Chapter 144: Chapter Hundred And Forty Three

It was a gentle, sweet, innocent kiss. It was the kind of kiss a person gives to someone they truly trust and feel safe with in the dark. It lasted for only a brief second, but the feeling of her soft lips against his skin felt like a burning brand of fire.

Camilla let out another soft sigh, finally satisfied. She relaxed her arms completely, letting them fall away from his neck and rest comfortably on the soft mattress. She turned her head, buried her face into the pillow, and immediately went back to a deep, peaceful sleep.

Damon was left completely frozen, bent awkwardly over the bed.

Damon blinked.

He blinked again.

His eyes were wide open in absolute, total shock. His entire body felt perfectly stiff, as if he had just been turned into a solid stone statue.

He could still feel the exact spot on his cheek where her lips had touched him. The spot felt incredibly hot, tingling with a strange, electric energy.

His heart began to race. It beat wildly, hammering against his chest so hard he thought it might break his ribs. He was a man who commanded thousands of soldiers. He faced death almost every single day. But a simple, sleepy kiss on the cheek from his own wife had completely and utterly paralyzed him.

Damon swallowed hard. His throat felt dry. He slowly, carefully stood up straight. He looked down at her sleeping face. She looked so innocent, so fragile.

He reached down with his shaking hands. He grabbed the thick wool blankets and pulled them up. He tucked her in securely, making sure she was completely warm.

Damon took a step backward. He needed to leave the immediate area. He needed to clear his head.

He turned around and walked quickly across the bedroom. He went straight into the attached bathing room. He closed the door quietly behind him.

Damon walked over to the washbasin. He grabbed a small wooden bucket and dipped it into the barrel of cold, fresh water.

He splashed the freezing cold water directly onto his face.

He rubbed the cold water over his eyes, his cheeks, and the back of his neck. He tried to cool down the sudden, intense heat that was rushing through his veins. He tried to cool down what he was feeling.

He leaned his hands heavily on the edge of the washbasin, breathing deeply. Water dripped from his dark hair and fell onto the stone floor.

"What is happening to me?" Damon thought to himself, staring blindly into the dark room.

He thought about everything he had learned tonight. His wife was a master of combat. She was an assassin. She was incredibly rich. She manipulated situations, made a fool of his enemies and actively stirred up feelings he never knew existed.

The cold water was not working. The heat in his chest remained strong and steady.

Damon finally let out a long breath. He grabbed a clean towel from a wooden rack. He dried his face and his hair carefully.

He took off the clothes he was wearing. He put on his sleeping trousers. He left his chest bare.

He opened the washroom door and walked back into the main bedroom.

Damon walked slowly over to the large bed. He did not go back to the floor. The floor was empty now, the blanket abandoned.

He walked to the opposite side of the bed, away from where Camilla was sleeping.

He sat down carefully at the very edge of the other side of the bed. The soft mattress dipped slightly under his weight.

He did not lie down immediately. He sat there in the quiet darkness, turning his head to look at her.

She was sleeping on her side, facing him. The thick blankets covered her up to her shoulders.

Damon slowly raised his right hand. He brought his fingers up to his own face. He gently touched the exact place on his cheek where she had kissed him. The skin still felt warm.

He lowered his hand. He looked closely at her face.

She looked so peaceful, but some strands of her hair had fallen forward, messily covering her eyes and her cheek.

Damon moved.

He slowly lifted his legs and got completely into the bed. He laid his large body down onto the soft mattress, right beside her. He kept a respectful distance between them, but they were finally sharing the same bed.

He turned onto his side, facing her. He reached out his hand across the space between them.

Very gently, moving with extreme care so he would not wake her, Damon pushed the stray strands of red hair aside. He tucked the soft curls neatly behind her ear, completely clearing her beautiful face.

He let his hand rest lightly on the pillow near her head.

As he looked at her, his mind went back to the conversation he had in the dark hallway just a few minutes ago.

He remembered exactly what Mr. Murry had told him. He remembered the old housekeeper’s exact words when explaining why Camilla had sneaked out.

"The lady said you will definitely get your father’s land back."

Damon thought about those words. Murry had believed she was just expressing wifely faith in her husband.

But she didn’t just have faith in him. She had actively ensured the victory herself.

Damon moved his hand slightly. His fingers lingered very gently on her soft cheek, lightly touching her warm skin.

He spoke. The room was completely silent, so his voice was nothing more than a quiet, deep, whisper.

"Thank you," Damon said softly into the darkness.

He kept his fingers lingering on her face, feeling the steady rhythm of her breathing. He made a firm, absolute decision in his mind. He knew how to protect valuable assets. And the woman lying next to him was the most valuable person he had ever known.

If she wanted to hide her true identity, he would let her hide it. If she wanted to pretend to be a weak, innocent noblewoman, he would support her act completely. He would not expose her secret to the world. He would not ask her questions she did not want to answer.

"Since you love to act," Damon whispered, his eyes full of resolve, "I’ll act with you."

He slowly pulled his hand away from her face.

"I will keep your secret completely safe,"

Damon promised her sleeping form, swearing a silent, unbreakable oath in the moonlight.

"And I will protect you from this world, no matter what it takes."

Damon pulled the thick wool blanket up, covering himself comfortably.

He closed his eyes. The hard, cold floor was forgotten. The stress of the day was gone. He felt incredibly peaceful.

Listening to the soft, steady sound of her breathing right beside him, he finally went to sleep.