Chapter 216 Let's SleepTogether Tonight
The two of them finished making the bed. Nora was about to leave when Steven grabbed her hand just as she turned around.
Nora froze slightly and turned back.
Steven's eyes locked on her, his voice low. "Let's sleep together tonight."
"What?" Nora looked at him in surprise.
"I'm worried that the fever might come back in the middle of the night. If you stay here with me, you can give me fever medicine right away if it happens again." He held her hand, his eyes pleading.
Nora thought about how Steven had passed out from the fever earlier and nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Fevers were most worrying at night, since most high fevers happened in the middle of the night.
She placed the thermometer on the nightstand and prepared the fever medicine and thermos, like she was ready to handle an emergency at any moment.
Steven sat on the bed watching her bustle around, unable to help smiling.
Sure enough, having someone care about you was what made you feel happy.
"We can sleep now," Steven called to her.
Nora nodded. "Okay, I'm coming."
Lying in the same bed again after so long, Nora felt especially uncomfortable.
She lay on her side of the bed, her body stiff and not daring to move.
Steven grabbed her hand under the covers. "Move closer, don't fall off."
"Okay." Nora shifted inward a bit.
"Closer." Steven thought the gap between them was too big.
He pulled her directly into his arms and held her. Only then did everything feel back to normal.
What was abnormal were those days apart.
He held Nora close, gently nuzzling her shoulder with his chin.
Nora's face flushed. "What are you doing?"
Steven glanced at her. "It's more comfortable sleeping like this."
Nora was speechless, feeling like she was just a body pillow.
Before long, Steven fell into a deep sleep.
But Nora couldn't sleep. She turned her head and touched his forehead—his temperature was normal.
She turned on her side to look at Steven's sleeping face and couldn't help reaching out to smooth the wrinkles between his brows.
He always frowned in his sleep. She wondered if he was having bad dreams.
Meanwhile, Olivia finished mailing the package, packed up her things, and walked out of the office.
As soon as she stepped out, a tall figure startled her. "Oh my god!"
Alton smiled. "Am I really that scary?"
Olivia glared at him. "Do you know that showing up in an empty office hallway at eleven at night can scare someone to death?"
Especially with half the lights turned off outside, making the hallway look creepy.
She'd almost thought she'd run into a ghost.
Alton tilted his head, looking at her delicate profile. "Long time no see. Did you miss me?"
"Why would I miss you?" Olivia said, then grabbed her bag and turned to leave.
Alton followed behind her. "Do you work late like this every day?"
"What's it to you?" She remained cold toward him.
Alton touched his nose. "Looks like I'm the only one who misses you."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Please don't say such disgusting things."
They weren't even close, yet he said he missed her. It was annoying.
Alton leaned against the elevator, quietly watching her. He wasn't lying—he really did think about her every day, everywhere he went. Coming to see her made him feel much better.
Olivia couldn't stand his gaze and looked at him sideways. "Stop looking at me like that."
His gaze was too direct, making her uncomfortable.
Alton smiled, his tone gentle. "Are you hungry? Want to get a late-night snack together?"
"No need." The elevator arrived, and Olivia walked out.
Alton followed.
Olivia frowned and raised her hand to block his chest. "Don't follow me, or I'll call the police."
"I need to talk to you about something." Alton raised an eyebrow.
She looked at him. "Go ahead."
"Last time at Regal City, you left as soon as you woke up without paying for the room. I paid for you." Alton raised his hand, his tone playful. "Pay me back."
Olivia was speechless and took out her phone. "How much?"
"You stayed four days, that's $1,200 total." Alton also took out his phone and opened Facebook. "Add me as a friend and transfer it to me."
"No need, just open your payment code, and I'll scan it."
"No." Alton refused. "You have to add me as a friend."
Olivia gave in, added him, and transferred the money. Coming all this way for this little bit of money—he really had nothing better to do.
After receiving the money, Alton smiled. "Now, can we go get that late-night snack?"
"I never agreed to get a late-night snack with you," Olivia said and walked toward the street.
A car came speeding by.
Nora had just stepped down from the curb when her eyes widened in fear.
Alton's face changed. Instinctively, he reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her back into his arms.
The two of them pressed tightly together. Olivia heard his strong heartbeat and suddenly remembered those nights in Regal City when she was sick and weak, and Alton held her every night, warming her with his body heat.
She glanced at him. Alton was also looking at her, his brows furrowed. "Didn't you see that car?"
Olivia was breathing rapidly, her red lips slightly parted. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Walking like that is dangerous." He said this, but didn't let her go.
She had a faint fragrance on her that he liked.
His gaze stopped on her lips.
Olivia's face flushed as she said coldly, "Let me go."
"I saved you, and I don't even get a thank you?" He lowered his head, shamelessly demanding her thanks.
"Then thank you—" Before she could finish, Alton kissed her.
The two kissed in front of the building in the night. Olivia reached out to push him away, but he grabbed her hands and pressed them behind her.
"Alton, you bastard—" As soon as she opened her mouth, he went even further, invading her mouth and tangling with her tongue.
She couldn't push him away and was pressed against a tree, kissing deeply.
After what felt like forever, he finally let her go, his eyes showing naked desire. "This is the thanks I wanted."
Olivia's face was bright red. She wiped the corner of her mouth and glared at him. "You really are a bastard."
"How am I any worse than Willie?" Alton looked at her. "Why do you have to resist me so much?"
"I will never date you. Give up!" Olivia grabbed her bag and walked away.
Alton didn't follow, just said calmly from behind, "You'll fall for me."
The next day, when Steven woke up, the first thing he saw was Nora's face, sleeping clean and quiet beside him.
Her arms were draped around his neck.
Steven hadn't seen her sleeping face in so long. He reached out to gently stroke her face.
"Don't move..." Nora groggily pulled his hand away and turned over with her back to him.
The blanket wasn't enough, so she leaned back into his embrace, her back against his warm chest.
Steven's eyes darkened as he lifted his hand to hold her tight.
Nora tensed slightly, feeling his hand, but didn't move, pretending to be asleep.
Steven rubbed her waist from behind.
From the strength of it, his body had clearly recovered—he even had the energy to think about this kind of thing.
When his hand slipped into her clothes, she finally couldn't take it anymore. She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. "Steven."
"I knew you were pretending to sleep." His voice was low and lazy.
Nora's feelings were complicated. "What are you doing?"
"Just touching." Steven leaned closer, his lips against her ear, kissing lightly.
Nora shuddered. "You can't!"
"Why not?"
Nora got angry. "You leave when you want, come when you want, touch me when you want—what do you think I am?"
She threw off the covers to leave.
But she wasn't wearing her jacket—it was at the foot of the bed.
Steven was afraid she'd catch a cold, so he grabbed the jacket and followed her out.
Sure enough, she wasn't wearing a jacket, standing in the bathroom looking at the mirror with a gloomy expression.
Steven's face turned cold. "Nora, come here."
Nora looked at him.
He walked over, pulled her into his arms, and draped the thick jacket over her. "Do you want to get sick? It's so cold today, and you get up without putting on a jacket?"
Nora looked at the jacket. She usually washed her face before putting it on.
Since he'd followed her out, she decided to make things clear.
"Steven, I'm not someone without thoughts. You can't treat me like this."
"How am I treating you?" She tried to leave, but he wouldn't let go.
Nora was helpless. "We were fighting like that just a few days ago. We're in the divorce cooling-off period now, and we'll be divorced soon. How can you suddenly touch me like this? It's completely disrespectful."
Sleeping in the same bed with him last night was to monitor his temperature.
"Wasn't it like this before?" He didn't think he'd done anything wrong.
Nora got even angrier hearing this and struggled harder. "Let me go!"
Steven held her tighter.
Nora lifted her foot to kick him, but he pressed her leg down and looked at her coldly. "Stop it, or I'll kiss you."
Nora struggled a few more times but couldn't break free. Exhausted, she said, "Steven, what exactly do you want?"
She lowered her eyes, the corners moistening, her nose tingling. "If you've really chosen Vivian, then stop treating me like this."