Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1737

He ate quickly, showing absolutely no disgust that the food was her leftovers or that it had already gone cold. Sylvia stared at the man devouring cold dumplings with a highly complicated expression. Was this really the same arrogant, high-and-mighty young master she once knew? Clutching the contract tightly, her mind a mess, she simply turned and hurried out of the office.

By the time Sylvia successfully signed the agreement with the Westfield partners and returned, an hour had passed. Pushing the door open, her eyes immediately fell on the man on the sofa. Steve had fallen asleep again. However, he was far too tall for the loveseat, his long legs forced to curl up uncomfortably. It was still early spring, and even with the office heating on, the temperature was not particularly high. Steve was wearing only a thin black dress shirt. He was clearly cold in his sleep, his brows pulled tight as he hugged his arms closely against his chest.

Standing in the doorway, Sylvia stopped in her tracks. She hesitated for a long while before walking over to the storage cabinet and pulling a blanket from the bottom drawer. Treading lightly, she approached the sofa, holding the blanket by its corners, intending to drape it over him. But the second the fabric brushed his shoulder, the sleeping man's eyes snapped open. Startled, Sylvia flinched, her hands trembling. Before she could even scramble back, he clamped a hand around her wrist and yanked her down. Without time for even a gasp, she crashed directly against his firm, warm chest. His powerful arms instantly wrapped around her, holding her tight. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice still thick and raspy from sleep.

His intensely masculine scent, mixed with a faint hint of tobacco, instantly set her face ablaze. Pressing her hands against his chest, she struggled furiously. "Let go of me!"

Instead of releasing her, Steve tightened his embrace, pressing her deeper into his arms. "What should I do? I cannot bear to let you go." Lowering his head until his lips were practically grazing her ear, he murmured in a dangerously low voice, "Can I just hold you a little longer?"

Sylvia's mind went entirely blank, buzzing with shock. She never imagined he would say something so boldly possessive, yet laced with such raw pleading. Frozen in his arms, she found herself completely speechless, entirely unsure of how to react. Taking her lack of struggle as permission, Steve grew bolder. The large hand resting against her lower back began trailing slowly upward along her spine. Every hair on Sylvia's body stood on end as she turned stiff as a board, terrified to move a muscle. His hand traveled all the way up to cup the back of her head, gently guiding her to rest against the crook of his neck. Burying his face in the slender curve of her throat, he breathed in her scent, his chest rising and falling heavily.

"Sylvia, please do not leave me," he murmured against her skin, his voice trembling with heartbreaking vulnerability. "Do not let that dream become real. You can torture me however you want. You can curse me out all you want. But please... please do not hurt yourself." By the time he uttered those final words, his voice had completely broken, choked with an uncontrollable, heavy sob.

The hands Sylvia had planted against his chest to push him away suddenly stalled. Feeling his warm breath against her neck and the faint trembling of his body, a sudden, inexplicable ache swelled in her chest. But that sympathy only lasted a few fleeting seconds. Memories of the past struck her like cold water, snapping her awake. Gritting her teeth, she drew on a sudden burst of strength and shoved him away. Stumbling back two steps, her chest heaving violently, she pointed an accusing finger at him. "Steve, do you have any idea what you are doing?!"