His entire body froze like a solid block of ice. Having her soft body pressed so closely against him, smelling the sweet, clean scent of her hair, sent another dangerous, hot rush of blood completely through his veins. He clenched his hands tightly into fists on his lap, trying desperately to control his racing heart.

"I promise I won’t do anything to you," Camilla whispered softly right next to his ear, reassuring him sweetly. "I will stay on my side of the bed. I just want you to rest comfortably."

Outwardly, she sounded like a perfect angel.

But inside her head, her internal voice was completely focused on survival.

"He must absolutely not see what is hidden underneath this bed," Camilla thought to herself frantically, holding him tight. "I must keep him trapped on top of this mattress at all costs!"

Damon sat frozen on the bed.

He felt her soft arms holding his neck. He listened to her sweet, spoken promise.

And then, he clearly heard her panicked, desperate thoughts echoing loudly inside his own mind. He heard her mentioning about hiding something.

Damon’s eyes narrowed sharply. The suspicion in his mind instantly hardened into absolute certainty.

He slowly reached up and gently grabbed her wrists. He pulled her arms away from his neck, unwrapping her tight hug. He looked at her palm and saw scratches then looked directly into her eyes.

Damon spoke. His deep voice was completely calm, but it carried a sharp demanding edge.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Damon asked, staring right through her fake innocence.

Camilla’s heart skipped a beat. She froze for a tiny fraction of a second. She did not expect him to ask such a direct question.

She quickly forced a bright, amused smile onto her face.

Camilla laughed lightly.

Haha.

The sound was bright, but it felt very tense in the quiet room.

"What could I possibly hide from you, My Lord?" Camilla replied smoothly, waving her hand dismissively in the air. She stepped back from him slightly. "I have been inside this mansion all day. I have absolutely no secrets."

Damon did not believe a single word she said. He knew she was hiding something , because he had just heard her think about it. But he wanted to see how far she would push her ridiculous lies.

Damon leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked up at her with a completely cold suspicious gaze.

"Are you hiding a man under the bed?" Damon asked bluntly, his voice dropping into a threatening whisper.

He raised a dark eyebrow, challenging her directly.

"Is that why you tackled me to the floor earlier?" Damon accused her coldly. "Is that why you suddenly want me to sleep on the soft mattress? Are you desperate to stop me from looking under the bed frame and finding your secret lover?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Camilla stared at him. For a moment, she was completely speechless.

She could not believe he had just accused her of hiding a man under the bed. It was the most ridiculous, insulting thing she had ever heard.

But at the same time, it was the perfect distraction. If he thought she was hiding a lover, he wouldn’t suspect she was a highly trained assassin hiding a fortune.

Camilla quickly stepped forward. She placed her hands on his shoulders again. She leaned down and gently caressed his cheek with her soft fingers.

She looked at him with an expression of offended shock.

"How is that possible, My Lord?" Camilla asked softly, her voice full of sweet, wounded pride. "How could you even think such a terrible thing of me? I am completely devoted to you."

She slowly dropped her hand from his face. She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, looking highly insulted.

"If you don’t believe me," Camilla challenged him boldly, lifting her chin with absolute confidence. "I will sleep on the hard floor instead. I will leave the bed entirely to you, so you can inspect the room as much as you please."

She turned her back to him, fully intending to walk over to the corner and grab a blanket.

The very moment her soft touch completely left his face, Damon felt a sudden sharp sense of cold emptiness. The warmth of her hand vanished, leaving his skin feeling completely cold in the quiet room.

He looked at her small figure turning away from him. He saw her preparing to sleep on the hard, cold floorboards.

Damon’s protective instincts instantly flared to life. He was a military commander, but he was also a gentleman. He absolutely could not allow his wife to sleep on the floor while he slept comfortably on the soft mattress. It went against every single rule of honor he possessed.

"How could I let you sleep on the floor?" Damon protested quickly, standing up from the edge of the bed. His deep voice sounded genuinely appalled by the idea. "That’s completely..."

Damon didn’t finish his words.

Camilla had already moved with incredible speed.

Before Damon could even step forward to stop her, Camilla had already walked over to the wardrobe. She opened the doors quickly, reached inside, and pulled out a thick, heavy wool blanket and turned to the bed and took a pillow.

She turned around and walked over to the exact same spot on the floor where Damon had been sleeping nights before.

She quickly arranged the thick blanket into a soft pad on the hard wood. She dropped the pillow perfectly at the top.

Camilla lay down onto the makeshift bed on the floor. She pulled the edges of the wool blanket tightly around her shoulders, completely burying herself in the warm fabric.

She looked up at Damon standing near the bed. She smiled a very small victorious

smug smile.

"Goodnight, My Lord," Camilla said softly.

She closed her eyes, turned her face toward the wall, and pretended to instantly fall asleep.

Damon stood completely still in the middle of the large bedroom.

He stared down at her small, blanket-wrapped form lying on the floor.

He slowly turned his head and looked back at the empty bed sitting behind him.

He ran his large hand tiredly through his dark hair. He let out a very long, very heavy, exhausted sigh. He realized he had been completely outplayed. She had used his own sense of honor against him perfectly. By volunteering to sleep on the floor, she had forced him to take the bed, completely distracting him.

Damon walked slowly over to the edge of the bed. He sat down heavily on the soft mattress.

He did not lie down immediately. He sat on the edge, looking down at the stubborn, frustrating, unpredictable woman sleeping on the hard floorboards.

Damon shook his head slowly in the dim light, wondering exactly how he was going to survive living with a woman who constantly outsmarted him.