Chapter 189

[ 1,037 words ]

Emilia’s POV

I caught every word Mila said to Sebastian before they left, and heat crawled up my neck. They’d walked in at the worst possible second, and of course they’d read it wrong. We hadn’t been doing anything. Sebastian had only been kissing my scars.

” I didn’t do anything to her.” His grumpy voice drifted through the doorway.

“We saw it with our own eyes, and you still want to deny it? It doesn’t matter how impatient you are. She’s still hurt. You hold back. Understood, Sebastian?”

A pause. Then a grudging, “Fine.”

“Good. Now go say goodbye to your wife. We’re leaving.”

When Sebastian came back in, he crossed straight to my bed. “I’m taking my parents home. They’ve been here all afternoon.”

“Of course,” I said. “Drive safe.”

“I will.” He leaned down, pressed a quick kiss to my forehead, and headed for the door.

I sank back against the pillows and let my eyes drift shut. The room was huge, one of those VIP suites with a lounge area and a view of the skyline.

The door clicked open.

Sebastian stood in the doorway, shrugging off his jacket.

“Forget something?” I asked.

“No.” He draped the jacket over the chair and sat down.

I blinked. “Didn’t you just leave to take your parents home?”

“I did. Fynn’s handling it. I sent a mind-link to him.” He leaned back, completely at ease. “I’m staying tonight.”

I stared at him. “Sebastian, this is a hospital. You can’t just camp out in my room.”

“Why not? It’s a suite. There’s a couch.” He nodded at the sofa by the window. “I’ll be fine.”

“That’s not the point.” I pushed myself up, wincing at the pull in my back. “Don’t you have work tomorrow? Meetings? An entire empire to run?”

“Nothing that can’t wait.”

“Sebastian—”

“Emilia.” He cut me off. “I’m not leaving you alone. Not after what happened. What if someone else shows up? What if Scott comes back?”

“Scott’s not going to—”

“Scott Hanson’s already on the blacklist.” Flat. Final. “No one from the Lightning Pack sets foot on Simons property again.”

I gaped at him. “You banned him? From everything?”

“Every building, every business, every event. If he tries to walk into one of our hotels, security walks him back out.”

“Sebastian, that’s insane!” I sat up fully, ignoring the throb in my back. “Scott’s a good person. A brilliant CEO. He’s been nothing but professional with me. You can’t blacklist him just because—”

“Because he’s in love with you?” His eyes locked on mine, sharp and unyielding. “That’s exactly why.”

The room went quiet.

I took a breath. “Scott’s feelings are his problem, not yours. I’ve already turned him down. More than once.”

“Not enough.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “He looks at you like he’s waiting for me to fail. Like the second I slip, he’ll be right there to catch you.”

“And banning him from your buildings fixes that?”

“It keeps him away from you.” His jaw tightened. “That’s all I care about.”

God, he was impossible.

“Sebastian.” I gentled my voice. “I worked for Scott for years. I know exactly how he feels about me. It doesn’t change anything. I don’t feel the same.”

He said nothing. Just watched me with those green eyes, waiting.

“I love you,” I said quietly. “Not him. You. And the second I’m out of here, I’m resigning from Hanson Group. I was already planning to. So you don’t have to worry about Scott anymore. I’ll handle it.”

The tension in his shoulders let go, a little. He sat back and exhaled.

“You mean that?”

“Yes, you jealous idiot.” I rolled my eyes. “Now can you calm down before you declare war on the whole Lightning Pack?”

A smirk tugged at his mouth. “No promises.”

I sighed and lay back, pulling the blanket to my chin. “Fine. Stay if you want. But no complaining when you wake up with a stiff neck.”

“I’ll survive.”

Quiet settled over the room. I closed my eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. My mind kept buzzing, the whole day looping behind my eyelids.

“Can’t sleep?” Sebastian’s voice broke the quiet.

“Not really.”

“Want me to tell you a story?”

I opened one eye. “A story?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Like a bedtime story.”

I laughed before I could stop myself. “Sebastian, I’m not five.”

“I know that.” He stood and settled on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle me. “But you wanted one earlier, remember? So here I am. Offering.”

“Alright.” I shifted onto my side to face him. “Let’s hear it. What have you got?”

He thought a moment, then nodded to himself. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

I bit back a smile. “Really? That’s the best you’ve got?”

“Do you want the story or not?”

“Go ahead.”

He started, his voice low and steady. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went walking in the forest and found a house. She knocked, no one answered, so she walked right in…”

His voice rolled over me, deep and soothing, like a lullaby. I watched him talk, watched his face soften, watched him go almost… peaceful.

Then, halfway through, his words started to slow. His eyelids sank.

“…and then she tried the third bowl of porridge, and it was…” He trailed off, blinking hard.

I grinned. “Sebastian, are you falling asleep?”

“No.” He straightened, shaking his head. “I’m fine.”

“You’re exhausted.” I scooted over and patted the space beside me. “Come on. Lie down for a bit.”

“Emilia—”

“I’m not asking.” I gave him a pointed look. “You’ve been running yourself into the ground taking care of me. My turn. Get up here.”

He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the bed, then back to me.

“I can’t,” he said quietly.

“Why not?”

His jaw worked before he finally said, “Because I won’t be able to control myself.”

Heat shot to my face. I stared at him, my brain stalling out for a second before I found my voice.

“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered, yanking the blanket higher. “And a pervert.”

He smirked. “You’re the one who invited me into your bed.”

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