Chapter 170: Sleeping Beauty

Reese I was already awake when the clock struck eight. Fully dressed, sitting at the edge of the bed, phone in hand, I scrolled lazily through my messages. Ever so often, my gaze drifted back to Penelope, still tangled in the sheets, half-buried under the covers, hair a blonde spill against the red pillow. Peaceful. Too peaceful. For a minute, I almost thought she’d died in her sleep. She looked that still, that spent. But then her shoulder twitched, and I let out a quiet laugh. Dead or not, she looked like hell. Still beautiful, but wrecked. And I’d made sure of that. The curtains were still drawn, muting the light across the room. Her room smelled like sex, coffee, and a mix of two masculine fragrances. I checked the clock again. 8:05 a.m. The hearing starts at nine. A grin tugged at my mouth as I tossed my phone aside and leaned back, resting my elbows on my knees. I wasn’t the one with a senator’s son to defend this morning. That honor belonged to Penelope—star of the state bar, th