Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 61

"Didn't you say I'm not allowed to bring him up?"

Her lips were still pressed against the side of his neck, her breath hot against his skin.

After she spoke, she lightly bit his earlobe.

Sebastian Hawthorne knew perfectly well she was just placating Zachary Sutton, and that there was no way she actually wanted a child with him, yet the man still maliciously used it to provoke her at a time like this.

Outside the window, snow was still falling.

The heating in the room made them both feel completely lethargic, melting the words Audrina Monroe murmured into his warm embrace.

"Fine, we won't talk about him."

His fingers tightened, lifting her up as her smooth, luminous legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.

He carried her toward the bedroom.

Audrina could feel the rapid beating of his heart against his chest, a stark contrast to the cold, aloof expression he wore.

Once in the bedroom, Sebastian laid her down on the soft mattress.

He switched on a floor lamp and stood by the bed, looking down at her from above.

His shirt was already open, revealing the sharp lines of his abs that disappeared beneath a loosely tied belt.

His hair was still half-wet, a stray lock falling over his forehead, failing to obscure the intensity in his eyes.

He stared at her like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Audrina," he ground out her name. "Do you think I really have no way of dealing with you?"

The dim, warm light hit him from behind, casting his facial expressions into deep shadows.

All that remained were those bottomless, pitch-black eyes, locking onto her as if he were going to devour her in the very next second.

Audrina bit her lip, remaining silent.

He was talking nonsense again; he had plenty of ways, and he only got more skilled each time.

Sebastian leaned over, planting one hand beside her head and brushing aside the loose hair near her ear.

"Tell me," he murmured, lowering his head. "How should I punish you?"

She turned her head to dodge his scorching breath. "I have no idea what you're talking about..."

He grabbed her ankle and pulled her toward him.

Finally, after coaxing her to sleep, Sebastian walked out to the living room and lit a cigarette, holding it between his lips.

Sitting on the sofa, he exhaled a thin stream of smoke, a rare look of total satisfaction settling across his features.

Once he finished smoking, he recalled her mentioning that Zachary had sent her the financial reports for Monroe Industries.

If Zachary really was hiding something, anything he willingly sent over would have been doctored long ago.

It was highly unlikely they'd find any suspicious details in them.

He thought for a moment before dialing Carter Garrison's number.

The phone rang seven or eight times before it connected. Carter's voice was groggy, sounding as if his eyes weren't even open. "...Hello?"

"Any progress?" Sebastian's tone returned to its usual icy detachment.

It was incredibly late, and the man on the other end of the line was dizzy with sleep, voicing his strong displeasure. "Man, do you have any idea what time it is? Even corporate slaves need to sleep, right?"

"Just tell me," he replied, in no mood for nonsense.

Carter seemed to sober up a bit, jolted awake by the cold, hard edge in his voice.