Chapter 110 The Couch Is No Bed
Silence filled the room, and Aaron sensed Jack's slightly heavy breathing in the quietude.
After a moment, Jack said, "Mr. Gordon, once Nora is done showering, could you please ask her to give me a callback?"
"Sure."
Aaron set down his phone, squinting thoughtfully. A man's intuition told him Jack probably had feelings for Nora.
What about Nora?
He remembered her mentioning that she had no plans to marry.
But what if Jack confessed his feelings for her?
Would she be swayed by him?
Jack was beginning to be a thorn in Aaron’s eyes!
Twenty minutes later, Nora emerged from the bathroom.
She was drying her damp hair with a towel, looking around for something.
"Thomas, did my phone ring just now?"
Aaron responded without looking up from his computer screen, "Jack called. He asked you to call him back."
With an "Okay," Nora picked up her phone and headed to the living room.
Aaron's hands paused on his keyboard, trying to listen intently.
In the living room, Nora dialed Jack's number. "Jack, did you call me?"
"Hey, Nora, I just found out Aaron needed your assistance for a while." Jack's voice was as gentle as ever.
Nora chuckled, "Yeah, his leg condition needs continuous treatment, so I had to come along. But I'll be back tomorrow."
There was a brief silence on the line.
Nora probed, "Jack, are you upset?"
"Why would I be? It's just that I find you so impressive; I'm afraid someone might snatch you away one day."
His tone was soft, and Nora could sense a touch of melancholy.
She blinked, thinking Jack was talking about work.
"Jack, it's not that serious. Don't flatter me."
Jack let out a light laugh and changed the subject.
"I called to tell you I've cleaned up the house you bought. Let's shop for furniture this weekend so you can move in."
Nora felt overwhelmed with gratitude.
"Jack, I really can't thank you enough."
She hadn't worried about the house at all because Jack had taken care of everything.
"Don't mention it. Alright, it's a plan then; we're going furniture shopping this weekend," Jack stated.
Nora hesitated. "Jack, you're busy; I can go by myself."
"It's fine; no matter how busy I am, I'll make time."
Jack assured her. Then, he changed the subject, asking, "Nora, are you sharing a guest room with Aaron?"
Lost in thought, Nora's eyes briefly shifted at his question. "For the sake of the treatment, yes, we are sharing a room, but I'll be sleeping on the couch."
In the bedroom, Aaron couldn't help but chuckle as Nora spin those audacious lies.
Didn't they spend the night wrapped in each other's arms?
The call ended, and Nora walked in.
Aaron glanced at her casually. "What did Jack want. Why is he calling you at this hour?"
"Oh, he was just letting me know that he had someone clean up my new place. He's taking me furniture shopping this weekend," Nora replied offhandedly.
Jack was particularly attentive to her.
A flicker of emotion passed through Aaron's eyes as he spoke, "As the head of the institute, he must have a lot on his plate. You should try not to burden him too much. Let Noe go with you to pick out furniture this weekend—it can be part of your additional compensation."
Nora looked at him with a smile. "Thomas, you do have a way of understanding people, don't you?"
Aaron remained silent.
He was far from understanding.
He just didn't want her to spend time alone with Jack!
"Alright, enough chit-chat. You should go get some sleep; I have some work to get to."
Glancing at the time, Nora prepared to tackle the research assignment Howard had set for her.
Aaron frowned slightly, internally chastising Howard.
Howard knew Nora was on a business trip with Aaron; why pile on more work?
Meanwhile, Nora pulled out her laptop from her suitcase to organize and summarize the data she needed to handle over the next couple of days.
The surroundings grew quiet.
Soft light filled the room, punctuated only by the intermittent tapping of keyboards.
Minutes ticked by, and Aaron lifted his gaze from his computer screen, rubbing the fatigue from his brow.
Hearing the typing from the living room, he checked the time and frowned.
Approaching midnight, Aaron wondered if Nora was still occupied with her work.
"Nora, you done yet?"
In the living room, Nora was finalizing her data verification.
"I'm almost finished. Did I disturb you?"
She hadn't disturbed him.
He was just concerned for her.
A few more minutes passed and seeing Nora still at work, a glint flickered in Aaron's eyes.
"Nora, my leg hurts."
Upon hearing this, Nora halted her work. She swiftly rose from her seat, and hurried into the bedroom.
"Your leg is hurting again? Where does it hurt?"
As concern flickered across her pretty face, the corners of Aaron's mouth curled up.
Just as Nora reached out to examine him, he pulled her onto the bed.
With a startled exclamation from Nora, she found herself tumbling into Aaron's embrace.
She shifted slightly and protested, "Thomas, what are you doing?"
"It's late. Time for bed," he said simply.
Aaron adjusted her position to lie next to him.
Nora breathed in the distinct masculine scent of him, and her heart skipped a beat.
"I'll sleep on the couch," she said, attempting to rise, but Aaron pressed her back down.
"Is the couch as comfortable as a bed?" The man looked down at her with an inscrutable gaze that sent an involuntary shiver through her heart.
Nora's eyes flickered hesitantly. "But..."
"Just sleep on the bed," Aaron commanded firmly. "Nora, it's not like it's our first time sharing it. And I'm practically disabled right now. I can't do much of anything to you."
Nora fell silent.
His legs might be out of commission, but surely, the rest is still in working order, isn't it?
Feeling her cheeks warm up, she thought better of refusing. Glancing around, she placed a throw pillow between them.
"I'm going to sleep then," she declared.
Aaron remained silent. Did she honestly think a pillow would stop him if he intended to do anything? Was all this really necessary?
Nora could feel his intense gaze on her as she sprawled out. Peering open her eyes, she looked at Aaron. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Aaron looked away, setting his laptop aside before lying down.
"Turn off the light," he said.
"Okay." Exhausted, Nora complied and was soon fast asleep.
In the quiet of the night, one could have heard a pin drop. Aaron listened to her steady breathing and gently removed the pillow between them.
Nora was deep in sleep, rolling over and subconsciously reaching out. Aaron naturally gave her his arm.
She cuddled his arm contentedly and drifted back to sleep. Aaron watched her peaceful face, his eyes softening with tenderness.
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