<h4>Chapter 39 - Laughter</h4>


    Mnie stared at the man lounging on the bed,ughing his head off as if this was the funniest thing he had ever witnessed. She scowled, marched towards him and jabbed a finger at his shoulder as she used, "All of this is because of you."


    For some reason those words made himugh harder as he fell back on the bed, now sprawling across the pillows.. The sheer absurdity of the situation had him in stitches. Mnie just stood there, arms crossed, watching him with a mix of exasperation and reluctant amusement. Well, the man did have an infectiousugh. She could feel the corners of her lips twitch despite herself, but she managed to rein it in, straightening her posture as she red down at him.


    "I''m so d you find this funny," she said dryly. "If you had not insisted on exchanging the bedrooms, I would have been sleeping so peacefully at this time..."


    Adam finally caught his breath, though a smirk still lingered on his face as heced his fingers behind his head and met her gaze. "Come on, Melon. It is a little funny, admit it. I mean, I insisted on swapping rooms with you because I thought Spencer might try to cause trouble, and I wanted to save you. Be your Knight in Shiny leather! Yet, somehow, you ended up being the one dragged into the mess."


    He shook his head, still grinning. "I didn''t think they''de after me, okay? But, on second thought, I''m d. If Spencer hade onto me..." He mock shuddered and continued, " I would have puked." His grin turned even more teasing then. "It seems I have to thank you for saving me... my knightess in shining satin, protecting my reputation by selflessly agreeing to sleep in my bed."


    Mnie rolled her eyes, but she couldn''tpletely suppress the small smile ying at her lips. She leaned against the wall, crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him with an arched brow. "I wouldn''t go that far as to say I agreed to sleep in your bed," she muttered.


    Still, she had to admit, the whole thing had been a shock. She too had expected Spencer''s to try something, but she never could have predicted that Hallie would walk in and confess. For a moment, Mnie had beenpletely thrown- why was the woman confessing to her—until she realized Hallie''s sexy confession hadn''t been meant for her. but for Adam, thinking he was the one in the bed. Thank heavens for small mercies.


    Adam smirked. "Hmm. You said Hallie wasn''t your type. So, what is your type, Melon? I''ll make sure to find a woman exactly like that for you. Maybe we can recreate the scene from earlier—" His smirk widened into something positively wicked. "I never knew you liked being on top."


    It took her a second. And then another. And then—


    Her eyes widened as realization mmed into her. He was referring to the part where she had been on top of Hallie...


    Without thinking, Mnie grabbed the nearest object—a hefty golden trophy sitting on the shelf beside her—and raised it, fully prepared tounch it at his head.


    Adam, of course, just grinned harder.


    Mnie tightened her grip on the trophy, narrowing her eyes. "For your information," she said in a clipped tone, "Hallie just wriggled under me when I tried to pin her down. It''s not like I—"


    Adam cut her off with an infuriatingly slow nod, as if indulging her. "Ohhh, I see. So, all it takes is a little wriggling, huh?" His smirk deepened. "Good to know. Because if it''s that easy, Melon, I''m definitely trying it. Come here, let me see..."


    Her fingers twitched around the trophy. "Don''t you <i>dare</i>—" Dam* it! She really was itching to throw it at his head.


    But before she could hurl it at his smug face, Adam moved. One second, she was standing, fully prepared tomit an act of violence, and the next—


    A surprised gasp left her lips as he tugged her forward, catching her off bnce. She barely had time to react before shended against the bed, the trophy slipping from her grip as her back hit the mattress, stealing her breath!


    Wow! Was the man a vampire? How did he move so fast?


    And when she finally blinked and caught her breath, she found herself lying right next to him, their faces just inches apart.


    For a second—just a second—neither of them moved. She swallowed, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that she was lying on his bed, with him, close enough that the slightest shift would press their bodies together. And theughter in his eyes seemed to have disappeared as he looked down at her and murmured," Hmm... I think you look really good in my bed..."


    She scrambled to get out of the bed, but he seemed to have anticipated her next move and so, once again she found herself straddling someone. She stilled as she looked down at the man under her, his hands on her waist. Why did Adam find it so easy to manhandle her darn it!


    She sent a forlorn nce at the trophy that had rolled to the floor. She would have put that to great use...


    "Let me go, Adam!"


    "But I like you here like this, Melon. In my bed. He sat up then, bringing his face close to hers, "So violent. I can see the urge to hit me in your eyes, you know. I wonder, Melon," he mused, eyes locked onto hers still, his hand caressing her waist now, "If I kissed you right now... would you hit me first? Or kiss me back?"


    Mnie sucked in a breath.


    Her mind screamed at her to not entertain this and to push him, run far away from danger but her body seemed unable to follow her brain''smands. Stupid body.


    "No answer? That means you''re thinking about it, doesn''t it?"


    In the next minute, when Adam was about to lean in and confirm that she was indeed thinking about him, he found a pillow mmed in his face... He let out a muffled curse while she scrambled away...