Knock. Knock. Knock.
Adam Collins groaned and opened his eyes a sliver, as the knocking pulled him from the edge of sleep. Dam* it! A few more minutes and he'd have been dead to the world!
He frowned at the door, debating whether to ignore it. He had just laid down, and if he got up now, there was no chance of falling back asleep. But if the knocking continued, it would be just as bad. And the result would be the same- no sleep. Better to take the risk and see what she wants.
Grimacing, he forced himself to sit up and dragged his feet to the door. With a scowl rivalling the devil himself, he yanked it open.
"What?" he muttered, voice laced with irritation.
Melanie stood there, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. Normally, he might have thought she looked cute, but right now, all he cared about was getting back to sleep.
"I can't sleep," she said.
Adam let out a breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "So, you decided to ruin my sleep too? Really, Melon? This is our second night together, and last night, you kept kicking me all night. And now this?" He narrowed his eyes and then questioned, "Wait... is this just an excuse to sleep with me? You can't sleep so you want me to hold you?" A slow smirk tugged at his lips and he leaned forward suggestively extending his hand to pull her to him, willing to forego his sleep for Melone. He was nothing if not a caring husband. "If you want to sleep with me, just say so. Don't be shy."
Melanie immediately scowled and took a step back, swatting at his 'grasping' hand like it was a mosquito.
She pointed a finger at him. "Who wants to sleep with you?! Don't flatter yourself!" She huffed and then shifted her weight uneasily before throwing a glance back. "There's some weird noise in my room. I need you to check in case it's a bug or—" her expression twisted, "—a rodent."
Adam blinked.
Adam raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms in front of him and leaned against the doorframe. "Do I look like the pest control guy to you?"
Melanie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Right now, you look like a guy who's about to not be able to sleep because I will not..."
He smirked and, without giving her a chance to make a threat, reached for his door—pretending to close it.
"Alright then, goodnigt Melon—"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Melanie's hand shot out, stopping the door just in time. Her eyes widened slightly and she was almost ready to beg. "Just check, please! I am scared!"
Adam studied her for a moment, then sighed, "Fine. But you owe me one for for this, Melon. And I always cash in my favours."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.
He stepped out of his room, stretching his arms lazily in front of him. "Let's get this over with—"
Melanie suddenly narrowed her eyes and raised her hand to stop him. "Wait... aren't you going to put on a shirt?"
Adam glanced down at himself, realizing he was only wearing shorts. He grinned. "Why? Jealous that some mice might see your husband shirtless?"
Melanie let out a disgusted noise as she rolled her eyes. "You're insufferable."
The moment he stepped out into the hallway though she moved fast. Before he could react, she grabbed a luggage bag from the side and darted inside his room, slamming the door shut.
Click.
Adam froze, staring at the closed door before he blinked in disbelief. His mouth opened slightly as he processed what had just happened. Slowly, he gave the door an incredulous look and called out, "...Did you just—"
"Goodnight, Adam!" Melanie's voice rang out cheerfully from inside, sounding far too smug for his liking. "As we discussed, wherever we spend the first night, that room is officially ours. So, this master bedroom is mine now. You can take the other room."
His jaw dropped. "Melanie! Open the damn door!"
A muffled laugh was her only response. "I'll open it in the morning," she said, sounding way too pleased with herself.
Adam narrowed his eyes. "You do realize that I can come in if I want to." After all, he'd broken into her room twice already. And the lock on this door was not even as sturdy as the lock on his door in the Collins mansion.
"But you won't! That is unfair means!" She called out and he could imagine her leaning against the door, blocking it from him.
"And this was fair?" Adam called out before he shook his head and a chuckle escaped him despite everything. Damn it, she had a point.
When they finalized the house earlier that afternoon, they had been in a hurry and agreed to a simple rule—whichever room they spent their first night in would officially be theirs. No arguments, no take-backs.
Of course, the moment they got back from their 'marriage' celebration an hour ago, he had sprinted into the master bedroom, closed the door in her face and declared it his. He had thought he won.
And now, he had lost it.
Grumbling under his breath, Adam turned towards the guest bedroom, rubbing the back of his neck. It wasn't a bad room, but it sure as hell wasn't the spacious master suite. "You're evil, you know that?" he called over his shoulder.
"I know," Melanie replied sweetly, heaving a sigh of relief as she dragged her small bag and sat down on the bed. Thankfully, he had accepted defeat! If he had insisted on invading the room and sleeping here, she didn't think she could have managed that... not when he was 'dressed' like that.
She fell backwards on the bed then and closed her eyes. When he had opened the door, standing there in nothing but a pair of loose shorts that hung dangerously low on his hips, she had almost swallowed her own tongue.
It was no wonder Adam Collins was so overwhelming. He was soo... and that was the last thought when she finally closed her eyes...