Chapter 480 The Man in Her Bed

Chapter 480: Chapter 480 The Man in Her Bed

The water shimmered around Rose, and a thin layer of bubbles offered some cover, though not nearly enough.

If anything, the sight only made it harder for Ryan to look away.

Something shifted in his gaze, turning his eyes dark and unreadable. His heart beat faster, and a strange restlessness stirred inside him.

Rose quickly realized where he was looking. Her face burned as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself.

“Get out!” she snapped through clenched teeth.

“Okay.”

To her surprise, Ryan didn’t argue. He simply stepped back and closed the bathroom door behind him.

He’d only come in because he’d noticed the door was open. He hadn’t known she was taking a bath.

Now that he was back in the bedroom, he sat down on the edge of the bed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His gaze settled on the carpet, though his thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

His throat felt painfully dry.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the nightstand and drained it in one go. Only then did he close his eyes and clear his throat, trying to compose himself.

Unfortunately, the image of Rose in the bathtub refused to leave his mind.

*****

Rose took her time in the bathroom, going through her usual skincare routine before blow-drying her hair.

By the time she finally emerged, it was already late.

The first thing she noticed was the man lying in her bed.

Ryan had apparently made himself comfortable beneath the covers.

Since his eyesight hadn’t fully recovered, he often kept his eyes closed to avoid straining them. At the sound of the door opening, however, he lifted his eyelids and looked straight at her.

He said nothing.

He simply watched her in silence.

Rose paused for a moment, then carried on as though nothing had happened.

She’d been startled in the bathroom, of course. It had been more than two years since she’d last been intimate with Ryan, and seeing him suddenly standing in the doorway while she was bathing had caught her completely off guard.

But the embarrassment had passed.

They’d been married for years. They’d shared a bed, a home, and countless intimate moments. There was very little about each other they hadn’t already seen.

Compared with their past, an awkward encounter in the bathroom wasn’t worth making a fuss over.

“Didn’t James arrange a room for you?”

She walked over to the bed and pulled at the blanket covering him.

Ryan didn’t budge.

“I’m not comfortable sleeping in that room.”

Rose gave him a disbelieving look.

“The bed is practically identical to this one.”

“It’s not the bed.”

“Then what is it?”

He looked at her.

“You’re not there.”

Rose fell silent.

“I’m not used to sleeping without you,” he added. “I can’t see properly yet, and the headaches keep me awake. I don’t feel safe when you’re not around.”

The words caught her off guard.

Ryan continued watching her, seemingly aware that her resolve was beginning to weaken.

Then he reached for her hand.

“I need you.”

His voice was low and unhurried, each word landing with more weight than it should have.

A shiver ran down Rose’s spine.

Ever since losing his memory, Ryan had become dangerously good at getting his way. He’d somehow developed a talent for saying exactly the right thing at exactly the wrong moment, leaving her struggling to find a reason to refuse him.

It was infuriating.

She forced herself to look stern.

“Don’t try that on me. We’re going to sleep, and that’s it.”

Ryan blinked innocently.

“What else would we be doing?”

Rose stared at him.

She couldn’t tell whether he was deliberately playing dumb or genuinely didn’t understand why she was annoyed. His expression was so calm, so matter-of-fact, that she couldn’t find a suitable response.

“I’m exhausted. Do whatever you want,” she muttered at last.

Arguing with Ryan was pointless. Even without his memories, his ability to talk circles around her remained perfectly intact.

Rose reached toward the bedside lamp, intending to turn it off, but stopped halfway.

After a moment’s hesitation, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over herself instead.

Ryan’s eyesight was still poor. If he got up during the night and couldn’t see properly, he might stumble or hurt himself.

That was all.

At least, that was what she told herself.

Ryan noticed the small gesture. A faint smile touched the corners of his mouth, though he wisely kept it to himself.

He rolled onto his side and watched Rose’s back as she settled facing away from him.

After a moment, he reached over and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, letting them fall neatly across her pillow.

Rose felt the movement.

She chose to ignore it.

She was far too tired to deal with his antics tonight.

Before long, she drifted off to sleep.

*****

She had no idea how much time had passed when a sudden feeling of pressure woke her.

It was dark outside, and she could barely move.

Confused, Rose opened her eyes and realized that Ryan had wrapped both arms around her, holding her so tightly that their bodies were pressed together.

She froze.

Her first instinct was to kick him out of the bed, but she stopped herself before moving.

The room was dimly lit, just bright enough for her to make out his face a few inches from hers.

He’d lost a considerable amount of weight during his illness. His already sharp features looked even more defined now, and the shadows beneath his prominent brow made his eyes appear deeper. His long eyelashes rested against his skin.

Rose had known Ryan since childhood. She’d always known he was handsome.

But his looks had never been ordinary. There was something distinctive about him, an almost effortless elegance that made him difficult to forget once you’d seen him.

Perhaps that was part of the reason she’d carried feelings for him for so many years.

And now, with him lying this close, she found herself staring.

He was right there.

So close that the slightest movement would bring them into contact.

Not so long ago, she’d nearly lost him forever.

Even now, the memory of how close he’d come to dying sometimes felt unreal. There had been moments when she’d been unable to imagine a world in which Ryan Knight no longer existed.

The thought made her chest tighten.

Without thinking, she raised a hand and gently touched his chin.

Warm.

Real.

A quiet breath escaped her.

Relief washed over her as she let herself believe, just for a moment, that he was truly there and that she hadn’t lost him after all.

She was just beginning to withdraw her hand when Ryan’s eyes suddenly opened.

There was no trace of sleepiness in them.

His gaze was startlingly clear, as though he’d been awake all along.

Before Rose could pull away, he caught her hand and drew her closer. He rested his forehead against hers, then brushed his nose gently against the tip of hers.

“Caught you sneaking a feel.”

Rose blinked.

“I was checking whether you were still alive.”

“Were you?”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure you were still breathing.”

She tried to turn her face away, but Ryan’s hands settled on her shoulders. In one smooth movement, he rolled over, bringing her beneath him.

“Then check again.”

His gaze moved slowly across her face, lingering on her eyes before dropping to her lips.

“See if my breathing is normal.”

“Ryan.”

Rose tried to push him away, but he caught her hands.

His lips hovered just above hers. He brushed them lightly against hers, then stole a brief kiss.

“Hmm?” he murmured. “What’s wrong?”

Rose went rigid.

“Get off me. Stop fooling around. We need to sleep.”

“Weren’t you the one who woke me up?”

He lifted his head slightly, watching her with an infuriatingly innocent expression. One hand rested against the pillow beside her head, keeping her attention fixed on him.

“Honey, you can’t have it all your own way.”

“You—”

She didn’t get to finish.

Ryan leaned down and kissed her again, cutting off her protest. The unexpected intimacy threw her off balance, leaving her struggling to gather her thoughts.

“Ryan!”

Rose tried to pull away and even nipped at his lip, but he moved just enough to avoid it. He caught her hands against the mattress, and she realized how difficult it was to push him away, even though he was still recovering from a serious illness.

Then she noticed something else.

His mood was different.

Very different.

There was an intensity in his eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago, as though something had suddenly stirred up emotions he couldn’t quite control.

Rose turned her head sharply, avoiding another kiss.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Ryan went still.

“Are you upset with me?” she asked.

His throat moved as he swallowed.

“Don’t you like it when I touch you?”

There was something in his voice that made Rose hesitate.

A trace of hurt, perhaps.

Yet his face remained composed, giving her no clear indication of what he was thinking.

Rose had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.

“When I say no, I mean no,” she told him firmly. “Don’t think you can sweet-talk me into changing my mind, Ryan. It’s not going to work.”

He stared at her for a long moment.

Then he asked quietly, “Is he allowed to touch you like this?”

Rose frowned.

“What?”

“When you’re with him. Does this happen?”

She stared at him, completely taken aback.

Ryan’s expression changed almost imperceptibly.

“Forget it.”

He didn’t explain himself or ask another question. Instead, he pulled her into his arms again, holding her tightly against his chest.

It was almost as though he wanted to keep her there, to make certain she couldn’t disappear the moment he let go.

Rose didn’t understand what had brought this on.

Was he jealous of Trevor? Was he worried that she might leave him? Or was there something else bothering him that he couldn’t put into words?

Whatever it was, he seemed to have calmed down.

And as long as he didn’t try anything else, Rose was too exhausted to question him.

She settled against the pillow and closed her eyes.

Sleep was far more appealing than trying to make sense of Ryan Knight.

*****

When Rose woke the next morning, Ryan was already out of bed.

She heard movement from the bathroom just as he stepped through the doorway, freshly showered and dressed. The mirror behind him was clear, and there was no lingering steam in the room.

Rose took one look at him and immediately frowned.

“Did you take a cold shower?”

Ryan leaned against the doorframe, looking down at her. He was nearly a head taller than she was, and the relaxed way he crossed his arms only made him look more infuriatingly unconcerned.

“Why would you do that?” she demanded. “Have you forgotten you’re still recovering?”

Ryan regarded her with a lazy, almost amused expression.

Then he said casually, “I had a dream last night.”

Rose narrowed her eyes.

“And?”

“I needed a cold shower.”