Chapter 707
After saying goodnight to Sierra, Sophia set her phone aside, but she wasn’t the least bit sleepy. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Sierra’s words had definitely gotten to her.
Could she and Zachary really give it a try?
She tossed and turned in bed, which was when it hit her. She hadn’t thought about those painful memories in a long time.
Did that mean she could now give it a try?
She wondered if Zachary had gone to bed yet. It was late, after all.
Still unable to sleep, she sat up, raked her fingers through her hair, and slipped on her slippers before leaving the guest room.
In the living room, Zachary stood by the window with a mug of hot coffee in his hand, staring out into the night.
Sophia stopped and stared at him from a distance. At home, he liked to wear white dress shirts and black slacks. His shirt was tucked into his pants, and his sleeves were casually rolled up, exposing part of his arms. His fingers were long and clean as he held the mug. His profile was sharp and well-defined. Whenever he took a sip, his Adam’s apple moved subtly. His whole posture-relaxed, elegant—was stupidly attractive.
He looked deep in thought. Usually, even the slightest sound from her would make him react immediately. But tonight, even as she approached slowly, he didn’t notice a thing.
It wasn’t until he caught her reflection in the glass that he turned toward her. “Are you having problems sleeping again?” he asked in concern.
He reached out and took her hand, placing the warm mug into her palm. “Warm your hands with this.” “Why are you still up?” she asked. “And seriously, coffee at this hour? Are you planning to pull an all-nighter?” “There’s some work from Holt Group I need to finish up,” he said, leading her over to the couch. “I’m pulling an all-nighter, so the caffeine helps. Are you having insomnia because of nightmares again p>
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, shaking her head. “But no nightmares or anything p>
He blinked. “Do you want me to play some music for you? Or maybe tell you a story to help you fall asleep p>
She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. You should get to your work. I’ll just stay here with you p>
She didn’t know exactly what she wanted to do or what she could do. She simply didn’t want to go back to bed. She wanted to be with him.
He didn’t insist, just ruffled her hair and said, “If anything’s bothering you, promise you’ll tell me p>
She nodded. “Okay. I just want to be with you while you work p>
“Then you should grab a sweater and put on some socks,” he said gently.
“Okay.” She nodded and went back to the guest room to put on a thicker top and some socks, then returned to the living room.
“Wait for me in the study,” Zachary said. “I’ll bring you a cup of warm milk p>
He smiled softly and walked into the kitchen.
She stood there for a second to think, then made her way into the study.
The study wasn’t very big, but shelves lined all four walls. A desk sat before one of them, clean and orderly. There was a computer, some neatly stacked files, a gray pen holder, and a photo frame atop it. Inside the frame was a photo of her.
To the right of the desk was a long couch with a few plushies scattered. At the other end was a snack rack that had five tiers of snacks and drinks.
That entire setup was clearly meant for a woman.
She walked behind the desk and sat in the chair. The computer was still on, and on the screen was a huge photo of her.
She was standing on the beach, facing the ocean. The wind tousled her hair, and the sun gently illuminated her profile The photo had been taken at just the right moment. s
She looked… stunning. Slim, soft-featured, glowing under the sunlight. She barely recognized herself in the picture. She had no idea when Zachary had even taken it.
Soon, Zachary walked in with a glass of milk and a fruit platter. “Sophia, come sit over here p>
He pulled out a small table, set it up in front of the couch, rolled over the snack rack, set up an iPad, and turned on a soft, warm lamp. “Come here,” he said.
“Thanks,” she replied, sitting down.
“Watch whatever you want. These are headphones-you’ll need them. I’ll be typing and joining video conferences, so it’ll get loud. This way, you won’t be disturbed p>
She nodded. “Okay, got it p>
“There’s food and drinks here. If you
want anything else, just help
l.ne
yourself in the kitchen.” He gave her another affectionate pat on the head. “Alright, I’ll get to work now p>
s
“Okay, go ahead.” She glanced around at all the things he’d set up. It was everything she could possibly need. She didn’t eat much at night, so she needed nothing else.
She would’ve worn the headphones anyway, not wanting to bother him, but he’d still gone out of his way to consider her first.
How was he this thoughtful?
Was she just incredibly lucky? Did she somehow strike gold with him? Or maybe she once saved his life in a past life, and now he was here to return the favor?
Sophia’s thoughts spiraled. To distract herself, she clicked on a random movie. It just so happened to be a romance film with quite a few steamy scenes.
She watched as the lead couple kissed, tangled together, and fell onto the bed. The guy started taking off the girl’s clothes while she worked on his belt.
The screen soon faded to black.
She didn’t need visuals to imagine the rest.
The images flashed in her mind, and naturally, she thought of what Sierra had said earlier. Before she knew it, she was sneaking glances at Zachary.
He was sitting at his desk, focused on his files, wearing a wireless headset, occasionally making phone calls. His brow furrowed slightly in concentration.
She looked at him and couldn’t help but wonder if he truly was physically incapable, like Sierra had said.
A healthy man had needs, after all.
What would Zachary be like in bed when he got turned on?
Her face started heating up. She slapped her cheeks lightly, trying to snap herself out of it. But the moment she started thinking about it, it was impossible to stop. She even started imagining what he looked like without clothes on. s
He was in the middle of signing documents when he suddenly felt something amiss. He looked up and saw
Sophia staring straight at him with an obviously flushed face.