Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 9

Audrina was still resting against his shoulder. His neck held a faint, crisp scent of cold woods. She flared her nostrils, taking a soft breath of him in.

Perhaps it was the buzz from the alcohol, or maybe it was just sheer physical exhaustion. But that faint scent inexplicably put her at ease.

Pressing her lips against the skin of his neck, she sucked hard, leaving a mark. "Then I won't go."

Sebastian's voice turned hoarse. "Are you sure?"

She pulled back, locking eyes with those bottomless dark pupils. "Are you scared?"

The man cupped the back of her head, pulling her in and biting down on her lip. "What would I be scared of? I'm no saint either."

...

When Audrina opened her eyes the next morning, she looked at the absolute mess of the room as flashes of last night's madness flooded her mind.

On her very first day back in the country, she had cheated on Zachary. And she had slept with Kingshire's absolute top-tier bachelor, a man whose body and looks left Zachary miles in the dust.

But what happened to the rumor that Sebastian Hawthorne was coldly aloof and completely celibate?!

Why was he acting like a ravenous teenager who had just tasted meat for the first time, totally insatiable all night long?

Exactly how long had he been holding back?!

Her entire body ached from head to toe!

A heavy arm was draped across her waist. She turned around, unexpectedly locking eyes with a pair of pitch-black pupils.

Sebastian was still lying there. The heating in the room was on full blast, and the blanket was pushed down, teasingly exposing the cold-white perfection of his abs.

The man's voice carried a husky, sleep-drenched edge. "Awake?"

Audrina furrowed her brows, letting out a muffled, grumpy "Mhm."

Sebastian woke up completely. Seeing her subtly puffing her cheeks, he found it incredibly amusing. "What is it? You got exactly what you wanted, and now you're feeling wronged?"

Audrina clutched the blanket to her chest, sitting up straight as she voiced her grievance. "Is it too late to swap you out?"

Because last night hurt a little.

Sebastian propped himself up, letting the blanket slide off his chest entirely. He frowned. "You wouldn't dare. Think you're ordering an escort? Swapping me out?"

"You hurt me!"

After saying that, Audrina scooted closer to the headboard.

She really couldn't figure out what Sebastian was playing at right now. What was his endgame in deliberately making her come back to watch that show? Just to make sure she saw Zachary for the trash he was? And then what? Just to sleep with her for a night?

She had no idea. Whatever came next, she'd deal with it later.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Audrina picked up her phone from the nightstand. It was exactly 8:26 AM.

Right on cue, breakfast arrived.

Sebastian slipped into a bathrobe to answer the door, then guided her to sit at the small round table by the window.

The moment Audrina placed her phone on the table, a notification chimed loudly.

Zachary had sent a message: [Where are you? Why didn't you come home last night?]

A few seconds later, another one popped up.

[After I dropped Vera off, there was an emergency with the project. I went straight to the office and didn't go back since it was so late.]

Audrina's lips twisted into a sneer.

Did Zachary even hear himself? He hadn't even gone home himself, yet he had the audacity to interrogate her?