CHAPTER 291: MIDNIGHT SNACKING

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Chapter 291

~Valerie’s POV~

The wind outside whispered against the windows, but inside, everything was still.

I lay curled in my sheets, with the events of the night before refusing to settle in my mind.

Xander, Dristan, my heat, my secrets. And the ache in my body that refused to go away no matter how tightly I hugged my pillow.

The house had gone quiet hours ago, but sleep remained just out of reach.

I shifted onto my side, the moonlight casting pale lines across the floorboards. I could hear my own soft, restless breathing fill my ears with my scattered thoughts filling my head.

I tossed once more, groaning into the pillow, trying to drown out the persistent ache still curling in my lower belly since the encounter with Dristan.

I had barely managed to get away from him without making things worse, claiming it was the heat and not anything else, though we both knew there was more underneath.

There always was. I guess once again, I was the problem.

Now, my head was foggy and my body restless.

Something brushed lightly against my leg. And I brushed it off in my mind, choosing instead to focus on anything else.

It moved again, this time inching higher up my thigh.

Was it a spider or what?

I brushed my legs together only for me to feel its legs crawling higher up my thigh.

I jerked upright, heart leaping. The room was dark save for the faint moonlight slipping past the curtains.

I blinked rapidly, peering into the shadows when I felt it again, soft, like fingertips grazing over skin. My breath immediately ceased in my throat.

I started to move, to throw the sheets off and leap out of bed, when a hand sprang up from underneath the cover and clamped down gently but firmly over my mouth.

A body shifted, pressing lightly against mine as I froze.

Warm breath fanned my ear. "Shh... It’s me."

Xade?

The shadows melted away just enough for me to see his face. Tousled silver hair, bare chest, and a boyish, almost innocent smirk that made no sense given the way he looked right now.

"Relax," he whispered, removing his hand and trailing his fingers lightly down my thigh. "You’re too tense."

My voice failed me.

What the fuck was Xade Xavier doing in my room and underneath the covers in my bed in the dead of the night?

My traitorous body trembled in anticipation as Xade leaned in and kissed me without asking, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

His lips were soft but confident, coaxing my mind to stillness even as my heart pounded.

I should’ve pushed him away, should’ve said something, but I was stuck in some strange daze.

Some part of me wanted to melt, wanted to escape the whirlwind of chaos and confusion with someone who only ever looked at me like I was his entire universe.

His mouth moved to my neck, grazing gently down the column of my throat. I gasped when he kissed lower, his hands sliding under the hem of my sleep shirt... when had it ridden up that far?

Before I could fully process what was happening, he shifted downward, fingers curling around the inside of my thighs, and slowly parted them.

"Xade..." I breathed, eyes wide. He met my gaze for a brief second before lowering his head between my legs.

My brows drew together. I was still in my nighties... Well, technically, my panties and very loose shorts.

While my mind was occupied with thoughts, I felt his hand hook around the hem of my shorts and panties and in one swift move, he pulled them down, exposing my bare pussy to him.

For a heartbeat, everything stilled.

He didn’t move, didn’t speak.

I blinked down at him, chest rising and falling too fast, and saw the awe in his eyes. It was like he was staring at something sacred, something he couldn’t believe he was allowed to look at.

I felt heat spreading across my cheeks, mixing with a deeper, more intense feeling than just embarrassment. When he looked up and locked eyes with me for a moment, his gaze dropped down again, staying on me for a little longer.

That’s when I realised just how wet I already was.

I clenched my thighs instinctively, but it was too late. He’d seen my most private part... felt, smelled me.

And he looked like he loved it.

I held my breath as I watched him lean in slowly, his eyes still on mine. My legs were trembling. I could feel the ghost of his breath between my thighs, and it sent a ripple up my spine.

My body was betraying every guarded instinct, every careful boundary I thought I had.

Still, he didn’t rush.

When he finally leaned in, he didn’t ask.

The second his tongue trailed my wet slit from down all the way up, I forgot to breathe.

I nearly cried out, but the sound caught in my throat. Instead, a broken sound escaped my throat, something between a gasp and a whimper, as my back arched off the bed.

I gripped the sheets tightly, my knuckles turning white as my body arched without my control.

His tongue moved again, this time more confidently.

It was soft, warm, and devastatingly slow like he wasn’t in a hurry... like he wanted to explore every part of me with his mouth.

He flicked the tip of his tongue gently, then pressed a little firmer, making my hips twitch with need.

"Xade..." I whispered in a shaky voice.

I wasn’t sure if it was meant to stop him or encourage him. Maybe both.

But he didn’t pause.

His hands came up, firm on my hips, holding me in place as I instinctively tried to close my thighs around his head. He didn’t let me.

Instead, he spread me wider, keeping me completely open to him as he continued.

His tongue dipped lower, circling in slow, maddening patterns before flicking back up to that sensitive spot that made me jerk in response.