Chapter 8
Olivia
I had one mission tonight, and it was to seduce my husband.
After dinner with my parents and the subtle approval in their eyes, I knew I had to keep building this momentum. The old Olivia would have never allowed Sebastian in her room.
But now I was about inviting him into my arms and maybe even into my heart properly this time.
I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the strap of my black, sleek nightgown. It was soft, delicate, just sheer enough to spark interest without screaming desperate.
I spritzed a little perfume on, then let my hair fall over my shoulder in waves.
I climbed into the bed, carefully positioning myself without looking like I was trying so hard–which I actually was.
I dimmed the room lights to set the atmosphere, the lights casting a warm and inviting glow.
Then the door cracked open.
I didn’t look at him. Not yet. I wanted him to drink in my appearance.
He stepped inside, steps slow and gentle like he was trying to comprehend what he was seeing.
I slowly turned to face him, acting like I didn’t notice his entrance.
His shirt clung to his broad chest, a little wrinkled, and his hair slightly messy. He looked like perfection.
I couldn’t believe I had been treating this man like trash while the trash was actually Phillip.
He paused for a moment, eyes sweeping over me–those mesmerizing gray eyes. How did I overlook them before?
His gaze on me wasn’t long,
Just once.
Barely a second.
Slowly, doubt crept in my mind. Was I not sexy enough? Was my body not enough? My waist too soft? My thighs too full? Was I really lying here, half–naked and still getting the cold shoulder? My jaw clenched. I looked like a seductress, but inside, I somehow felt like an idiot.
With a sigh full of drama and wounded pride, I turned my back to him and muttered, “I’m going to sleep.”
Moments later, the lights clicked off.
My heart jumped,
Oh. Oh? Was he finally coming to bed?
Nope. The sofa creaked instead.
I shot up in disbelief. “Seriously? You’re sleeping there?”
He looked at me like I was the confusing one in this equation. “You just said you were going to sleep.”
“Im–meant In this bed!” I snapped a flush rising up my cheeks. “I didn’t dress like this for the thread count you know.”
His brows lifted questioningly. “You….want me to sleep next to you?”
“No, Sebastian,” I hissed, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I want you to admire the wall while I cry into my pillow. Of course I want you here!”
He stood slowly. Hesitant. Like I was some dangerous creature with unpredictable fangs.
“We’re married,” he said quietly. “Legally”
I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t forgotten Seb, and legally, you can get your fine ass in this bed.”
The second he was close enough, I did it–I threw my arms around his neck and pressed myself into his chest like I had every right to be there. Which I did.
He looked up at me. Like really looked–his jaw clenched and something flicked in his eyes. Pain. Frustration. Temptation. Maybe all three.
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Chapter 6
+25 Bonus
“What are you doing? Is this how you’re going to convince me? Seduction?” he said dryly. “You really think a pretty dress and dimmed light is going to erase everything? Really?”
I sank to my knees in front of him–something I never imagined myself doing. But desperate times, right? I rested my hands on his knees, inching closer, mischief dancing in my eyes as I tilted my head and gave him my sweetest pout.
“Well, if you put it that way…” I murmured, my voice soft but teasing, “this is just one of my many steps toward victory–and I figured, why not start with the most fun one?” I batted my lashes, letting a cheeky smile curl on my lips before leaning in a little more, pressing just enough to make my point.
刊
His fingers suddenly wrapped around mine, firm–like a warning. His eyes were half–lidded, but there was that familiar, dangerous glint in them.
He stared at me without a word. I didn’t wait for permission; I leaned in, brushing my lips against his cheek, then trailing down to the edge of his jaw.
“Olivia,” he warned, but he didn’t react.
“I need you, I’m not stopping you,” I whispered against his ear, lips grazing his skin,
His breath hitched.
“I’m only human,” he murmured, voice wrecked, low and dangerous.
very nerve in
my body on fire. “So don’t hold back.”
“Then stop pretending to be a saint.”
And then–God help me–his mouth was on mine.
It was like a dam broke, rough, needy, toe–curling. I kissed him like he belonged to me. It wasn’t soft or tentative. I kissed him like I needed air, like he was the only thing tethering me to this second life I’d been given. He kissed me back after a heartbeat of hesitation–hungry, aching, and far too familiar.
His hands gripped me, pulling me in, the heat between us almost unbearable.
I felt his heart pounding against my chest as I deepened my kiss. I wanted more–no, I needed more.
“Don’t make me regret this,” he muttered against my lips.
“Never,” I replied, breathing heavy, my fingers running through his hair. My hands were in his shirt. My body was pulling him down into the bed.
Then he stopped.
Just–pulled away, like I’d set off a fire alarm in his head.
“What the hell-?” I gasped, blinking up at him with a pout.
“1–Fuck.”
He swallowed looking away from my chest.
“I need a cold shower, you should get some rest.”
he muttered, voice tight, breath uneven, eyes doing everything but looking at me. Then he turned around and walked off like he hadn’t just kissed the soul out of me and left my heart doing cartwheels.
I flopped back on the bed, lips still tingling, hair a mess, blanket strangling my legs like karma itself had joined the party.
Staring at the ceiling like it held answers, I groaned, “I wore the nightgown. I gave him the eyes. I even did the ear whisper thingy.” I threw a pillow at the headboard. “what more do you want from me, sebastian?!”
A moment of silence. Then the sound of the shower running.
I huffed, dragging the blanket over my face dramatically. “I swear to God,” I whispered to the blanket, “this man is going to make me insane.”
But hey… it was only day one.
Winning him back wouldn’t be easy, I knew that. I inay not have succeeded today, but I got under his skin, so that was a good sign — L.. think.
