Chapter 275

Without a word, he reached out, pulled her into his arms, lifted her chin, and kissed her.

Her mind hadn’t yet caught up.

All she could register was the sheer force of his kiss, unapologetically demanding, like he meant to claim her fully, even pry her lips apart.

Her knees nearly gave out. Instinctively, she clutched at the collar of his shirt and let out a muffled gasp.

Sebastian released her at once, then gently wrapped her in his arms. “This is my first time being in a relationship, and I honestly don’t know how to be a good boyfriend… how to make us feel more like us."

“Lately, I’ve started wondering if we’ve been too careful with each other.”

Abigail was still catching her breath, hands clenched tightly around the fabric of his pajama top. “You just… surprised me. It was so sudden.”

Sebastian suddenly realized just how reckless he’d been.

He cleared his throat, and with one arm around her waist, added, “I should’ve warned you first.”

Her heart was still pounding uncontrollably.

“I thought you’d already gone to bed. We live together now. Why didn’t you just come into the study and say something?” Sebastian hesitated. The truth was, he’d seen her immersed in her work, and for no rational reason, had grown a little sulky. “You were busy, and I was tired. I didn’t want to interrupt,” he said, choosing not to admit that he’d gone off to sulk alone. Blair’s unexpected appearance had clearly rattled him more than he cared to admit.

So this was what it felt like to truly care about someone. How easily a single word could unmoor him.

“You could’ve still come in and talked to me. They’ll understand,” Abigail said. Everyone at the company knew they were together. There was nothing to hide.

Sebastian stood at the doorway, his gaze burning with intensity.

Abigail’s heart skipped a beat under that look. She averted her eyes quickly, trying to calm the flurry in her chest.

“It’s getting late,” she said, voice quieter. “Maybe we should just get some sleep.”

The desire that had been simmering inside him was forced down once more.

“Yeah.” He hadn’t realized until he spoke that his voice had turned hoarse.

A blush rose to her cheeks as she reached for the door, intending to close it, but he pressed his hand against it, stopping her.

Startled, she looked up.

Sebastian’s eyes were impossibly deep, as if hiding a thousand unspoken things. “Maybe… you could sleep in my room tonight?”

As soon as the words were out, he saw the blush on her face deepen, spreading to the base of her neck. Realizing how suggestive it sounded, he took a quick step back and blurted, “I didn’t mean anything by it. Just sleep. I mean it.”

He almost ran a hand through his hair out of frustration.

In every other aspect of life, he was confident, composed, always a step ahead.

But when Abigail blushed, it was as if his entire being unraveled.

“You’re not allowed to try anything,” she said softly, her voice barely audible, tinged with nervousness.

Truthfully, she trusted him. If he’d wanted to cross that line, he would have done so long ago. They had shared a roof for some time now, and he had always been remarkably restrained, never once crossing into her room without cause. And they were in a relationship.

“I won’t.” Sebastian stepped closer, taking her hand gently in his.

Before she could say another word, he was already leading her down the hall toward his room.

“My phone…” she began.

“I’ll grab it for you in a bit. Just go get settled in first,” he said quickly, as though worried she might change her mind and flee. His eagerness was impossible to hide.

Abigail smiled faintly but said nothing.

Once inside his room, she took a moment to finally look around properly.

He seemed to prefer darker tones. The deep green bedding resembled polished emerald, rich, restrained, and oddly soothing to the eye.

She’d seen plenty of online chatter claiming that men’s bedrooms were greasy and smelled overwhelming.

But Sebastian’s room had a light floral scent, subtle and elusive; she couldn’t name the flower, only that it was soft, pleasant, and laced with something like sunlight.

It was the kind of scent that quietly lingered and made one feel safe.

“Go ahead and lie down,” Sebastian said, releasing her hand. “I’ll grab your phone. Oh, the cats might jump into bed later. Hope you don’t mind?”

As he spoke, he glanced discreetly around, checking for any mess. Only when satisfied that everything was in order did he allow himself to relax.

“I don’t mind. They never come into my room, though,” Abigail replied. In truth, she’d love to wake up with a sleepy cat curled up at her side.

“You didn’t leave the little door open. They can’t get in. I’ll have someone fix that tomorrow,” Sebastian said lightly, practically glowing with anticipation.

As he stepped out of the room, he turned and glanced back at her, sitting at the edge of his bed.

His mother had once told him to find someone who loved him.

But just like her, he had chosen instead to love someone with his whole heart.