Chapter 284
He lifted her glass and casually offered it to her lips.
Sophie instinctively took a sip. As she reached up to take the glass from his hand, her fingertips brushed against his. The sudden rush of warmth felt like an electric shock, instantly sending a fiery flush straight to her cheeks.
“You know, looking like that, you were basically made to be stared at. Don’t tell me no one has ever looked at you like this before?”
“No one has ever stared quite so shamelessly,” Bacchus replied dryly. Sophie nearly choked on her water.
He quickly grabbed a napkin and handed it to her, unable to hold back a smirk.
“That’s quite the choice of words,” Sophie muttered, snatching the napkin and shooting him a playful glare.
“Was it?” Bacchus’s expression remained perfectly pleasant. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
After they finished their lunch,
Bacchus looked at her. “Did you drive here?”
“Nope.” Sophie tilted her head, her long lashes fluttering over scheming eyes.
“If I drove, how would you get the chance to show off your gentlemanly side?”
Bacchus didn’t argue. He simply took her hand and led her toward the parking garage. “Then I’ll drive you.”
Sophie looked down at their intertwined fingers in mock shock. “We’re holding hands already? Isn’t this moving a bit too fast?”
He pulled open the passenger door, his tone impossibly casual. “Fast? You’ve already penciled in a time to sleep with me. Holding hands is barely scratching the surface.”
Sophie was rendered completely speechless. She practically dived into the passenger seat and aggressively buckled her seatbelt. So much for being the one in control-she had just been completely outplayed.
A warm, gentle evening settled over Switzerland. When Lucy finally got off work and arrived home, the nanny was sitting on the living room rug, reading a picture book with Seven.
The second the little boy spotted her walking through the door, he abandoned his book and charged over on his short legs, his sweet voice ringing out. “Mommy, welcome home!”
Lucy bent down and scooped him into a tight hug, nuzzling her nose against the crown of his soft hair and kissing his forehead, Suddenly, the massive wire transfer she had received earlier that day flashed through her mind. The memo line, for Seven’s needs, was practically seared into her memory.
“Seeing you makes all the exhaustion go away, sweetie.”
Seven rested his head on her shoulder and started gossiping in his tiny, dramatic voice. “Mommy, found out Uncle Kingsley is a little bit dumb. He’s not as smart as Unele Helt. When I washed my hands he didn’t even know he was supposed to roll up my sleeves. I had to teach him how to do it!”
Lucy burst into laughter, gently pinching his cheek. “Look at you, being so smart and teaching the adults what to do!”
Glowing from the praise, Seven wiggled out of her arms, scurried over to the corner
of the living room, and grabbed his miniature drawing board. He held it up to her like a prized trophy.
“Mommy, look! I learned so much today, and I wrote it all down!”
Lucy looked down at the board. The
German and English letters were spaced out wildly, but they were written with intense
She ne
nodded with an encouraging smile “This is fantastic work! Next time, try
putting the letters a little closer
together, and it’ll look even better.”
“Okay!” Seven chirped happily, hugging his drawing board as he bolted off like a tiny tornado to show the nanny his masterpiece.
Lucy dropped her purse, headed to the bathroom to wash her hands, and then pulled out her phone. Finding the massive wire transfer from earlier, she decisively hit ‘Return to Sender’.
Tucking her phone away, she sat down next to Seven, watching his small hand furiously scribbling on the board. “Did you take your nap today?”
“Yep!” Seven didn’t pause his drawing, his little face a mask of deep concentration.
“I got so sleepy after lunch. I slept for a really long time.”
Suddenly, he threw his head up, his eyes sparkling with desire. “Mommy, I want colored markers just like the ones Molly has!”
Lucy immediately understood what he meant and smiled softly. “Alright, sweetie. Mommy will buy them for you.”
“I need lots and lots of colors!” Seven quickly added, nodding so hard his entire body shook.