Chapter 104
Brandon seemed just as surprised to bump into her, his gaze lingering on her bare shoulders for a moment before shifting away, his body subtly turning to the side.
“Why are you still up so late?” Brandon asked, without looking at her.
“I already took a nap, just woke up,” Sophia replied softly, trying to keep her voice steady while her hands awkwardly shifted in front of her chest under the pretense of adjusting her hair.
Though they had been married for two years and had shared more intimate moments, they weren’t exactly tight. Plus, with a two-year gap of not seeing each other, the whole scene was still mega awkward for Sophia.
Luckily, Brandon might have been tough, but his upbringing shone through.
He didn’t stare at her, just grunted an “Mhm” before heading to the living room.
Sophia didn’t dare linger either. She quickly opened the bedroom door and slipped inside..
Closing the door, she let out a huge sigh of relief, her heart still racing, thump-thump-thumping away, and her hand instinctively pulled up the strap resting on her shoulder.
She had never worn something so breezy around Brandon before.
Their relationship was an odd one. fiery and passionate in bed, but once the heat died down, they both reverted to their prim and proper selves, maintaining a composed front around each other.
She only wore such skimpy slips when alone, not because they were sexy or anything, just comfy and convenient.
She had come back this time prepared to stay at the hospital, but had also planned on crashing at a hotel for a bit, where these easy-to-wash nighties were perfect. She hadn’t thought she’d wander to the bathroom in a daze with it on..
Glancing at herself in the mirror and thinking back to the encounter with Brandon, Sophia felt extra uneasy and tugged at her slip again.
The dress actually fit well.
The burgundy silk made her skin look extra fair and radiant.
The hemline stopped at mid-thigh, and it hugged her waist nicely.
Sophia had a slender waist and a perky behind, a killer waist-to-hip ratio that this snug, sexy nightgown outlined perfectly, especially with the V-neck design accentuating the contours of her chest.
Seeing the cleavage and recalling the moment she bumped into Brandon, Sophia’s discomfort intensified.
She pulled the nightie up a bit, then turned her attention to her damp hair, grabbing a towel to dry it off. Looking around the room, she realized there was no hairdryer or fan.
With her long, thick, and dense hair, it would take ages to blow-dry; air-drying was not an option.
Hesitant, she threw on a light jacket, tied it up, and cautiously cracked open the door, only to see the lit living room and Brandon getting water from the dispenser.
Brandon turned to look at her too.
Sophia, a bit embarrassed, asked, “Um, do you have a hairdryer?”
Brandon pointed towards the master bathroom, “In my bathroom.”
Sophia glanced hesitantly towards Brandon’s room. It felt too private, and she guessed the hairdryer was probably mounted in place.
The thought of blow-drying her hair in Brandon’s bathroom late at night, the mental pressure was kinda intense.
Brandon noted her hesitation and raised an eyebrow, “Scared to go in?”
He finished his water, holding the cup in one hand, sipping slowly, the rising steam veiling his face in a mist, making his expression hard to read.
Sophia shook her head slightly, “It’s not that. I just don’t want to disturb your rest. Drying my hair takes quite a while.”
She lifted her hand to run it through her damp hair, “No worries, the wind outside is pretty strong, just opening a window should do the trick. I’ll head back to my room. You should get some sleep too.”
As she turned to leave, her shoulder was suddenly grasped.
Sophia looked back at Brandon, puzzled.
Brandon had set down his cup and was looking at her, “You plan on drying your hair till when, exactly?”
With that, the hand on her shoulder nudged her towards his bedroom.
The master bathroom was immediately to the left as they entered.
Once inside, Brandon pushed her into the bathroom, had her stand in front of the vanity mirror, his hand on her shoulder keeping her in place, while his other hand grabbed the hairdryer, thumb sliding effortlessly over the switch to blast hot air onto Sophia’s sensitive scalp.
Sophia flinched instinctively.
Brandon’s hand on her shoulder eased up, now gently stroking her scalp, the warm touch of skin on skin making Sophia’s body tense slightly.
He noticed and glanced at her, relaxing the pressure on her head, and began lifting the roots of her hair.
Feeling less confined, Sophia instinctively turned to take the hairdryer, “I can do it.”
Brandon waved away her reaching hand, “Let me. You’ll be at it forever.”
Sophia didn’t dare insist further.
Brandon was pretty skilled at blow-drying hair.
Back when they used to be together, if she washed her hair late at night and he was around, he’d habitually take over the hairdryer and do the job without much talk, just like now. Seeing her remove the towel, he’d naturally take the dryer from her hands with a simple “Let me,” and that would be it.
There wasn’t much conversation, and once done, he’d turn off the dryer, run his hands through her hair to smooth it out, and with a “There you go,” communication would end.
Now it was no different.
When he finished drying the ends, his hand skillfully checked the dryness of her hair, and as soon as he was sure it was all dry, the hand on the switch pressed down, silencing the hairdryer.
“Done,” Brandon said, placing the hairdryer back in its holder.
“Thanks.”
Sophia murmured her thanks, her instinct to gather her hair at the back of her shoulder causing the light jacket to stretch open, revealing the wine-colored slip and a generous amount of pale skin underneath. Her chest moved subtly with the motion of her arms, the outlines of her curves faintly visible beneath the thin fabric.
Brandon subtly averted his gaze.
Sophia was totally out of it, just fiddling with her tangled hair with her fingers, not paying attention to anything else.
Brandon glanced at her and cleared his throat. Then with both hands, he grabbed her coat collar and crossed them over firmly, snapping shut the gaping neckline in an instant.
Sophia, a little slow on the uptake, suddenly realized she was flashing more than intended and her face went beet red in a flash. A huge wave of blush spread from her cheeks to her ears at lightning speed, and she kept her eyelids down, not daring to look at Brandon.
Brandon watched the flush on her cheeks and her awkward glances that didn’t know where to land, and he slowly stopped fussing with her clothes, his eyes locked on her.
Feeling Brandon’s movement pause, Sophia instinctively looked up and crashed into his pitch-black eyes.
His pupils were dark and deep, like an abyss in the night, bottomless and seemingly able to devour anyone..
Sophia knew those eyes all too well. Her heartbeat kicked up a notch, uncontrollably.
“I’m gonna head back now.” She managed to say, turning to leave.
But Brandon suddenly grabbed her arm, and with his other hand, he smoothly and swiftly slid his palm from the side of her ear into her hair, cradling the back of her head. He dipped his head and planted a fierce kiss on her.
