Author’s pov
Sebastian drove back to his apartnt, his mind churning over the information his n had gathered.
Cecilia had received ssages from Amara the night before... He rubbed his temple in frustration.
He had overestimated his mother’s tolerance and simultaneously underestimated her tactics.
After work, Cecilia had arranged to go shopping with Harper.
She needed so noise and distraction to chase away the gloom settling in her chest.
They shopped until ten o’clock before heading their separate ways.
Cecilia’s pov
As I pulled into my parents’ driveway, humming along to the radio with shopping bags filling my passenger seat, I spotted a tall figure standing beneath the Aspen.
My tune faltered imdiately.
After drinking too much at lunch and spending the afternoon in a haze, Sebastian had let rest in my office until closing ti.
When I’d gone to his office before leaving, he simply told I could go ho.
I thought I wouldn’t see him again today.
I grabbed my shopping bags from the passenger seat and approached him cautiously. "Mr. Black? What brings you here at this hour?"
I stood before him, keeping my tone deliberately casual.
As if I’d just bumped into my boss on the street, nine parts pretense beneath a veneer of friendliness.
The light was dim beneath the tree, though a nearby street lamp cast enough of a glow for us to see each other’s faces.
Sebastian’s sharp gaze drifted from my face to the shopping bags in my hands.
"Sobered up?"
"Yes, completely," I said with a nod. "I actually have a decent tolerance--I get tipsy quick but bounce back just as fast."
"I can see that. That’s almost Olympic-level recovery."
"I wasn’t even that drunk to begin with. I always know my limits."
"Yes, you do seem like soone who knows her boundaries," he said with a quiet chuckle.
I tightened my grip on the bags.
The conversation stalled. The air between us turned heavy and still.
My carefully rehearsed nonchalance was starting to unravel like a loose thread.
Sebastian just stood there, without saying a word.
His stance was relaxed, but his eyes had that quiet, assessing sharpness--like a lawyer who already knows the answer but asks the question anyway, just to watch you squirm.
I felt a surge of irritation.
"Did you co here just to check whether I could walk in a straight line?" I snapped, finally cracking.
"Well, here I am. You’ve seen it. Running a damn sobriety test in my driveway. Congratulations. You can leave now."
Sebastian said nothing.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Whatever." My tone sharpened. "I’m going inside. It’s hot, and the bugs are getting aggressive. Stay out here if you’re feeling generous--maybe they’ll give you a dal for being their favorite snack."
I turned to leave.
But Sebastian moved--fast. He stepped right in front of , blocking my way.
I walked straight into his chest.
Startled, I looked up. "What exactly do you want?" I asked, voice rising. "It’s late. Are you letting go to bed or what?"
"Walk with ," he said, calm as ever.
"No. I want a shower, air conditioning, and to not deal with you."
"Your temper’s flaring," he said quietly, like he was noting the weather.
I had the sudden, violent urge to beat him with a bag of frozen pizza rolls.
Instead, he reached out and gently took the bags from my hands.
Then he caught my free hand in his, his thumb brushing softly over my knuckles.
"Just a short walk. Please?"
His touch, damn him, had a way of quieting the storm inside .
"Half an hour," I said, narrowing my eyes.
He nodded. "Half an hour. Not a minute more."
Still holding my hand, he turned toward the sidewalk. "Co on. Let’s go donate blood to the local mosquito population."
I didn’t dignify that with a response.
We walked in silence through the neighborhood, past manicured lawns and porch lights glowing like fireflies.
Eventually, we reached a small playground tucked between rows of houses--complete with creaky swings and a plastic slide faded by the sun.
"I’m done," I said, slipping my hand from his and dropping onto one of the swings. "My feet are officially on strike."
Sebastian set the shopping bags down and moved behind without a word.
A mont later, I felt the gentle push of his hands, sending the swing into motion.
Every ti I swung back, his palms caught my waist--steady, warm, and annoyingly perfect.
"I stopped by my parents’ place earlier," he said casually.
My fingers curled around the swing’s ropes a little tighter.
My body floated forward, but my heart? It dropped straight into my stomach.
On the next swing back, he caught again--hands firm at my sides, close enough that I could feel his breath near my ear.
"I told my mother her precious goddaughter scared the hell out of my secretary," he murmured. "And maybe it was ti she told Amara to back off."
I froze mid-swing and craned my neck to look at him, startled.
He leaned down and kissed the corner of my eye--soft, unhurried, like this was sothing he did all the ti.
"Relax," he said. "Let finish."
Apparently, his mother had played innocent--claid she had no idea what Amara was up to, insisted it wasn’t her idea, and reminded him she couldn’t exactly lock the girl in a tower to keep her from coming back.
"Which, fine," he said with a shrug. "Even the governnt can’t stop soone from chasing bad decisions. Why should we? If she wants to co back, let her. Not my problem. But I did tell my mother sothing very clear--anyone who sses with my secretary is ssing with . And I don’t take kindly to that."
Another kiss, this ti near the corner of my temple.
It made my eyes sting in that warm, infuriating way that said I was dangerously close to feeling sothing.
"Why would you even tell her that?" I asked softly. "Talking like that will just make them hate more. They’ll think I’m... trying to seduce their son."
Sebastian let out a low chuckle. "Well, aren’t you?"
I shot him a look over my shoulder.
He grinned.
"If they think you’re seducing ," he said, "just tell them you’re not serious. You’re only toying with ."
I snorted. "Yeah, I’m sure that’ll go over great. ’Hi, ma’am, I’m just casually playing with your heir apparent.’"
"You could pull it off," he said, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek. "You should try being bolder. You don’t need to carry the weight of the world. These things? They’re nothing."
He leaned in again, tone low and steady. "You’re smart. Gorgeous. Financially independent. The whole damn package. If anyone tries to ss with you, you tell . I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to be scared of anything--not when I’m around."
I pretended to think it over, tilting my head like I was giving it serious thought. "Hmm. That does sound convenient."
I stood up, turned around and embraced him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Rising on my tiptoes, I kissed him.
As if his words had given genuine confidence.
His arms tightened around my waist, and I could feel his passion and joy...
n are surprisingly easy to please, even soone as shrewd as Sebastian acted like an eager child in this mont.
He needed his candy, and he wouldn’t stop until I gave it to him. We kissed deeply, reluctant to part.
"Let’s go sowhere else," he murmured against my lips.
I pushed him away slightly, grabbed my shopping bags, and pulled him back toward the car.
He guided into the driver’s seat and I started the engine.
Sebastian smiled. "Your half hour is up. Don’t you want to go ho and rest?"
"What half hour? We’ve only been out for two minutes," I insisted, tapping the clock with absolute certainty, as if he must have misunderstood the ti.
I drove out of the neighborhood and into a nearby wooded area where the trees grew thick and no lights penetrated the darkness.
I turned off the headlights.
Suddenly, we were enveloped in complete darkness.
I climbed over to the passenger side, straddling his lap and facing him.
My lips, soft as marshmallows, brushed against his as I whispered, "Sebastian, I really like you."
I pressed my lips to his, initiating the kiss, pulling him closer, tangling with him, kissing him passionately...
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