Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 8

Only two people were left in the private room now, and the music had stopped.

Faint voices drifted from the end of the corridor, muffled by several walls. Most of the crystal chandelier lights above were off, leaving only the dim wall sconces illuminating the space.

Between a dozen hours on a long-haul flight and the exhausting charade all night, Audrina was starting to feel tired. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the sofa for a while.

At some point, Sebastian had turned his head and was quietly watching her. Her eyelashes were long, resting softly against her skin as her breathing steadied.

He watched her for a moment before taking off his suit jacket and draping it over her.

Before he could pull his hand back, Audrina grabbed it and opened her eyes. "Done staring?"

"Pretending to sleep?" He casually sat down right next to her.

Audrina sat up straight, causing his jacket to slip down and reveal her delicate collarbones.

"Everyone else is gone. Why are you still here?" she asked.

Sebastian met her gaze, his eyes incredibly deep. The corners of his lips curved upward as he asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"The way you ask questions, Mr. Hawthorne," she said slowly, looking up at him, "always makes them very hard to answer."

"Is that so? Then let me rephrase—do you want me to stay?"

As his words landed, Audrina smiled. The corners of her eyes tilted upward in an alluring, seductive hook.

It was highly likely Zachary would be wrapped up with Vera tonight and wouldn't be able to get away. Besides, god knows how many times Zachary had taken Vera to their marital villa.

She thought about the engagement photo hanging above the bed. The version of herself in that photo wore a custom gown, smiling gracefully and elegantly. Zachary had one hand in his pocket and the other resting on her waist. The photographer had told them to get closer. He hadn't moved, and neither had she.

As if intentionally offering just a tiny taste, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips before pulling back.

She was about to slide off his lap, but Sebastian tightened his grip on her waist, refusing to let her go. His arms remained locked around her, his voice dropping to a husky murmur, "Where do you think you're going?"

Audrina gave in, leaning against his chest and burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Nowhere."

Her voice carried a soft, teasing pout, "But Mr. Hawthorne, you said Zachary doesn't know how to take care of me. I flew over ten hours to get back and haven't even adjusted to the time zone. Aren't you going to take care of me either? I'm exhausted."

The light from the sconces hit the side of Sebastian's face, casting a thin halo exactly where the light met the shadows.

His hands were still on her waist, his eyes looking down at her. She felt his fingers tighten for a second before slowly relaxing.

He took a deep breath. A few seconds later, he murmured, "But what if I don't want to let you go?"