Chapter 164
Cecilia’s pov
Sebastian noticed my gaze lingering on his waist.
He leaned closer, took my hand, and deliberately placed it against his firm abdomen.
“What are you doing?” I tried to pull away, but his grip remained firm.
My traitorous hand was guided across the taut muscles of his stomach, the heat radiating through his shirt making my breath catch.
I couldn’t bear to look down, afraid of what my eyes might reveal.
“T-that girl,” I stammered, desperately trying to change the subject. “You really don’t know her p>
“Fuck, no,” he growled, his lips trailing down the column of my neck, nipping at the sensitive skin. His clever fingers made quick work of the clasp of my jeans, the rasp of the zipper obscenely loud in the tense quiet of the room.
The scorching of his mouth seeped through my shirt, a brand that promised to mark me.
It was a maddening contrast, like fire licking at ice, and I felt myself melting at the edges.
My resolve was crumbling, my breathing a ragged, useless thing.
“Let’s just talk instead ” I tried, the words thin and pathetic even to my own ears.
Don’t do this… don’t let him p>
But his hand was already sliding down, past the waistband of my panties, his long fingers finding the wet heat I could no longer deny.
A sharp, choked gasp escaped me.
“So fucking ready for me,” he whispered, his voice thick with lust.
He pressed a finger inside, and my hips bucked against his hand of their own volition, my traitorous body screaming its surrender.
My head fell back, a moan tearing from my throat as he began to move his hand, a slow, torturous rhythm that promised everything and nothing at all.
I was right there, on the precipice, my entire world narrowing to the feel of his cock straining against his zipper and his fingers working my pussy.
Just as I was becoming his carefully savored dessert, poised to completely come undone, Sebastian’s phone suddenly rang, sharp and insistent.
The spell shattered.
I pushed him away, cheeks flushed, and retreated to my room on shaky legs, locking the door firmly behind me.
Author’s pov
In the living room, Alpha Sebastian answer his phone, his tone shifting to something formal. “Father. “
His posture straightened as he spoke, like the mere sound of that word demanded a return to formality.
Whatever ease had been in his frame moments before was gone and replaced with sharp lines and a barely-there tension humming beneath his skin.
On the other end, his father’s voice was low, measured with something that sounded like reluctance. “Zane called. His daughter’s been staying with someone in your building, but apparently that person left without notice. The girl’s in the lobby now. Alone. Can you bring her up and keep an eye on her until Zane arrives p>
The weight of the room seemed to shift.
The temperature didn’t actually drop, but it felt colder somehow – like the words had sucked the warmth out of the air.
Alpha Sebastian’s jaw tensed, a muscle ticking near his temple.
His thumb brushed along the seam of the couch cushion as he leaned back, spine stiff, eyes narrowed in thought.
“That’s what he said? Exactly? “he asked, voice low and even, like a blade laid flat on a table.
“Yes,” came the reply. “She’s down there right now. I can send you a photo if – “
“That won’t be necessary, “Sebastian cut in, voice going from cold to glacial.
He tapped his fingers once-twice-against the armrest, a steady rhythm that didn’t match the tension building in his shoulders. “I know what she looks like. “
Silence stretched out, taut and uncomfortable.
Then, Sebastian spoke again, his tone final. “Tell Uncle Zane I’ll send someone to keep an eye on her. He can collect her from building management. “
His father hesitated. “Wouldn’t it be better if you brought her upstairs yourself? Just to calm her down – “
“It’s late,”Sebastian said, already rising to his feet. “Goodnight, Father. “
He ended the call before another word could be spoken, thumb pressing down on the screen with finality.
For a moment, he stood still in the center of the room, phone still in hand, eyes unfocused as if weighing something invisible.
Then, with a sharp exhale, he moved, stepping into motion like a machine winding back to life.
He crossed the room in long strides, pulled open the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the balcony.
More phone calls followed–one of them lasting quite a while.
Cecilia’s pov
I woke to morning light streaming through the windows.
Reaching for my phone, I discovered a text Sebastian had sent in the early hours:*Rest well. Come upstairs for breakfast when you wake.Liam will prepare your favorite food p>
My heart fluttered before I caught myself.
*No, Cecilia. Don’t be fooled by food. This is just physical attraction clouding your judgment p>
*Right. Exactly. Just sex, no feelings p>
I needed to stay firm in my resolve to be the heartbreaker, not the heartbroken.
Ignoring his message, I was out of the building before 7:30 AM.
I drove to a nearby coffee shop for breakfast.
If Sebastian or Liam called, I’d simply say I missed the message and had already eaten.
I was contentedly munching on a sandwich and scrolling through my phone when someone slid into the seat across from me.
*You’ve got to be kidding me p>
“Good morning, Alpha,” I said brightly, looking up with a preemptive smile.
But it wasn’t Sebastian.It was Xavier.
My sandwich suddenly tasted like cardboard.
I tossed the remainder onto my plate. “I don’t recall inviting you to sit. Get up and leave p>
Instead, he tilted his head, that smug glint back in his eyes. “Do you know who that girl was last night p>
“Not interested,”I said flatly, reaching for my drink like this conversation wasn’t already lighting my nerves on fire.
“She’s the Locke heiress p>
That stopped me cold.
My expression betrayed me for the briefest second, just a flicker of surprise before I slammed the mask back into place.
So that was her. The one Sawyer mentioned. The secret daughter. The one born from an affair, hidden away like a family stain.
And Xavier had brought her to a public event like… what? A date?
Then it clicked.
“Oh, I see,”I said slowly, my voice like ice cracking under pressure. “Done with your deranged little mistress, so now you’re trying your luck with her mentally impaired cousin p>
I smiled, sharp and venomous.
“Wow. You really are a piece of work p>
“Bold move, Xavier. Real classy p>
My sarcastic barbs seemed to hit their mark; his face darkened momentarily before he regained his composure.
“I actually find her rather charming. Problem is, she’s not into me. She likes Sebastian. Pretty obvious, right p>
My fingers curled into fists under the table.
I forced a smirk. “So what now? You planning to compete with Sebastian for the affections of a girl who thinks he’s her brother p>
Xavier leaned in then, too close, his voice low and loaded. “That’s not what I’m getting at, and you know it p>
He paused, eyes locked on mine, like he was trying to read the cracks beneath my calm.
“Sebastian didn’t spend the night with you, did he?” he said, smug and slow, slicing the words like a knife. “He went after her p>
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to – the tension in my jaw probably said enough.
He leaned back, satisfied. “Mr. Zane Locke called Sebastian’s father personally. His daughter needed to be brought home and she needed… protection p>
I leaned forward, my voice low and razor-edged. “So what if he’s helping her? At least he’s not sniffing around emotionally damaged women like they’re some kind of buffet p>
Xavier’s smirk vanished for a second, replaced by something darker. “You really think you’re special? That you’re the exception? Sure, he’s feeding you sweet nothings now, but let’s be real – how long do you think that lasts p>
“We were together for eight years. Eight. The cracks only started showing up in the last two. You honestly think Sebastian’s any different? “
I picked up my coffee, took a slow, deliberate sip – calm, collected.
Then I turned and threw the rest of it straight in his face.
The café went dead quiet. A fork clattered. Someone actually gasped.
Xavier didn’t flinch. He just sat there with coffee dripping from his hairline, blinking like I’d kissed him instead of baptized him in caffeine.
Then – he laughed. Low. Unhinged. Like the punchline was still coming.
I picked up the empty cup and hurled it at his smug, coffee-soaked face.
He caught it with one-handed – always the showman.
I stood, voice cutting through the air like a blade. “Thank you, Xavier. Really. You just saved me the trouble of ever wondering if leaving you was a mistake p>
I leaned forward, eyes locked on his, smile ice-cold. “You can rot in your own damn ego. I’ll spend the rest of my life with someone who doesn’t confuse obsession with love p>
His smile faltered, just barely.
“Do you even know what love is?” he said, softer now, but no less bitter. “Love means forgiveness. But you never gave me any. You walked away like eight years meant nothing. So tell me – who’s the cruel one here p>
I leaned in, close enough for him to smell the last of my coffee on my breath.
“Oh, I did love you,” I said, tone flat and final. “That was my mistake. Leaving was me finally fixing it p>
And that? That shut him up.
I turned on my heel and walked out.
Sitting in my car, I began typing a message to Sebastian, wanting to ask if he’d gone looking for that girl last night.
But my finger hovered over the send button.
*Why bother asking? We’re never going to be together anyway. Why torture myself p>
I deleted the entire message.
A moment later, my phone chimed with an incoming text, appearing like a ghost summoned by my thoughts.