MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

34. VALERIA: THE NEWS

I groaned as I stretched my aching body. I opened my eyes and blinked up at the dark ceiling. For a second confusion filled me, but it quickly cleared when I realized that I was in the master bedroom. The bed was empty except for me. A chair was pushed close to the bed from the right side. The bedroom door was slightly ajar too.

Throwing the blankets back, I slid closer to the edge of the bed and threw my legs over the edge. The moment I stood nausea hit me. I hurried into the bathroom and dropped to my knees in front of the toilet and threw up. What the hell is happening to me?

When I was done I flushed the toilet and stumbled over to the faucet to rinse my mouth. I stared at myself in the mirror. My face was pale and my lips were trembling. My whole body was trembling.

With one last glance at myself in the mirror, I used the toilet and then made my way back to bed. I had just pulled the blankets over me when the bedroom door opened. David entered and softly closed the door behind him. Without glancing at the bed, he walked over to the closet and pulled it open. I pushed myself up onto my elbows to get a better look at what he was doing. He reached up and tugged a black bag down from the top shelf. Opening it, he placed it on the floor next to him, and then he turned to grab some clothes. He shoved them into the bag without folding it.

"What are you doing?" I asked softly.

His body jerked. The clothes he was holding in his hands dropped to the floor when he spun around. Wide brown eyes caught mine, and then he was moving toward me. I giggled when he nearly jumped on top of me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and flipped us over so I lay on top of him. My giggle turned into a laugh when he started pressing kisses over my face.

"You're awake," he muttered in between kisses. "You're awake."

I pressed my hands against his chest and pushed myself up to stare down at him. My eyes were instantly drawn to the dark stubble covering his cheeks. It felt scruffy but it looked hot on him. His lips parted, drawing my attention to them. Before I could lean down to steal a kiss, he flipped us around again. David was careful not to crush my body with his. Dark eyes darted over my face.

"How are you feeling, doll?"

"I was a little sick, but I feel better now."

"Sick?" He frowned. "You threw up?"

I nodded. Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around his neck. David pushed himself up on one elbow and reached out to cup my cheek with his other hand. His eyes searched mine. I stared up at him. Something was different. He looked tired. I traced the dark circles under his eyes. His hair was messy too.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Good enough to eat something." As if on cue my stomach grumbled.

David's lips twitched. "Come on, I will make you some breakfast."

"Will you fill me in on what has been happening?"

David hesitated. His eyes darkened and anger flashed through them. He pursed his lips but gave me a stiff nod. I sat up when he crawled off the bed. David turned and held out his hand. I placed mine in his and allowed him to pull me to my feet. My eyes dropped to take in my clothes. I wore one of their shirts and my favourite pink socks. It must only be us otherwise he would've made me dress before we left the room.

I instantly searched for Devon when he entered the living room.

He was nowhere to be found which made my shoulders sag. I wanted to be with him too. I took a seat at the island and watched him as he mixed the ingredients for pancakes. He grabbed a pan, turned on the stove, and started making breakfast. The smell made my stomach grumble again. I was starving. He filled a plate with five pancakes and then turned to place the plate down in front of me.