Chapter 472
472:
“Wake up, honey.”
A warm hand cupped her cheek, moving in slow, gentle strokes. Half-awake, Linsey instinctively leaned into the warmth of the touch.
A quiet chuckle followed.
A second later, something soft pressed against her forehead. Her lashes fluttered as she forced her heavy eyelids open, just in time to catch Collin pulling away.
“Did you just steal a kiss?” she mumbled, narrowing her eyes as realization set in.
Collin raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, his expression impossible to read. Then, without warning, he leaned down and kissed her—slow, lingering, and filled with affection. When he finally pulled back, he met her gaze and said, “Now that’s a kiss.”
Linsey blinked, still shaking off the last traces of sleep. So, in his mind, a kiss on the forehead didn’t count. Only a kiss on the lips did.
She shifted slightly, but before she could wake up fully, sleepiness crept in again. Mumbling, she complained, “I don’t want to get up. Why are you waking me up? You must’ve read the time wrong. It’s way too early. Let me sleep a little longer.”
Her voice trailed off as she started drifting off again.
Collin let out an amused breath, watching her with nothing but fondness. “Honey, if you don’t get up now, you’re going to be late.” He couldn’t help but find it amusing. This had to be the first time Linsey—who lived for her job—was refusing to get out of bed on a workday.
His fingers brushed against her warm cheek. “I’m serious. You really have to get up now.”
After a pause, he added with a smirk, “Unless—you want me to call in and get you the day off?”
The second those words left his mouth, her drowsy eyes snapped wide open.
“No way! I can’t just take the day off. I still have design drafts to go through!” Linsey shot upright in bed, her movements sharp and unsteady.
Collin, always alert, steadied her with a firm hand on her back.
“Easy now. You don’t want to make yourself dizzy.”
She let out a tired sigh, pressing her fingers to her temples.
“Now that you mention it… I do feel a little lightheaded.”
His expression shifted instantly. Worry flickered in his eyes as he watched her.
Something wasn’t right.
Without hesitation, he reached out and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead.
“Are you running a fever?”
Linsey shook her head, her gaze meeting his.
“No, just exhausted.”
Collin studied her carefully before speaking.
“We haven’t exactly had sex these past few days. Why…”
Before he could finish, her face turned bright red. She clamped a hand over his mouth.
“What are you even saying right now?”
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