Catching her reaction, Zachary leaned in until the warmth of his breath stirred a lock of her hair.

"Really?" he murmured, the single word carrying both teasing mischief and quiet

reassurance.

His brow arched with yful concern. "Then why is your face so red?"

Startled, Vivian sprang to her feet and turned her back before the darkness could betray the bloom spreading over her skin.

"It''s probably too warm in here," she insisted, voice a notch too quick. "The heat''s cranked up I''ll lower it."

She padded over to the thermostat, fingers fumbling with the dial.

Zachary trailed after her, gentle concern dusting his tone. "Easy now-take it slow, there''s no rush."

For reasons she could not name, Vivian''s heart drummed hard and erratic against her ribs.

"Mm, I''m not in a hurry," she shot back, obstinacy trying-and failing to mask her fluster.

Zachary saw straight through the pretense, responding with nothing more than a quiet, knowing smile.

Feeling his gaze, Vivian blushed hotter still. She set the temperature lower, turned, and dered, "All right—I''m exhausted. Let''s sleep."

They shared a room now, but the fragile truce involved separate beds ced an arm''s length apart.

Vivian hurried to her bed, shrugged off her jacket, and burrowed beneath the quilt like a startled bird.

Seeing her retreat, Zachary chose not to press further. He settled onto the other mattress with practiced quiet.

Though night was young, sleep refused toe. Vivian''s restless turning scraped softly against the darkness, each rustle magnified.

"Can''t sleep?" Zachary''s voice drifted across the shadowed space.

She hadn''t expected him to be awake as well. After a pause, she answered, "Yeah, kind of."

"I could keep youpany," he offered. "People say the middle months are easiest. Later on, it gets harder to sleep."

At that, Vivian released a muted sigh. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Just bear with it," he said softly. "Once the baby''s here, things will ease." Comforting words did note easily to him. He simply resolved to help her in every ordinary way-meals, rest, and any quiet need she voiced.

She murmured another assent and, almost without noticing, let conversation bloom between them beneath the faint glow of the night-light.

"By the way, how''s Ste Ross holding up these days?" Vivian asked, her tone casual but her eyes giving away a spark of curiosity that refused to be masked.

Zachary rested his elbows on his

knees and answered with a reluctant sigh. "My men just reported that she''s in a pretty rough spot. She'' sharing a ward with a patient who''s legitimately unstable. That''s about as bad as it sounds."  s

Vivian listened to the update in perfect stillness. The calm, almost indifferent way Zachary spoke of Ste told her-finally,

conclusively-that his heart hoo

hidden affection for the woman For reasons she could not name, the realization loosened a tight knot inside her chest.  s

Conversation drifted on, words growing softer, sentences fading like embers. Before either of them realized, Vivian''s eyelids fluttered shut and she slipped into sleep.

Zachary kept talking to the empty room, waiting for her reply. When silence answered back, he turned and discovered her breathing slow and deep, lost to the world.

"Vivian," he whispered, the name barely a vibration in themplight, yet she did not stir.

Seeing her so deeply asleep, Zachary swung his legs off his own bed, padded across the small stretch of floor, and paused at her bedside.

Under the glow of the bedsidemp, her features softened into a gentle roundness-cheeks full,shes sweeping, an unguarded loveliness that made his breath catch for beat longer thanfort allowed.  s

Impulse overruled caution. He eased onto the edge of her mattress, then carefullyy down beside her, stealing the warmth her small body radiated.

Vivian did not stir. She only sensed extra heat and a suddenck of space, so she rolled toward the far side, curling into the narrow corner like a kitten seeking shade.

Dawn painted the curtains pink. Vivian opened her eyes-and found Zachary''s face inches from her own, every freckle and eysh magnified.

A jolt of numb shock surged through her limbs. Instinct took over; she shoved at his shoulders.fna6ca Get full chapters from find?novel/fna6ca

"Wake up! What are you doing in my bed?" Her brows knitted in outrage as she pushed him again, harder this time, every motion fueled by outrage and embarrassment.

Zachary''s eyes fluttered open. Only then did he remember he had never returned to his own bed.

Rubbing his eyes, he feigned dazed confusion. "Huh? How did I end up here?"

"You''re asking me?" Vivian snapped, then, more incredulous than angry, added, "Sleepwalking? Seriously?"

He raked a hand through his hair, wearing an expression of sheepish apology. "Sorry. I had issues with sleepwalking as a kid-guess it red up again. If you don''t believe me, ask Grandpa George."

"I mean it," he insisted, forcing a rueful smile. "You can ask Grandpa."