Chapter 74
Valeria knew she couldn’t just go snooping around Sebastian’s place looking for a charger, especially not in his bedroom or study, without his permission.
So she turned around quietly, tiptoeing back.
Sebastian stirred in his sleep, and the blanket draped over him slipped to the floor.
Valeria tiptoed over and bent down to pick it up. Her slender fingers clutched the blanket for a moment, then she quietly tucked it back over him.
Just as she was about to walk away, a sudden grip tightened around her wrist.
Then, Sebastian opened his eyes.
The darkness of the night was no match for the deep, piercing black of his
Valeria instinctively tried to pull her wrist back, but his grip was firm.
eyes.
“Dr. Grant, my phone’s about to die. Do you have a—”
Valeria’s words trailed off because she felt his grip on her wrist loosen slightly. But the rough pad of his thumb brushed against her skin, sending an involuntary shiver through her body.
“Valeria,” Sebastian called out to her. His voice was low and husky, barely more than a
whisper.
The room was dark, but her skin seemed to glow-soft and pale, like moonlight on fresh snow.
His deep, narrow eyes stayed locked on her face.
Then he called her name again, his voice soft and low.
“Yeah.” Valeria felt like he was staring straight through her, so she instinctively lowered her
head.
The tension in the air was thick with something unspoken, charged and growing warmer.
She felt it, too. Her heart was racing. If this kept going, something would spiral out of control.
“M-My daughter’s going to wake up…”
She tugged her wrist, trying to pull away. But his palm felt like a hot brand, his grip firm enough to leave a mark on her skin.
“Sebastian…” Valeria’s chin was lifted. Then Sebastian’s lips came down on hers.
Cold and sharp, his breath wrapped around her like a storm.
Chapter 74
Valeria’s eyes widened, lashes fluttering.
Something deep and dark in his eyes drew her in, swallowing her whole. His nose brushed against hers, and then he kissed her-rough, unpracticed, almost desperate. One hand cradled the back of her neck, fingers pressing gently but firmly as he tilted her up toward him.
His familiar scent hit her all at once, leaving her breathless.
At that moment, Valeria forgot to resist. She forgot everything else. Her mind went completely blank.
His kiss made her melt, every muscle going soft and weak. His lips were cool to the touch, yet the heat in their kiss was enough to melt them into each other. She felt herself giving in, like ice cream slowly melting in the heat.
“No… We can’t do…”
She snapped back to her senses. Her fingers clutched tightly at his sleeve as she turned her face to the side, trying to pull away.
“Sebas-”
But her breath was stolen all over again.
Everything blurred together. Until Sebastian’s fingers slipped under Valeria’s robe, his cold touch trailing slowly up her spine. The sensation snapped her out of it.
She gripped his arm, her breath shaky, and her voice was rough and unsteady as she said, ‘ We… We can’t do this.”
Valeria wasn’t the only one who’d come to her senses. So had Sebastian.
He narrowed his eyes, his breathing just as uneven as hers. His eyes lingered on her as the robe slipped open, and with each breath she took, her chest rose and fell, revealing the soft curve of her chest and the gentle tension in her smooth, flat stomach.
She was wearing his bathrobe.
Even on him, it always felt a little loose. And now, draped over her slender frame, it barely held together.
It took Valeria a moment to realize. She grabbed the collar, her shoulders trembling slightly as her stiff fingers quickly tied the belt into a knot.
Sebastian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His eyes locked onto her lips, flushed from the kiss they’d just shared.
That was the moment he should’ve apologized and said it was a slip, a moment of lost control. But the words stuck in his throat.
An apology like that could only be said once.
And at that very moment, Sebastian was fully aware and was completely in control. The truth was, he did want her in that way. He didn’t want to offer some hollow apology just to disguise a very conscious desire as a reckless impulse.
If he apologized, it would be a lie. And even then, it was the kind of lie a man could only tell
once.
