. Let's get settled.”
I lead her down the hallway to the waterfall suite, using voice commands to bring up the lights—but just barely. Soft amber illumination glows from hidden fixtures, making the crystal veins in the stone walls shimmer like captured starlight.
Liberty sighs, stopping in the doorway.
The room is spectacular. The massive metal and leather bed sits on a raised platform, dressed in white linens that look cloud-soft.
Small strands of lights are woven through the natural rock formations overhead, creating a canopy of twinkling stars. The waterfall cascades down one wall into a shallow pool, the gentle sound immediately soothing.
But it's the Christmas touches that really make it special. A garland drapes along the headboard, a small tree is tucked in the corner, and deep jewel-colored ornaments are scattered around the room. Everything feels lavish.
“This is... magical,” she says, stepping into the space.
“It's ours. For tonight and tomorrow night and however many nights we want it.”
She turns to me, eyes bright. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making this feel safe. For not rushing. For just... being you.”
My throat tightens. I set the bags down and pull her close, resting my chin on top of her head. “There's nowhere else I'd rather be. No one else I'd rather be with.”
We stand like that for a moment.
“Bathroom's through there,” I finally say, nodding toward the en suite. “Why don't you take it first? I'll unpack and play with the controls on this ridiculously futuristic bed.”
She nods, grabbing her bag. But she pauses at the bathroom door, looking back at me with an expression I can't quite read. “Hey, big guy?”
“Yeah?”
“I'm really glad it's you.”
Then she's gone, leaving me standing in the middle of this beautiful room with my chest in a steel band.
I'm adjusting the thermostat by voice command when she emerges from the bathroom, and I have to lock my knees to stay upright.
She's wearing pajamas—simple white cotton flannel pants with snowflakes and a pale blue tank top without anything below it.
Her face is scrubbed clean, hair loose around her shoulders, and she looks young and vulnerable and so damn beautiful I can't breathe.
“Your turn,” she says softly, climbing onto the monstrous bed. She's so small by comparison, I start to help her up, but she laughs and makes it without tumbling off.
“You good up there?”
“Feeling like royalty. Go on. I'm fine.”
I grab my own bag and escape to the bathroom before I do something stupid like confess my undying love on the first night we're spending together.
The bathroom is as impressive as the bedroom. The stone wall is carved out to house a massive shower, a soaking tub lines one wall, heated floors make the space radite with warmth.
I make quick work of brushing my teeth and changing into loose cotton pants and a t-shirt, then pause to stare at my reflection.
You've got one job tonight, I tell myself. Make her feel safe and cared for.
Everything else can wait.
When I return to the bedroom, she's sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking small and uncertain and trying to hide both.
“Music,” I say to the system. “Soft instrumental Christmas.”
Piano music fills the space, gentle and unobtrusive.
I move around the room, dimming the lights until they're just a soft glow, checking the temperature one more time, finally making sure the waterfall isn't too loud.
“Are you stalling?” Liberty asks, amusement in her voice.
“No.”
“Then what's up?”
I turn to face her. “I'm making sure to get this right, because once I get in that bed with you, I'm not getting back out until morning. Want to make sure everything's perfect first.”
Her expression softens. “It's already perfect.”
I can't argue with that. Finally satisfied that our space is optimized, I cross to the bed. She watches me approach with those wide eyes, nervous and excited and trusting in a way that makes me want to be better than I've ever been.
“Ready to get cozy?” I ask, stopping at the edge of the mattress.
“I am.”
I climb onto the bed, on top of the blanket just like her. Only the mattress dips under my weight.
She immediately tenses, and I go still, giving her time to adjust, or to decide.
After a beat, I stretch out, and when I raise my arm, she moves closer, tentatively resting her head on my shoulder.
“There you go,” I murmur as I wrap one arm around her, pulling her against my side.
She fits perfectly, like she was designed specifically for this spot.
“Comfortable?” I murmur.
“Very.” Her hand tentatively splays across my chest, right over my heart. “Is this okay?”
Heat blooms beneath her touch and it's definitely harder to inhale normally.
“More than okay,” I rasp as I press a kiss to her hair. “Close your eyes, sweetheart.”
“I'm a little wired. Maybe the sugar.”
Maybe it's this electrical current between us. I feel exactly the same.
“Then just rest. We've got all night.”
She settles deeper into my side with a contented sigh. The fairy lights twinkle overhead. The waterfall murmurs its constant song. The piano plays something soft and dreamy.
Liberty Cruze is in my arms, trusting me with her safety, her sleep, her vulnerability.
I'm the luckiest guy in the world.
I'm also deeply consumed with the weight of the responsibility of her happiness.
“You fit perfectly,” I say quietly.
“You're made for snuggling. I bet you're really warm at night.”
“I bet you're going to put cold feet on my legs.”
She laughs softly. “Not if you don't want me to.”
“I definitely want you to. That's what I'm here for.”
Her hand smoothes over my shirt and for a beat, I wish I'd have left it in my bag. But this is about her comfort. NOT about having sex.
“You didn't have to wear a shirt.”