The room was dimly lit by a single bedside lamp. Its warm glow only deepened the hazy, intimate atmosphere, causing Zoe Lancaster’s palms to burn and break out in a fine sweat. The skin pressed against Simon Hawthorne’s chest felt as though it were touching a branding iron, sending uncontrollable shivers through her.
Simon Hawthorne stared deeply at her. The flush on her cheeks deepened; despite her serious expression, her watery eyes were incredibly alluring. She seemed completely oblivious to how tempting she looked. His Adam’s apple bobbed. With effortless ease, he pinned both of Zoe’s wrists in his palm, rendering her immobile while his other hand roamed as it pleased.
It was too late for Zoe to resist. Her beautiful eyes widened in panic. "Simon Hawthorne!"
Simon teasingly hooked his finger, watching with amusement as her composure nearly shattered. Seeing her reddened eyes and the way she bit her lip to hold back her voice, he let out a low chuckle, his emotions indiscernible. "Your body is much more honest than your mouth."
Zoe’s ears burned scarlet. She was utterly speechless.
Suddenly seeming to lose interest, Simon calmly withdrew his hand, got out of bed, and headed back to the bathroom. The moment the door clicked shut, Zoe heard the SPLASH of the shower turning on.
Her heart pounded like a drum as she hastily straightened her clothes. Wrapping herself tightly in the blankets, she finally lay on her side, facing away from the door. The sound of running water lasted a long time. After what felt like an eternity, the bathroom door opened again. This time, she felt a wave of cold air waft in from behind her. He... had actually taken a cold shower.
Zoe kept her eyes shut, lying perfectly still as she pretended to sleep. Simon, however, showed no signs of drowsiness after getting back into bed. He glanced at the back of her head, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall, and pondered for a moment before making a move.
Zoe felt the man behind her slowly press closer. He was watching her. She tried her best to even out her breathing, terrified of sparking another wildfire between them. But Simon did nothing of the sort. After a minute or two, he reached out. Just as Zoe was about to open her eyes—half-expecting him to try something—his fingertips, still cool from the shower, hooked the necklace resting against her collarbone. Hanging from it was the wedding ring he had given her. Aside from that, he made no further move.
She didn’t know why he was so obsessed with this ring. After studying it for nearly a minute, Simon slowly lowered his gaze to scrutinize her face. "Your fake-sleeping acting skills are terrible. Your body is as stiff as a board. I haven’t sunk so low as to force myself on a block of steel."
Zoe was left speechless.
Simon didn’t make things difficult for her. Letting go of the ring, he lay back down, his voice deep and slightly hoarse. "Go to sleep. I won’t touch you."
Zoe actually understood Simon fairly well by now; since he said so, he truly had no interest in continuing. This time, she finally relaxed a little. Having caught a chill from the river breeze the day before, she had taken some cold medicine before washing up. As the medication slowly kicked in, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. It wasn’t long before she genuinely fell asleep.
The night wore on. Her breathing gradually became even and relaxed. Only then did Simon turn his head to look at Zoe, who had subconsciously rolled over to face him in her sleep. Her sleeping face was incredibly docile. Devoid of her usual calculated, feigned obedience, this was what she looked like when her guard was completely down.
He stared at her face for who knows how long—long enough for his limbs to go numb. Simon’s eyes flickered, a flash of indiscernible, complex emotion darting through them. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek, instinctively wanting to caress her soft, fair skin, but he caught himself just in time.
A moment later, he murmured softly to himself, "You heartless little thing."
Whether Zoe heard him or not was unclear, but she shifted at the sound of his voice. The blanket slipped down, exposing her bare arm.
In a rare display of patience, Simon pulled the blanket back up. But as if seeking revenge, he pulled it all the way over her head, burying her completely beneath the covers. Zoe didn’t move for a long time. It was as if she were actually going to suffocate in there.
Simon frowned. Ultimately, he peeled back a corner, freeing her beautiful, unblemished face. Looking at her hair, now tousled from the friction of the blanket, a faint, barely noticeable smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He thought, "At times like this... she’s rather well-behaved."
The next day.
Zoe woke up bright and early. Miraculously, her cold had vanished. The heavy-headedness and stuffy nose were completely gone. She had good reason to suspect that she had passed the illness on to Simon through that intense kiss last night.
She changed her clothes and walked out to find Simon already sitting in the dining room, eating his breakfast. Claire Sutton was bustling about with a smile. Spotting Zoe, she waved her over. "Zoe, I made shrimp porridge for you. It’s your favorite."
Zoe smiled and walked over. "Where’s Autumn?"
Claire wiped her hands and approached. "She left for the library bright and early. Don’t worry about her."
Zoe glanced at the composed man beside her. He had already finished more than half a bowl of porridge, seemingly very comfortable getting along with her elders.
"Did you two hear any strange noises last night?" Claire asked with a confused expression as she placed a soup dumpling on Zoe’s plate.
Zoe took a sip of porridge, not thinking much of it. "Why? What happened?"
Claire looked suspicious. "I heard running water for a long time in the middle of the night. Were you taking a shower? It couldn’t be a leak, could it? Even a shower shouldn’t take that long."
"COUGH COUGH..." Zoe was caught completely off guard. She choked on her food, her face turning beet red. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer Aunt Claire. She couldn’t exactly say that things had gotten too heated and a certain someone had to take a cold shower to cool off, could she?
Simon shot a mild glance at the flustered woman. Acting the part of a doting husband, he reached out and patted her back to soothe her coughing, then pulled a tissue to wipe the porridge from the corner of her mouth. Yet, his words were heart-stopping: "What are you panicking for? Water is spilling out."
Zoe inexplicably felt there was a hidden meaning behind his words. Taking advantage of Claire looking away, she shot the man beside her a subtle glare. She thought, "He’s an absolute beast!"
Simon met her glare with effortless calm, maintaining his dignified and refined demeanor. After breakfast, Zoe and Simon headed downstairs together. She checked the time; it was nine in the morning.
She had noticed earlier that Claire and Autumn didn’t have many heavy clothes. Kingsford would remain cold for a while longer, unlike Sorina. Since they had rushed over here without packing appropriate winter wear, she decided to go buy them some.
Turning to the man beside her, she said, "I’ll head out on my own. You go ahead with your work."
Simon furrowed his brows slightly. "We’ve only just stepped downstairs, and you’re already tired of playing the part?"
Zoe had no choice but to explain, "I’m going shopping to buy clothes for Aunt Claire and Autumn. It’s completely out of the way for you."
Simon raised his hand, his fingers landing on the back of Zoe’s neck. Applying a light downward pressure, he steered her toward the car parked by the curb. His voice was cool and firm. "Who says it’s out of the way? I happen to have business at the mall."