Chapter 348 Oliver vs. Nicole: Acting Coy Really Did Work

Chapter 348 Oliver vs. Nicole: Acting Coy Really Did Work
During dinner, Oliver was quieter than usual.
Still, he helped her pick out the fish bones and pushed her favorite crab toward her.
Gwen served food to both Blanche and Nicole, as if that gesture alone were enough to say, "I'm sorry."
After dinner, Nicole thought it was time to go home.
Oliver simply told her to go upstairs and get some rest.
After taking a shower, Nicole tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Barefoot, she walked out onto the balcony.
She lay down in the rocking chair, wrapped her arms around herself, and gazed up at the night sky.
The night was still, and the sound of the wind was clear.
She tugged at the fabric on her shoulders, but she was still a bit chilly.
Before long, she heard a sound behind her.
Oliver walked over and draped his jacket over her.
"Why not sleeping? You should've grabbed a blanket to wrap yourself in." He stood beside her with his hands in his pockets and gazed up at the pitch-black night sky with her.
Nicole pulled the collar of his jacket tighter around herself. "I was waiting for you."
He tilted his head to look at her, then turned around and leaned in close to her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He smelled faintly of tobacco.
He stared at her for quite a while, a hint of smugness playing at the corners of his mouth. "Can't sleep without me?"
Nicole reached out to pinch his cheek. "Yes, Oliver, you have to lull me to sleep."
He smiled. "Nicole, I didn't know you could act coy."

"I'm not being cute—I'm just making a request," Nicole murmured.
Oliver laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "You're just putting on a brave face."
He bent down and picked her up.
She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him.
"Your man's going to tuck you in," he said as he walked toward the bedroom.
Nicole recalled how Rosalind and Emma had teased her, saying that if she acted cute with Oliver, he’d do whatever she asked.
It seemed that was actually true.
She couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly.
“Nicole, what are you up to?”
She jumped in surprise. “Huh? Nothing...”
She’d panicked for a moment when he called her name so seriously.
"Really?”
He laid her down on the bed, tucked the covers around her, and pinched the tip of her nose. “You go to sleep first. I’m going to take a shower.”
"Okay." She smiled as she lay there.
"You're so beautiful."
His words left her speechless. “That’s why you married me, isn’t it?”
He shook his head.
She paused for a moment.
Could there be another reason?
Oliver went to take a shower.
She tossed and turned, but she still couldn’t fall asleep.
She sat up and randomly pulled a book off the shelf to flip through.
It was Gone with the Wind; the cover was still new, as if it had only recently been unwrapped. There wasn't even a trace of it having been read.
She had actually read a bit of it a while back. It was a story about war and love.
She flipped to the part she remembered and continued reading.
She hadn’t expected someone like Oliver to read this kind of book.
When Oliver came out drying his hair, he saw Nicole leaning against the headboard, reading with her glasses on.
It was the first time he’d seen her wearing glasses. Her long hair fell over her white silk nightgown.
As her fingers turned the pages, strands of hair swayed gently.
She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn’t notice him approach until he slipped the bookmark into the book and closed it.
“Dr. Nicole, why don’t you sleep? Why read romance novels at night? Is there something I haven’t been doing right?”
He looked down at her, his gaze resting on her bloodshot eyes.
She’d been worn out these past few days, staying up late and spending her days thinking about Dwayne.
“You’re so mean,” she whispered.
Oliver was momentarily at a loss for words.
She pursed her lips and reached out to hook her finger around his finger.
"You haven't comforted me yet," she said softly.
He looked down at her hand and felt completely captivated.
His voice softened. "Will you go to sleep if I comfort you?"
"Yeah,” she said, looking up at him.
He smiled and sat down beside her. "Lie down."
Nicole obediently lay down.
Oliver lay down next to her, kissed her forehead, and pulled her into his arms.
“Do you want me to tell you a story?”
"If you know how, sure." She couldn’t help but smile.
Acting coy really did work.
"I don't know any love stories, but I've got plenty of scary ones." He looked down at her. "Want to hear one?"
"Never mind."
Oliver laughed.
Nicole drifted off to sleep in his arms soon.
Oliver then got up and carried his laptop to the study next door.

Early the next morning, the alarm went off.
Oliver reached out to turn it off, rolled over, and pulled her even closer.
She would have liked to lie there a little longer, but the thought of being at the Dawson house—especially after what had happened with Gwen—made her too afraid to sleep any longer.
“Stay with me a little longer.” He turned sideways, draping his leg over her waist.
She could only lie in his arms, feeling his heartbeat against her chest.
She placed her hand on his chest, feeling the steady thump-thump of his heartbeat.
“Are you checking to see if my heartbeat is normal?” Oliver suddenly spoke up, startling Nicole. "Hmm?"
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
His hand slipped under the hem of her shirt. "Don't seduce me first thing in the morning."
"I'm not," she whispered.
He added, “Could you leave your underwear off from now on? It’s too cumbersome.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he loosened his grip on her.
Nicole’s face flushed.
Wherever he touched her, it sent a faint tingle through her skin.