The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 728

Zachary saw how flushed Sophia's face was and immediately frowned. His first thought was that she might be sick.

He tapped a few keys on his keyboard and told his team to hold for a moment. He then got up and walked over to her. "What's wrong? Your face is burning up."

As he spoke, he reached out and touched her forehead before he instantly stiffened. Her skin was burning hot. "Sophia, are you running a fever?"

He turned to grab a thermometer, but she quickly reached out and grabbed his shirt.

"I'm not." Her voice trembled slightly. "Zachary, I'm not running a fever, and I'm not sick either."

"Then, why are you so warm? And your face is bright red." His eyes filled with concern. He cupped her cheeks and found that they were even hotter than her forehead was.

"Sophia, if you're feeling unwell, you have to tell me right away."

"I'm fine." She bit her lower lip, then stood up and took off her headphones, tossing them onto the table. She suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Zachary… do you… really like me?"

Her voice was soft, almost uncertain. It was like she was embarrassed to even say the words.

Zachary froze for a moment, then placed his large hand on her waist. With a slight tug, he pulled her onto his feet so she was standing on top of them.

"Yes, I like you." He looked into her eyes and answered slowly, seriously, and with absolute certainty. "I like you. There's no question about it."

Her eyes turned a little red with emotion. She bit her lip again. "Then, have you ever thought about…"

She was fumbling now, the words barely coming out, her gaze darting away from his face. She couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence.

His eyes softened as he watched her struggle. "Sophia, are you worried about something?"

"No!" she blurted, looking up at him, then quickly looking away again. "I'm not worried."

Without another word, he suddenly picked her up and sat her on the edge of his desk. Then, he reached over and shut the laptop, cupped her face, and kissed her.

Sophia never got to finish the rest of her sentence, but Zachary knew exactly what she meant. He'd wanted this too, but he'd been waiting for her to be ready to open her heart completely.

But if that patience had made her doubt his feelings for her, made her feel unsure, then he wasn't going to wait anymore.

"Hold on to me." His voice was low and husky against her ear. "Sophia, are you sure about this? Once we start… there's no going back."

Her face flushed even deeper, glowing red like it might explode at any given moment. Sitting there on the desk, Sophia's legs dangled in the air, and she felt nervous.

She tightened her arms around him. "What do you mean by that?"

She couldn't even bring herself to look at him, and her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You know exactly what I mean." His lips curled up, and his eyes were filled with warmth. "Sophia… I'm sorry I made you overthink things. I'm sorry I made you feel insecure.

"I've wanted this. I've been waiting for the moment you feel ready. And now that you are, I'm not waiting anymore."

Sophia nodded slowly. "Yeah… I'm ready. I want to try.

"Zachary…" she called his name softly.

He chuckled when he saw how flustered she was. "Alright. I'll stop talking now. Just relax. Soak in the tub for a bit. I'll give you a massage, so you won't be sore later."

"Okay." Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito. She didn't move and just let him take care of her.

After the bath was done, and he'd massaged her for a while, Zachary carried her out and carefully dried her off. "I'll blow-dry your hair. Then we can sleep."

"Okay." Her brain was still a foggy mess. She didn't know what to say or what to do.

He laid her stomach-down on the bed, plugged in the hairdryer, then gently began drying her hair.

Neither of them said anything.

Eventually, he turned off the dryer. "All done. It's time to sleep."

"Thanks," she whispered, then pulled the blanket over her head.

He let out a soft laugh and gently tugged it back down. "Don't cover your head. You won't be able to breathe like that."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Zachary, did I interrupt your work?"

"No." He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. "Honestly? I liked what happened a lot more than work. Sophia, I love you."

As he said the words, she felt something cool slip onto her finger. She looked down and saw a ring on her left ring finger.

"It's a proposal ring," he said while holding her hand. "You're not allowed to take it off. Okay?"