Beauty and The Beta (Bailey)

talked of sport the sway my Dad would, so it wasn't like | was clueless. But, tonight the hallways were

empty, as | slipped into the lounge, and picked up the remote control, and laid myself out on the large black

leather sofa that was in front of the big screen TV mounted on the wall. | scrolled through the films that were

available to watch until | found one that I thought I might enjoy, and | put it on.

Just as it began, | heard footsteps near the door and | glanced up, only to find Beta Asher glancing in at me,

peering over the edge of the sofa curiously, | tried not to smile. "I am still alive, if that is what you are trying to

check." | said sarcastically, because | was truly unsure what he was looking atfor.

He chuckled. "Good to know. Though | was checking to see if you had fallen asleep again. If you had, | was going

to bring you a blanket."

My heart fluttered a little at his words. | had fallen asleep on the sofa the other night, watching a documentary,

and had awoken a number of hours later covered in a blanket. | had assumed one of the guards must have come

in and seen me. Doing the Dad thing, as that was always something my Dad used to do when I fell asleep

watching TV... seems it may well have been Asher after all.

| pulled myself to a seated position, so | could see him properly. "That was you?" | muttered.

"Who else would it be?" he asked incredulously, sounding more than a little confused.

| shrugged. "I kind of assumed it may have been one of the guards."

He smirked. “Assumed or hoped?" he shrugged. "Besides, they may cin to do a late night patrol around

10pm or 11pm Bailey, but you had fallen asleep nearer midnight. Nobody would be around the packhouse then,

or | should hope not. And if they were, they would be breaking in, and | don't think they would be placing a

blanket on you because they didn't want you getting cold."

| find myself smiling now, he can be the weirdest sometimes. One minute nasty. Next minute, ignoring me. Next

minute sweet. His mood swings could give a girl whiplash...

"Well, thank you." | told him with a smile.

"I'd say you are welcome, but seeing as you thought it was the guards because you clearly thought | wasn't

capable of being kind, | don't know." He said bluntly, and | felt myself a little taken aback by his words. Until |

looked up at him and saw his smirking, and realized he was teasing. | shook my head at him.

"You aren't funny, you know."

"Uh-huh. So you keep telling me."

| sarcastically smiled at him, and he chewed his lower lip awkwardly.

"I will leave you to your film, Bailey. | have work to finish." He said, and I looked at him with a frown.

"You are working this late? You know it isn't good to be working so late? That is probably why you look so tired all

the time..." then | saw the way he was looking atand realized | may have overstepped the mark with my

words, and tried to smile sweetly to cover myself.

"I struggle to sleep anyway, as | already told you. Which is why | work more. Givessomething to do. And it

means we get more done." He toldwith a shrug.

I sensed a little discomfort from him now, and | know it is likely from the conversation we had when | went to his

home. He did say he had struggled sleeping since he lost his mate. | am sure that was what it was...

"And you cannot tellyou do not work late, because you toldyou do, and | have seen you sitting at the

coffee table. working the other night.” He raised his brows at me, and | recalled the night he was speaking of

when | brought slesson plans down to the lounge to work on. As there was more room at the coffee table

than in my little room. Dammit. | can't exactly argue with him now...

| shrugged dismissively. "Fine, Mr Know-it-all." | stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed.

"A funny guy and Mr Know-it-all,

wow, | am doing well for myself." He grinned. "Enjoy your film Bailey." He nodded in acknowledgment toward me

before leaving the room, leavingto sit back into the soft cushions of the sofa, watching him walk away from

me, a smile playing upon my lips as | planned to watch my film...

A few hours later:

| stretched slightly, stirring from my sleep. Feeling uncomfortable where | lay, my eyelids fluttering, as | tried

hard to pry open my eyes, trying to establish where | was. This did not feel like my comfortable bed. It was only

as my eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the darkness, that realized | was still in the lounge, laid out on the

sofa. | must have crashed out on the sofa as | watched the film, like | so often did when | watched TV. | looked

down, to see my body covered in a soft, navy fleecy blanket. | pulled it closer to me, thinking of my earlier

conversation with Asher, with a

smile on my face.

Snuggling into the sofa a little more, | wrapped the blanket tighter around me, noticing then that the blanket

smelled heavily of Asher. It must be one

of his blankets, | thought sleepily. | drifted back to sleep with Akira almost purring contently, a smile upon my

face, and the scent of Asher filling my

senses...

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