Free Web NovelChapter 84: Chapter 84: Did I Lose My Body Again?
The driver silently raised the partition.
Alaric Blackwood wrapped an arm around the woman’s soft waist, scooped her up, and sat her on his lap.
"Don’t move me, I’m dizzy..."
Sophie Shaw hugged the man’s neck and slumped against his shoulder, her fine brows furrowed slightly.
She didn’t dare open her eyes. Even with them closed, she could still feel the world shaking and spinning.
Alaric Blackwood cupped the back of her head, his large hand patting her back soothingly. "Alright, I won’t move."
The two cars, one following the other, arrived at Maplewood Estate.
The car behind was a blue Cayenne driven by Preston Chase. He pulled into the villa’s courtyard and saw Alaric Blackwood getting out with Sophie Shaw in his arms. The woman’s legs were wrapped around the man’s waist, clinging to him like a koala. Preston quickly grabbed the bag from the passenger seat, hurried after them, and handed it to Alaric Blackwood.
The man held her with one arm and took the bag with the other, then motioned for Preston and the driver to clock off.
"Don’t shake me, it feels awful."
The woman in his arms murmured as if in a dream.
Alaric Blackwood steadied his pace, walking slowly up the steps and opening the door to the house.
He placed her bag on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, changed into his slippers, then deftly lifted Sophie Shaw’s legs to slip off her high heels. Supporting her by the bottom, he carried her up to the second floor.
He paused in front of Sophie Shaw’s room, glanced at the closed door, and then strode resolutely onward, carrying Sophie all the way to his own room.
Sophie was half-asleep when she heard the sound of rushing water. The next thing she knew, she was being lowered into a bathtub of warm water.
Alaric Blackwood sat on the edge of the tub, diligently taking care of her, even personally washing her face and bathing her.
After what felt like an eternity, she was finally placed onto a large, soft bed...
When she woke up, her head was splitting.
Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was a glass of water on the nightstand, with a note tucked under it.
The room was uncannily quiet. Not a sound could be heard.
She rubbed her woozy head and looked around, shocked to find she was in Alaric Blackwood’s room.
More importantly, under the covers, she was stark naked.
She sat bolt upright, clutching the blanket tightly around herself, her mind a complete blur.
’Did we sleep together?’
But her body felt clean and refreshed.
She sat stunned on the bed, trying hard to remember last night...
Her last memory was of Alaric Blackwood carrying her out of the residential complex. She had thrown up. After that, her memories were fragmented and disconnected, but she was sure of one thing.
Alaric Blackwood had stripped off her clothes and given her a bath.
She reached up and touched her hair. It was smooth and silky, with a faint, fresh scent.
’That man was actually so meticulous he even washed my hair...’ fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
She couldn’t recall the specific details, but just imagining it made her cheeks burn uncontrollably.
’That bastard!’
’Bathing me without my permission...’
’Are we even close enough for that?’
She bit her lip and turned to look at the glass of water on the nightstand. She was incredibly thirsty, so she picked up the glass, grabbing the note along with it.
A few lines were scrawled on it in a bold, confident hand: "There are painkillers in the drawer. If you have a headache, you can take one. You have a sensitive stomach, so don’t take it on an empty stomach."
She glanced at the nightstand drawer, then tilted her head back and drank about half the glass of water.
Putting the glass down, she rolled over, leaned toward the edge of the bed, and pulled open the top drawer. She expected to find painkillers, but what greeted her was a drawer packed full of neatly arranged contraceptives.
"..."
’That bastard, who stockpiles this many condoms?’
’Is his demand really that high?’
She casually picked one up.
Extra large...
Sophie Shaw’s hand trembled, and she instinctively tossed the object back into the drawer and slammed it shut.
Pulling open the drawer below, she finally found the ibuprofen for her headache.
Remembering the note’s kind warning not to take medicine on an empty stomach, she took the pillbox out of the drawer. She threw back the covers, but there was nothing to cover herself with and her slippers were nowhere in sight. Grabbing the pillbox, she took a deep breath and bolted out of the room barefoot.
The moment she dashed out of Alaric Blackwood’s room, she ran smack into the man himself in the hallway.
Her nose collided with a hard chest.
The faint scent of ebony and agarwood filled her nostrils. A pair of large hands wrapped tightly around her waist. Sophie Shaw froze, her heart thumping wildly.
"You’re... home?"
Alaric Blackwood grunted in acknowledgment. "It’s my lunch break. I came back to check on you."
The skin under his palms was silky smooth and burning hot. The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?"
’Running around naked!’
"Close your eyes."
Sophie Shaw said, feigning composure.
Alaric Blackwood scoffed lightly. "Why should I?"
"I’m going back to my room to get dressed. No peeking."
"Don’t you remember last night?"
’Was there any part of her, from head to toe, that he hadn’t already seen?’
"I don’t remember. Please close your eyes."
Alaric Blackwood was silent for a moment. His large hand slid down her waistline and gave her pert bottom a light pat. "Closing my eyes is not an option."
He lifted the overcoat draped over his arm, wrapped it around her, and scooped her up by the waist.
"Hey? What are you doing? Put me down."
The woman in his arms struggled, but Alaric Blackwood was unfazed. He carried her back to the room in a few strides and tossed her onto the bed with a sweep of his arm.
Sophie Shaw landed on the soft bed, coat and all. The momentum caused her to bounce on the mattress before settling.
"Alaric Blackwood!"
Before she could say another word, the man had already turned and walked out, leaving her with a view of his back.
The moment he stepped out, a SLAM echoed from behind him.
Sophie Shaw had quickly shut the door, locking him out.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and went downstairs to the dining room. On the table was the breakfast Lawson had made, with a note from her tucked under a bowl. He picked up the note. It was a message from Lawson, reminding Sophie Shaw to heat up the food before eating it when she woke.
He casually tossed the note back onto the table, then took the breakfast to the kitchen and put it in the microwave to heat up.
A short while later, Sophie Shaw, now washed up and dressed, appeared on the first floor as silently as a ghost.
She was wearing a sweater and pants, with both her own and his black coats draped over her arm. On her feet were black-and-white cotton socks adorned with a cute little sheep pattern.
The woman didn’t make a single sound, tiptoeing like a thief as she scurried to the entryway to put on her slippers.
He pressed his lips together, a faint smile playing on them. He suddenly recalled that her bra and panties also had a cartoon sheep pattern.
’Kind of cute.’
He brought the heated meal to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He watched as Sophie Shaw shuffled toward him in her slippers, her expression prim and proper, head held high as if nothing were amiss. She was also carrying the things she’d retrieved from the entryway. He raised a hand to take his overcoat back from her.
"How much do you remember about last night?"
Sophie Shaw walked to the spot farthest from him and sat down opposite him. "Sorry, I don’t remember a thing."
’Whether anything happened or not, she couldn’t remember, so she might as well play dumb.’
"So all that I said was just a waste of breath?"
"..."
"Fine. I’ll repeat what I said last night, just so you don’t have any misunderstandings about me."
Alaric Blackwood lit a cigarette. Just as he was about to continue, Sophie Shaw made a "stop" gesture at him.
His brow twitched, but he ignored her gesture and insisted on clearing up the misunderstanding. "Nina Halloway is my sister. She took our mother’s surname."
