Taming A Predator

Chapter 3

Doe's POV:

You'd think with how tired I was that falling asleep would be no issue at all, but I found that to not be the case at all.

I'd curled myself up into one of the corners with my back against the backrest behind me, and my head laying on the one beside me.

It was admittedly comfortable, enough so to where I didn't want to risk shifting and laying down to ruin it.

I was comfy and tired. What else could my body possibly want from me?

Maybe it was just back to that publicity thing, but even that failed to make sense after a while.

All of these people had been near me while I slept at least once so... Maybe just the new area then? Or the faint sounds of the car?

I blinked my eyes open with a disgruntled sigh, peering around me with half-lidded eyes to take in where everyone was.

Khloe was almost directly diagonal from me, sitting on her knees and facing out the window with Nico close beside.

Given the angle, I couldn't read the look on his face since his head was turned directly to her.

Gazing more to my left, I spotted Xander not even two feet away from where I was.

His neck was bent in a way that looked... uncomfortable to rest his head back onto the top of the backrest.

With his height, it just didn't work like it should and left him looking straight up at the roof.

Actually, that's exactly what he was currently doing, slowly blinking as if he was actively fighting off his sleep.

And failing at it, his lids closing for a few seconds and his body shifting ever so slightly towards me before he'd snap them open with a start.

I guess we were both struggling with this for some reason, but why he didn't just decide to lay fully onto the seats was beyond me.

It was the only thing that made comfortable sense all things considered.

With how he was now, whether he can heal it or not, he was gonna wake up with a sore neck and I was gonna have to hear him whine about it.

And that's now how I wanted to spend this long drive.

I didn't think through my clouded mind, only felt my hand leave where it had been resting in my lap to reach towards him.

Taking a soft grip on the upper portion of his sleeve, I gave it a little tug.

His eyes widened and his head rose and turned immediately to face me.

Hm... Maybe that's what I've been missing.

My next heartbeat thumped harder than the rest as a... strange and unprecedented idea came to mind.

I felt the blood pump into my face, eyes slowly peeking over at Nico and Khloe once again to make sure that they were indeed preoccupied.

I was just getting used to showing myself and Xander that I had these kinds of emotions. I didn't need Khloe and Nico knowing too. Yet.

It still just felt very... personal, or something.

I don't know...

Maybe after I can actually get some sleep and gain enough focus to read and absorb that book some of this will make sense.

But for now.

I removed my other hand from my lap and tugged on his sleeve again.

His eyes rounded, glancing between me and my lap, questioning if he was getting my invitation correct.