Chapter 280: Snuck In At Night!

The house was quiet when Luca stirred awake. A faint click came from the bedroom door. His eyes opened immediately.

"Who is it?"

Before he could sit up, someone slipped beneath the covers and curled into his arms. The familiar warmth made him pause.

"Rachel?"

She wrapped an arm around his neck, her face half-hidden in the darkness. A shy smile touched her lips before she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. Moonlight filtered through the curtains, just enough to reveal the faint moisture gathered in her dark eyes.

Luca looked at her for a moment before amusement crept into his voice.

"So you waited until Arabella was away and snuck into my room?"

"Hehe." Rachel pressed herself closer.

"I wanted to sleep with you." She had been thinking about this for days.

Ever since she had watched Arabella casually curl up beside Luca, Rachel had wondered what it would feel like to fall asleep in his arms.

The problem was that Arabella had been spending most of her time at the house lately.

Rachel had almost managed to sneak into Luca’s room once before, only to accidentally wake Trish. She’d been forced to pretend she was getting up to use the bathroom, and the opportunity had vanished.

Tonight, though, Arabella had received a phone call during dinner and had to leave. Rachel had learned from her previous mistake. This time, she made sure no one noticed.

"Luca, you smell really good." She buried her face against his chest and breathed in the scent of his shower gel. A quiet laugh escaped her. She really liked it.

Luca’s usual scent was fresh and clean, almost like the first breeze of morning after a warm night. Rachel found it strangely comforting. She shifted closer, until there was almost no space between them.

It was summer, and although the air conditioning kept the room cool, neither of them was wearing much beyond light pajamas. The warmth of his body was impossible to ignore.

"Luca..." Her voice was soft. She lifted her head, moved closer, and before Luca could ask what she was doing, she leaned toward his ear.

He felt her lips brush against it. Luca’s breath caught.

’This girl...’ Where had she learned to be this bold?

Rachel had always been shy around him. Seeing this side of her was almost enough to make him wonder whether someone had secretly replaced her. He caught her by the arms.

"Rachel." His voice was firmer this time. He took a slow breath and forced himself to calm down. When he looked at her again, she was watching him with nervous, almost hopeful eyes. Luca couldn’t help smiling.

"You’re trouble, you know that?" He leaned forward and kissed her.

Rachel’s eyes widened for a moment before she relaxed into it. When they separated, Luca gently held her around the waist.

"Now go to sleep." A tiny flicker of disappointment crossed Rachel’s face. She had spent hours researching how to seduce a man, convinced that tonight would finally be the night she stopped holding herself back.

When Luca had kissed her back, she had thought her plan had worked. Apparently, she’d been a little too optimistic.

"Okay..." She pouted.

"But don’t you need to calm down first?" She was practically wrapped around him. There was no way she hadn’t noticed the effect she was having.

Luca gave her a look.

Rachel immediately understood.

’Okay... maybe I pushed things a little too far.’

She had another reason for backing down. Luca had already told her that the timing wasn’t right. And, if she was being honest with herself, she was still nervous about taking things any further.

’Can I really handle all of this?’

She couldn’t help thinking about Sophie.

’No wonder my sister likes staying in bed when Luca is around.’

The thought made Rachel’s face heat up.

’She’s amazing.’

Luca, naturally, had no idea what was running through her head. He only knew that she had suddenly become very quiet.

"Rachel, stop moving." He sighed. "If you keep doing that, neither of us is getting any sleep."

She had been testing his patience for the last several minutes, shifting around one moment and brushing against him the next. She probably thought she was being subtle. She wasn’t.

Rachel’s eyes darted away. Then she smiled.

"Oh, Luca... I want to help too."

She had already decided that if she couldn’t do what she had originally planned, she could at least make things easier for him. Luca rolled his eyes.

"You really don’t know when to stop, do you?" He gave her a playful pinch, earning a startled little gasp.

Rachel’s cheeks immediately turned bright red. She froze beneath the covers.

"Go to sleep," Luca ordered, trying not to laugh. "And behave." Rachel buried her face against his chest.

’He’s so mean.’ She didn’t dare move again.

Eventually, the room grew quiet. Rachel listened as Luca’s breathing gradually slowed.

He was falling asleep. She could have tried again. But she didn’t want to disturb him. Even if nothing had gone according to plan, she was still happy. She had wanted to sleep beside him. Now she was.

"Goodnight, Luca." A smile lingered on her lips as she closed her eyes.

Luca waited until her breathing became steady before opening his eyes again. He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and shook his head.

"You’re quite the little devil."

He pulled the blanket higher around her shoulders, then closed his eyes.

It wasn’t long before he fell asleep too.

...

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, and a gentle breeze stirred the fabric by the window.

"Hehe... Rachel. So you really did go with my brother."

Rachel stood by the bed, staring at the person lying on the bed. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were half-open, and she looked as though she had barely slept.

Rachel suddenly understood why. She had apparently spent the entire night dreaming. Trish had been sprawled across the bed in a position that somehow took up almost the entire mattress.

Rachel stared at her for a moment.

’So this is why she keeps complaining about feeling like she’s been crushed by a truck in her dreams.’

It would have been funny if Trish hadn’t somehow managed to make the dream sound eerily realistic. For a brief moment, Rachel had even wondered whether Trish had somehow discovered her secret. Thankfully, she was just talking in her sleep.

She reached over and nudged her friend’s shoulder.

"Trish. It’s morning. Get up."

"Mmm..."

Trish mumbled something incomprehensible, rolled onto her side, and pulled the blanket over herself.

Rachel stared at her.

"You have got to be kidding me."

She pinched Trish’s nose. Nothing.

She pinched it again. Still nothing.

"Wake up!"

...

Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered around the breakfast table. Trish sat there with the most miserable expression imaginable.

Luca noticed almost immediately. "What happened to you?" He glanced at her over his breakfast. "You look like someone stole your entire weekend."

Then he looked toward Rachel. Rachel only shrugged. She had no idea what was wrong either. Trish had apparently woken up like this. The girl had barely said a word since getting out of bed.

Luca frowned. "Did something happen this morning?"

Trish lowered her head even further. Rachel quietly took another bite of breakfast. She had a feeling she knew exactly what had happened. And she was trying very hard not to laugh.