Chapter 290

“First time hosting a dinner like that? You looked a little tense,” Sebastian asked, fingers gently laced through hers.

Abigail slipped her hand away and shot back, “Tense? Please. It was just a meal, no big deal.”

Sebastian could tell she was just putting up a front. He chuckled quietly to himself.

He pulled her back toward him, wrapping his arms around her. “Shower first, or should I go?”

“You go,” she replied. “I want to read through some files from the R&D team first.”

“Alright.” He was already looking forward to the moment they’d finally lie down together.

Even if they didn’t do anything, just holding her, breathing in the soft scent of her hair, that was enough to make him feel completely at peace.

When Abigail finished her work and came out of the shower, Sebastian was lying on the bed with a book in hand.

She walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed. “What are you reading?”

“Just a novel,” he said, closing the book casually.

It was in another language. Abigail caught a glimpse of the text but didn’t ask. She could code like a pro, but reading foreign fiction still took too much effort to be relaxing.

She slipped under the covers, nestled in beside him, and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Let’s sleep.”

“No overtime tonight? It’s not even ten yet,” Sebastian teased. For her, anything before midnight was practically early.

“The toughest part’s over,” she mumbled. “I don’t have to be on edge anymore.” After nearly a month of grinding through that project, she was due for a break.

He rolled onto his side to face her. “So you’re focusing on the Gibson Group full-time now?”

“Yeah. Why?” she asked, pulling his arm over so she could rest her head on it.

“It’s just… the company’s starting to stabilize. And I’m wondering… what about us?”

Abigail looked up at him, her eyes calm. “We’re already sleeping in the same bed. What more of a plan do you need?”

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, voice low. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

Her cheeks flushed. She burrowed into his chest to avoid the question. “Just one. On the forehead.”

Sebastian chuckled and gently pulled her face back up. “How about a real kiss?”

She tried to push him away, but he leaned in and caught her lips in a soft, lingering kiss.

When he finally pulled back, he murmured, “Just that. I won’t do anything else.”

“As if I’d let you,” she muttered, face still flushed, and turned her back to him.

He wrapped himself around her, chin resting lightly against her head, hand on her waist.

“You’re too warm. It’s like hugging a furnace,” Abigail complained, squirming a little.

Despite the air conditioning, the room still felt unbearably warm. She couldn’t escape the heat that seemed to come from him.

“It’s because I’m thinking about you,” Sebastian murmured, feeling his own body temperature rise. As soon as they were close, he couldn’t help but feel his blood rush faster.

Abigail rolled over to face him. “Is it… uncomfortable?”

She wasn’t exactly innocent. She’d heard more than enough from the women in prison. Some of them could make a sailor blush. She knew what it meant when a guy held back.

“I’m fine,” he answered quickly.

She had told him she wasn’t ready yet. He wouldn’t push her.

As long as he stayed still, the tension would fade eventually.

Abigail reached up and cradled the back of his head, giving him a soft kiss. “Still fine?”

Sebastian’s breath caught. “Don’t tempt me. I’m not made of stone. If you push too far, I might not be able to stop myself.” As he spoke, his hand was already guiding her head downwards.

She resisted and asked bluntly, “Did you get condoms?”

He froze, then slowly tilted her chin up to meet her eyes. “Wait… are you saying you’re ready?”

“I’m asking you,” she pressed, her voice almost impatient. “Do you have it?”

“I’ve got a whole drawer,” he said. “All the right sizes. No chance of messing that up.”

He had done his homework, of course, and discovered that condoms came in different sizes.

Abigail kissed his throat lightly. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, not really.

Kissing wasn’t something she knew how to make seductive. She just went with instinct.

Sebastian let out a low groan and gently pushed her back. “You can’t kiss like that. You’ll start something we won’t stop.”

“Oh.” She blinked rapidly, her face turning crimson.

He looked at her shimmering eyes, leaned in, kissed one, then moved down to the bridge of her nose. “I keep thinking… you’re not even twenty-two yet. Maybe you’re still too young for this.”

His voice had gone hoarse.

“Twenty-four’s the ideal age to get married. And then start having kids,” Abigail said with a straight face.

Sebastian looked at her for a moment, heart skipping.

“Well, if we’re going to get married, now’s the time to evaluate each other,” she added.

He raised an eyebrow. “What, a two-year trial period?”

“Why not? Some men are fine the first year and useless the second…” She didn’t get to finish that sentence. Sebastian kissed her again, deeper this time.

He figured if this was a trial, he’d just have to prove he passed with flying colors.

Chapter 291