Stay In Bed With Me
The first real problem with living together happened on a Thursday morning.
Adrian had an important meeting.
Lia didn't care.
—
Rain tapped softly against the penthouse windows while the city remained dark beneath heavy clouds.
Somewhere outside, traffic moved slowly through early morning streets.
Inside the bedroom—
warmth existed.
Specifically Adrian.
Warm, half-asleep Adrian holding Lia against his chest like leaving the bed personally offended him.
Which honestly?
It clearly did.
Lia blinked awake slowly beneath soft gray morning light filtering through the curtains.
The first thing she noticed was warmth.
The second thing—
weight.
Strong arms wrapped securely around her waist beneath the blankets.
She shifted slightly.
Immediate reaction.
Adrian's hold tightened automatically while a low sleepy sound escaped him against her hair.
"Don't."
The roughness in his morning voice nearly destroyed her emotionally before seven in the morning.
Lia smiled faintly against his chest.
"You have a meeting."
Silence.
Then Adrian buried his face deeper into her neck.
"I know."
"You said it was important."
"It is."
Another pause.
Then quieter—
"I still don't want to go."
God.
Morning Adrian truly had no survival instincts.
Lia tilted her head slightly to look up at him.
Big mistake.
Because he looked devastating.
Dark hair messy from sleep.
Eyes barely open.
Expression soft in ways nobody outside this apartment would ever believe possible.
The terrifying billionaire reduced to a sleepy, clingy man refusing to leave bed because his girlfriend felt warm against him.
Honestly?
Pathetic.
Adorable.
Emotionally damaging.
Lia brushed her fingers gently through his hair.
Immediate reaction.
Always immediate.
Adrian's eyes closed briefly while his arms tightened more firmly around her waist.
"You encourage this behavior," he murmured sleepily.
"You're literally trapping me."
"You like it."
Unfortunately—
he was right.
Again.
The rain outside softened into quiet background noise while the room stayed warm and still around them.
Neither moved.
Mostly because Adrian clearly intended to physically fuse them together before letting her leave the bed.
Lia glanced toward the nightstand clock.
"You're going to be late."
A faint smile touched his mouth without opening his eyes.
"I could cancel."
"You absolutely cannot cancel a corporate meeting because you're cuddling."
A quiet breath of laughter escaped him.
"You make that sound unreasonable."
"It IS unreasonable."
Adrian finally opened his eyes slowly.
Dark.
Sleep-heavy.
Completely focused on her already.
Then softly—
"You're very convincing against my chest."
Heat rushed instantly into her cheeks.
God.
Even half-asleep he still talked like that.
Lia tried shifting upward slightly.
Another mistake.
Adrian's arms immediately tightened again.
"Adrian."
"No."
"You are a grown man."
"And you live here now." His thumb brushed lightly beneath the oversized shirt she slept in. "That means you legally belong in bed with me."
Lia physically laughed.
"That is not how laws work."
"It should be."
The smile tugging at his mouth nearly ruined her emotionally.
Because Adrian looked happy.
Not polished social-event happy.
Not satisfied-businessman happy.
Actually happy.
Soft around the edges.
Relaxed in ways only she ever saw.
The realization wrapped painfully around her heart.
Lia reached up slowly, brushing her thumb gently beneath his eye.
"You look tired."
"I sleep better with you here."
The honesty came instantly.
Natural.
Like he no longer even noticed how vulnerable his confessions sounded.
Her chest tightened.
"You barely slept before me, didn't you?"
Silence.
Adrian looked away briefly toward the rain-covered windows.
Then finally—
"No."
The answer came quiet.
Simple.
Truthful.
Lia stared at him silently.
Because suddenly—
she imagined Adrian alone in this massive apartment before her.
Cold sheets.
Late nights.
No one beside him.
No warmth.
No soft breathing tangled with his own.
Just silence.
The image physically hurt.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"You look sad again."
"You say heartbreaking things too casually."
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"You asked."
"You answer too honestly."
That finally made him smile properly.
Small.
Sleepy.
Beautiful enough to make her chest ache anyway.
Adrian rolled slightly onto his back afterward, pulling Lia fully against him so her head rested over his heartbeat.
Strong.
Steady.
Comforting.
The intimacy of moments like this still overwhelmed her sometimes.
Not dramatic moments.
Not gala appearances or rings or moving in together.
This.
Thursday mornings tangled together while rain fell outside and Adrian acted emotionally attached to keeping her in bed forever.
That was the dangerous part.
Lia traced lazy circles against his chest absentmindedly.
The reaction was immediate.
Adrian inhaled softly.
His fingers slid slowly along her spine beneath the blanket.
"You do things like that," he murmured quietly, "and then expect me to function professionally afterward."
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
"You're impossible."
"No," Adrian whispered softly.
His forehead rested lightly against the top of her head.
"I'm in love with you."
The confession settled warmly into the room.
No hesitation.
No fear anymore.
Just truth.
Constant truth.
Lia closed her eyes briefly against his chest.
And for several long seconds—
neither of them spoke.
The city outside blurred beneath rain.
The apartment stayed quiet and warm.
Home.
Then suddenly—
Adrian sighed dramatically.
Lia blinked upward.
"What?"
His expression looked genuinely offended.
"I really do have to go."
The disappointment in his voice nearly ruined her emotionally.
Lia smiled softly despite herself.
"You sound betrayed."
"I am betrayed."
"By your own schedule?"
"By capitalism."
That made her laugh again.
Warm.
Real.
Adrian immediately went still beneath her.
Her smile faded slightly.
"What?"
The look on his face nearly destroyed her completely.
Gone.
Absolutely gone.
"You're happy here."
The way he said it—
soft.
Almost disbelieving—
made her chest ache instantly.
Lia reached up and cupped his face gently.
"I'm happy with you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Tender.
Then Adrian leaned down slowly and kissed her like those words physically healed something inside him.
Soft at first.
Then deeper.
Lingering.
His hand slid carefully into her hair while the other remained firmly at her waist like he physically couldn't stop touching her anymore.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead stayed against hers.
And quietly—
with enough love in his voice to ruin her permanently—
"Stay in bed a little longer after I leave."