Chapter 300 Since I Can’t Sleep, Do Something Else?

Chapter 300 Since I Can’t Sleep, Do Something Else?

Arabella immediately shut her eyes. "No, I'm almost asleep."

With that response, Gabriel said nothing more, simply holding her quietly as silence filled the air once again.

But sleep seemed determined to evade her.

She desperately wanted to drift off, yet found herself growing more alert by the minute. Eventually, she realized it was because of that nap she'd taken on the sofa earlier in the evening.

Gabriel's arm rested across her waist. At first it felt fine, but as time passed, the weight began to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Finally unable to bear it, she rolled over to face him, blinking her wide eyes in the dim light. "Can you move away a little?"

Gabriel chuckled softly but ignored her request. Instead, he suggested, "Since you can't sleep, how about doing something else?"

Arabella knew exactly what he was implying. After a moment of silence, she surprisingly didn't refuse.

She thought perhaps afterward, like all those previous times, she'd finally get a good night's sleep.

She was gradually discovering his purpose—a sleep aid.

Seeing her remain silent, Gabriel understood her meaning. Without a word, he propped himself up slightly, his spine lifting the covers as his body formed a canopy over her like a net, capturing her completely.

He kissed her.

Arabella didn't respond, but she didn't resist either.

Only when his kisses grew deeper and more passionate did she furrow her brow and push against him weakly, though her intention was unclear.

He smiled, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper as he caught her lower lip between his. "Why does it feel like you're even more eager than I am?"

Her eyes flew open, and just as she was about to kick him off, he was already prepared, using his body weight to pin down her legs.

A man and woman alone, desire ignited—a passionate interlude quietly began...

Gabriel, perhaps from several nights of poor sleep, didn't perform his best in the first round.

Actually, Arabella didn't notice at all.

She was already exhausted and wanted nothing more than to roll over while still floating in that hazy sensation and drift straight into sleep.

But Gabriel held her close, apologizing in a sticky-sweet voice, "I'm sorry, I wasn't at my best tonight."

"Hmm?" Arabella froze, turning her face slightly. "What do you mean, not at your best?"

Gabriel didn't answer, but his hands began moving again.

Arabella quickly understood and immediately rolled over, insisting, "You were perfectly fine. Let's just leave it at that for tonight."

Gabriel rose over her again, kissing her as he murmured with a smile, "Seeing how energetic you still are, it's clearly my fault."

He liked when she melted into soft compliance afterward, her voice weak and languid—that gave him a particular sense of accomplishment.

Today had clearly been a failure in that regard.

Arabella frowned helplessly, about to refuse, but he caught both her hands and pulled them above her head, kissing her freely as he whispered low and soft, "Didn't you still owe me for helping your friend last time? How about tonight..."

She turned her face away. "What about just now then?"

She'd thought that was it!

He laughed, his voice rich and smooth. "Just now was of your own free will. That doesn't count."

Arabella's cheeks flushed crimson—no, her entire body burned red!

So he'd seen through everything.

This man truly knew her inside and out.

She really couldn't fool him about anything.

The second round proved Gabriel had found his form, continuing until midnight before finally subsiding.

Arabella was beyond exhausted—she couldn't even speak, could barely keep her eyes open. She had no energy left for anxious thoughts and quickly sank into deep, sweet sleep.

Behind her, after briefly cleaning them both, the man pulled her close and drifted off with complete satisfaction.

————

A restful night led to an early morning.

Arabella was awakened by a heavy, aching sensation in her chest.

Sitting up and seeing the sleeping beauty beside her still unaware, she had no time to think about anything else. She threw off the covers, ready to get up.

But Gabriel seemed to have installed a radar on her body—without even opening his eyes, his hands found her waist with perfect accuracy.

"Why are you up so early?" His drowsy voice carried a childish quality.

Arabella pried his hands away. "I need to use the bathroom. Let go!"

Gabriel assumed she needed to pee urgently and didn't make things difficult, immediately releasing her and lying back down.

But in reality, Arabella went to the bathroom to wet a hot towel and press it against her chest.

A light touch under her arm brought pain—she worried the blockage was becoming serious and might develop into mastitis again, which would be truly troublesome.

Unfortunately, the children weren't with her these past few days. Otherwise, frequent nursing would have resolved the issue promptly.

After the hot compress provided some relief, she opened the door to leave.

As soon as Gabriel saw her, he beckoned. "Come back to bed for a while. It's only past seven."

Arabella recalled the last morning when he'd "tormented" her. Hearing his words, she merely shot him a cold look and walked straight out of the bedroom.

Yesterday when Mary had brought over her clothes, she'd thoughtfully included a breast pump and milk storage bags.

They came in handy now.

She sat in the side lounge, enduring the discomfort as she pumped, her mind already turning to the studio's affairs.

She wondered whether Gabriel had found a suitable photographer, and if they'd start reporting for work today.

In the bedroom, Gabriel saw her ignore him and leave directly. Worried that she might impulsively decide to leave stubbornly again, he quickly got up to check.

Seeing her silhouette in the side lounge, he walked over curiously. "What are you doing sitting there?"

"Don't come over!" Hearing his voice, Arabella turned around and immediately stopped him.

But how could Gabriel possibly listen? He approached, and when he saw what she was doing, his eyes darkened several shades.

Clearly, he too recalled what had happened that morning last time.

He'd originally wanted to quip something cheeky like, "You should just ask me for that kind of help instead of using that thing"—but the words caught on his lips. Seeing her cold, elegant expression, he swallowed them back.

Saying that would really make him seem like a vulgar creep.

If they had a good relationship, that comment would be flirtatious, enhancing their intimacy.

But they hadn't reconciled yet. The comment was inappropriate.

He paused, then said quietly, "I'll have Mary bring the children over shortly."

Arabella understood his meaning and asked worriedly, "Is it safe? What if there are people watching the estate too?"

"Don't worry, I'll have them be careful. We didn't go back last night—the poor children."

Not having seen the twins in several days, Arabella missed them terribly. She said nothing, tacitly agreeing.

However, after a while, Mary called saying they hadn't even left yet when the bodyguards spotted suspicious people lurking near the estate.

Hearing this, Arabella immediately worried about the children and quickly instructed, "Then don't come. Just stay safely at home."

Mary had been quite eager to bring the children to see their mother. Hearing this, she felt somewhat disappointed but had no choice but to remain indoors.

Gabriel and Arabella were still hungry, so they had to arrange for someone to deliver breakfast instead.

"Have them bring some groceries too, so we won't have to trouble people for every meal," Arabella added when she heard him making the call.

Gabriel asked curiously, "Buy groceries—are you going to cook?"

"Well, what else? Can you cook?" Arabella thought his question was ridiculous and snapped back irritably.