Chapter 288: Sleeping While Leaning on Her

For Aaron Xavier, the specific game they played didn’t really matter. Even though he wasn’t particularly good at this farming game, he was happy to play as long as Zoe Pierce asked.

What mattered was who he was playing with.

As for Zoe Pierce, her interest began to wane after a few hours.

Her fascination with holographic games wasn’t as strong as it used to be.

They took off their helmets and went to prepare dinner.

The robot in the house had already prepared most of the meal, but Zoe Pierce and Aaron Xavier still handled some of the simpler steps themselves.

The air in the room, with just the two of them, was constantly thick with the scent of their hormones.

All it took was a single glance for Aaron Xavier to lean in for a kiss.

And he certainly hadn’t been sparing with his kisses.

Her cheeks had been kissed more than enough times, and Zoe Pierce was doing her best to get used to Aaron Xavier’s clinginess.

The biggest difference between him and Nathan Lockwood was his perpetual, fervent passion.

In a setting like this, he would never suppress his affection.

It was so intense it was impossible to ignore.

Zoe. Sister.

Aaron Xavier would call her whatever he thought would work to his advantage.

After Aaron fed her another two bites of food, she couldn’t help but ask, "If you hadn’t come here, would you have refused to go home?"

She was referring to the situation with Aaron Xavier’s father.

Aaron Xavier shrugged. "Nope. I moved out a long time ago. Besides, ever since I won the exhibition match, the old man has left me alone."

"He knows I’ll take responsibility for my own future."

Zoe Pierce watched him as he continued, "Actually, my hatred for those two is just misplaced anger."

"The one I hate the most... is him."

Aaron Xavier sounded perfectly natural as he told Zoe Pierce all this. "But he knows that, so he rarely lets me get involved in his affairs, and he rarely tells me anything else."

Clearly, they’d been locked in a battle of wits for a long time.

"Guess why I said it’s useless to report a relationship like that?"

Zoe Pierce’s throat felt a little dry. She looked at Aaron Xavier, whose expression was unnervingly calm. "You’ve reported him before?"

Aaron Xavier actually smiled. "See, Zoe Pierce? You do understand me after all."

’So, Aaron Xavier had personally reported his own father.’

’No wonder he was able to walk away unscathed after hitting Sheldon Xavier.’

Aaron Xavier chewed on a piece of lettuce. "It was useless. And it let him know I hated him."

He bared his teeth in a wry grin. "But he can’t bear to give up on me. After all, I’m an S-Class Alpha. Compared to Sheldon Xavier, it’s obvious who has the more promising future."

Actually, Aaron Xavier hadn’t planned on talking about this. But he had already revealed so much about his family to Zoe Pierce.

’By telling her things that no longer really affect him, he could earn some of Zoe’s sympathy.’

’Either way, it was a worthwhile trade.’

So he decided to tell her more.

"I also know that I can only get my revenge on him once I’ve established myself. And my uncle’s family might get some benefits out of it, too."

’He just wasn’t as calculating as Nathan Lockwood; it didn’t mean he was completely clueless.’

"So, for now, we’re maintaining this balance," he said, finishing the last bite of his food.

’The only downside to playing the victim during dinner was that it wasn’t convenient to do... more.’

Aaron Xavier sighed internally.

For example, he could see she was clearly moved just by looking at her now.

’If they were on the sofa right now, she might even be holding him to comfort him.’

A dark glint flashed in his eyes. "Why am I telling you all this? I’m just making you worry."

Zoe Pierce watched him with furrowed brows as she ate her last bite. "I want to understand you better, too."

Even though she already knew quite a bit, when it came to information about Aaron Xavier’s family, she couldn’t bring herself to say she wasn’t interested.

Aaron Xavier smiled. "Alright. I’ll tell you everything in a little while. I’ll even tell you about Chase, Nathan, and the others."

The tension in Zoe Pierce’s brow eased.

Once they were on the sofa, the smile on Aaron Xavier’s lips grew wider.

He started eagerly, "Actually, there’s not much to say about the others. Everyone has some family drama, but nothing as messy as mine."

"It’s because I have such a violent temper."

’But now that she was used to his personality, she didn’t really see it that way.’

’He really only showed that side of himself in front of Sheldon Xavier.’

Aaron Xavier had already laid down on his side, resting his head on Zoe Pierce’s lap and pressing it against her waist. "But I don’t want to change. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way I am now."

’He was speaking from the heart. He was long past the age of needing to change for others.’

"Sister..." But his voice grew softer.

He didn’t sound unaffected at all.

Zoe Pierce naturally ran her hand through his brown hair, stroking it gently again and again as if combing it.

"I agree. The you right now is wonderful, Aaron Xavier,"

she said, her tone unhesitating and firm.

Aaron Xavier could only hide his smile by pressing his head deeper into her. He just knew Zoe Pierce was impossibly soft-hearted.

Her soft abdomen pressed against his forehead. Higher up, his cheek was nestled against more softness.

Zoe Pierce was slender where she should be, and full where she should be.

And right now, he was clearly reaping the benefits.

Aaron Xavier buried his face even deeper.

Zoe Pierce felt him hugging her much tighter than before, but given the topic of conversation, it didn’t feel out of place.

It wasn’t until much later that she realized Aaron Xavier had actually fallen asleep. His breathing was even, his eyes were gently closed, and the pressure of his body against hers had lessened considerably as he curled up on the sofa.

In sleep, all the best qualities of Aaron Xavier’s features were on full display.

His gentle eyes and brows, his short brown hair, his relatively fair skin.

He had long eyelashes, too.

He looked completely harmless.

And so very dependent on her.

Deep down, Zoe Pierce savored this kind of intimacy from Aaron Xavier.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before Aaron Xavier stirred from his sleep, suddenly realizing what had happened.

His head was still resting on something soft.

He tilted his head up and saw Zoe Pierce, who had also leaned back against the sofa with her eyes closed.

He glanced out the window; the sky had gone completely dark.

The moment he sat up, Zoe Pierce also woke with a start. She rubbed her eyes and hissed, "Ahh—it’s so numb."

Aaron’s heart ached for her. "If you saw I was asleep, you should have just moved me. Why did you let me keep lying on you?"

Zoe Pierce’s senses slowly returned.

She watched as Aaron reached out to massage her leg. Wincing, she said, "You were sleeping so soundly. I didn’t want to wake you."

Aaron had achieved half of his goal, leaving him torn between exasperation and amusement.

He hadn’t expected to actually fall asleep on her.

He just felt that she was so soft and the room was so quiet that he had drifted off without realizing it.

"I finally understand why Chase likes to sleep holding you," Aaron said, noticing that she was no longer wincing as he massaged her leg. "Everything about you, right down to your heart, is just too soft."

You have a completely reassuring presence.

It’s impossible not to get lost in it.

Even outside of sex, just being with you is enough to put a person’s heart at ease.