24. Sophie

CHAPTER 24

SOPHIE

S ophie smiled and stepped back in satisfaction as she finally finished putting the crib together. The nursery was almost finished now. Other than a few decorations, the only thing left to do was to stock the closet and the changing table. Amy had informed her she would get plenty of those things at her baby shower, so Sophie wasn't worried.

Everything was coming together.

They had decided to wait until after the wedding to hold the baby shower, which her mother and Amy were planning together. Not only was Sophie too busy, she was still pretty early in her pregnancy and wanted to wait to find out the gender. Not that it mattered to her; she was just delighted about becoming a mother.

Sophie closed the door and headed into her bedroom to take a quick nap. Everything was exhausting her lately. She was fatigued by the simplest tasks.

She laid down and her hand swept to her still-flat stomach. She couldn't wait to start showing. She had always imagined herself wearing those cute flowy dresses, showcasing a perfectly round stomach.

Her seamstress disagreed when she gushed, jokingly begging her to remain bump-less until after the wedding. It was reasonable, considering they couldn't fully predict how much room Sophie would need.

It was crazy to think that the wedding was only a month away. Time was flying by. It was precisely the reason Sophie was so adamant on preparing the nursery so early.

Besides the obvious excitement to decorate and prepare, the next few months would be busy and she didn't want to wait until her stomach was so big that she could hardly bend over. Leading up to the big day, she had an abundance of responsibilities and appointments, for both the wedding and the baby. The rest of her free time went to work.

The busyness wouldn't stop after the wedding, either — there would be interviews, maternity shoots, her baby shower, and even the honeymoon.

Noah hadn't mentioned anything to her, despite saying that he would take care of it. She wondered if their new dynamic would alter their previous plans of exploring that Italian island together.

She tried not to think about Noah often, despite seeing him every day. The kiss they'd shared that night in the nursery still felt fresh on her lips.

Sure, Sophie had been disappointed with Noah's response. But it also gave her freedom. Freedom from overthinking, contemplating, and worrying about his feelings for her and their future together.

She didn't hate him for not returning her feelings, she only hated the fact that she had let hers show through. It was a silly fantasy to believe that she and Noah could ever be more than what they were. Besides, she had so many things to be happy and grateful for. Like spending time with her family and friends or even getting to spend the day by herself. And when she started to really focus on those things, she felt better about not having a relationship. She didn't need a man to feel happy or secure.

Though, Sophie wouldn't go as far as saying she felt whole, because there was one thing missing. One thing she couldn't seek out to fully satisfy her. Turns out, her hormones didn't just make her incredibly tired and moody; her arousal for Noah lately was insatiable.

The way his veins popped when he grabbed his coffee mug in the morning, his voice and the power he radiated when he conducted their weekly marketing meetings, and of course, when he walked around the apartment in nothing but a loose pair of shorts. It annoyed Sophie to no end.

She ignored the thoughts about Noah and closed her eyes. Her tiredness had subsided now, and her brain clung to images of Noah, which only pushed her further awake. Not awake, restless. Energized.

Her body was begging for release. Her hand automatically moved between her thighs, pressing against the ache.

Sophie sat up and threw off the covers.

No! She couldn't. Not that she didn't enjoy self-pleasure, but because she knew the images that would play her in mind while she did. And she couldn't think about Noah like that, not anymore.

Sophie headed to the kitchen for a glass of cold water. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, she added ice and water from a pitcher.

She was in the middle of chugging the glass when Noah entered the kitchen. Sophie hadn't even realized he was home.

"Thirsty?" he asked. He must have just returned from working out, because he was shirtless and sweaty.

Sophie laughed nervously, suddenly worried he could read her mind. "A little."

Her eyes hooked on his low-rise black shorts, the V shape that descended into them, and the outline of— She looked away but it didn't stop her mind from recalling the image.

Noah moved around her, grabbing his own glass of water. His odor swept over her, his pheromones attacking her senses. It was the same way he smelled when they—

Sophie left the kitchen, retreating back to her bedroom. She laid down again and attempted to distract herself, reading an article about the second trimester. She got halfway through it before she realized she hadn't retained anything.

Deciding that she needed further distraction, she opted for a cold shower, praying that it would shake her body out of this state.

She undressed quickly and grabbed her towel. Her ensuite only had a tub so she headed towards the main bathroom down the hall.

As soon as she walked through the door, she slammed into something hard. It was Noah.

The air was streamy and he was leaning against the sink, his face half covered in shaving cream. He had just come out of the shower, and his towel was wrapped lowly on his waist.

Dammit.

Sophie tucked her own towel more tightly over her chest. "Sorry, I was just going to shower."

Why had he chosen to shower in this bathroom? He never normally used it.

"Yeah sorry, I was having an issue with my shower. I hope you don't mind."

"This is your apartment; you don't have to apologize."

She turned to leave.

"I'll be done in a sec, if you want to wait."

"Sure," she responded.

"You know you don't need to call it my apartment. You live here too."

In a smooth motion he slid the razor down his face, causing water droplets from his hand to fall onto his chest.

Sophie's eyes snagged on his abs. "Yeah, I know. I just…"

This wasn't helping anything. She should have turned around and left when she saw him. Why did he have to look so good?

She blinked, trying to find her sentence again but caught his eyes in the mirror. Her cheeks heated. Noah had caught her staring.

He pretended not to notice, rinsing his razor and repeating the same process as before, but she saw the knowing sparkle in his eyes.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked casually.

She became very conscious then that they were both naked beneath their towels. Only a slight tug of the wrist would leave them both exposed. It thrilled her more than she cared to admit.

"Fine. I've been a little tired lately, but it seems to be a pretty common pregnancy symptom. You?"

"Pretty good," he told her. "Other than the tiredness, though, everything's okay?"

Normal conversation felt odd. It did not match the mood she was in, the thoughts running rampant in her remind. That ache between her legs was building again. Sophie lowered her towel slightly, easing her grip to expose more of her cleavage.

"Yeah, for the most part." She brushed past him as he ducked his head towards the sink to rinse his face. She began rooting through the drawers, retrieving one of her nail files.

Noah patted his face dry with a towel. Sophie pretending to fix a corner of her nail, she felt his eyes on her breasts as she slowly filed back and forth.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked.

"Not that I can't think of."

He eyed her skeptically. "What is it?"

Sophie hoisted herself onto the counter, being careful to keep her towel in place. The towel slid higher up her thighs as she sat.

His eyes flickered only for a second. He came closer to her, real concern on his face now. His towel pressed against her calf.

"Nothing you can give me," she replied, focusing on her nail.

Noah rested his hand on hers. "I know we're in a weird place right now, Sophie. But if something is bothering you, I want you to tell me."

"It's you," she whispered.

Noah moved to step back, offended, but she caught his hand.

"Not like that." She glanced at the towel around his waist, slowly dragging her gaze back up to his. "I'm feeling…"

Noah's eyes turned lustful as he understood, and he rested a hand on her thigh.

Sophie exhaled loudly, their eyes coming to an understanding.

His fingers toyed at the edges of her towel. "This— this is what you need?"

Sophie nodded, uncrossing her legs.