Chapter 276

And for that, he would never feel regret.

When he returned to the room, Abigail was already in bed, sitting quietly with the blanket draped over her lower body like an obedient child.

Sebastian stepped in, the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth impossible to suppress. He shut the door behind him, turned toward her, and said with an easy warmth, “I brought your phone. It’s pretty late, so I didn’t grab the tablet. Figured we should both try and sleep.”

“Yeah, I’m honestly beat,” she replied. But despite her calm tone, her heart was racing wildly.

Sebastian walked over to the bed and handed her the phone. He lingered at the bedside for a moment before clearing his throat. “Well… I guess I’ll lie down too.”

“Sure,” Abigail said. The air between them was tentative, almost embarrassingly so.

They were acting like teenagers fumbling through their first night under the same roof. Abigail had always thought Sebastian would be more experienced in this sort of thing, but it turned out he was just as unpracticed.

He slipped under the covers without so much as brushing against her. Then, just as she lay down, something suddenly dawned on him. He had named his smart AI assistant Abby. Every night, he had to say that name aloud to turn off the lights. He had named it after Abigail, of course, but now that she was in his bed, the whole thing felt mortifying.

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Abigail lay still for a while, then spoke gently. “Should we turn the lights off?”

“Yeah,” he replied, lifting the covers slightly.

“Don’t you have voice control?” she asked, almost casually.

Sebastian glanced down at her. She looked so serene, lying there beneath the covers, that he had to force down the impulse rising in his chest. “I do,” he said, shifting his gaze away. “Just didn’t feel like calling it out tonight.”

As soon as the main light went out, the ambient glow from the motion sensors lit up, a soft halo running along the baseboards, gentle enough not to disturb sleep, warm enough to soften the room.

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this space,” Abigail said, glancing around. “Feels almost like… a girl’s bedroom.”

“Oh?” Sebastian turned his head toward her, lifting the edge of the blanket as he joined her. “You saying I feel like a girl?”

He leaned in closer as he said it, wearing a mock-serious expression. Though he kept his tone light, there was an undeniable weight in his proximity.

Abigail turned her back to him quickly. “I didn’t mean that.”

Her short hair hadn’t grown much since she last trimmed it. The movement revealed the nape of her neck, smooth and achingly delicate. Sebastian stared at that curve for a long, quiet moment and let out a breathless sigh. If he could resist touching her now, perhaps he really had mastered the art of restraint.

He lay back, eyes on the ceiling, and resigned himself to a sleepless night. Abigail, on the other hand, was already worn out. The endless meetings and the long day of work had all drained her. Her thoughts scattered for a while, then dissolved into sleep.

Sebastian, still wide awake, reached for the phone on his nightstand and opened the group chat with James and Warren.

[I can’t sleep. What do you do when this happens?]

He felt like he’d vastly overestimated his own willpower. No matter how much a man tells himself otherwise, the body always tells the truth. And at the moment, his body was being far too honest. He thought about taking a cold shower, but feared waking Abigail. That would be a nightmare to explain.

Warren was the first to reply. [Honestly? Totally get it. You’ve had feelings for her forever, and now she’s sleeping right beside your room. The fact you only just realized you can’t sleep? You’re slow, man.]

James followed up with his usual lack of subtlety. [Honestly, I thought you were into men. You’ve been holding out for how long? If it were me, I’d have folded the first night.]

Sebastian replied flatly. [Watch your mouth.]

James didn’t back off. [What? I’m being real here. We’re all guys. You know how this works. You’re in your prime, and the woman you’re crazy about is knocked out next to you. If you’re not reacting, we need to book you a urologist.]

Warren added: [I’m with him. Cold showers every night? That’s a short road to kidney trouble.]

Sebastian stared at the messages, feeling both irritated and helpless.

A while later, he finally typed: [She’s right next to me.]

The moment he sent it, Abigail shifted in her sleep. Her body rolled toward him, soft and warm, brushing against his arm. A faint, lingering scent, like flowers and sunlit cotton, drifted up to meet him.

He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. Turning his head, he looked at her. She was sleeping deeply, her features peaceful, lips slightly parted.

Sebastian tossed the phone aside without replying further. He slowly turned to face her, close enough to feel her breath on his skin, and watched her in silence.

Sometime in the night, Abigail stirred again. Maybe she felt too hot, or maybe she simply moved in her sleep, but she kicked off the covers, flung one leg over his body, and burrowed into his chest, her cheek pressing softly against him.

Sebastian went rigid, every nerve in his body aflame. This was agony of his own making. He had thought sharing a bed would bring them closer. Instead, it was sweet torture and entirely self-inflicted.

The next morning, Abigail awoke to find herself wrapped tightly in Sebastian’s arms. She shifted a little, but quickly realized he wasn’t letting go.