Sebastian’s thumb traced across her knuckles. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“You always do.”
They climbed the stairs together, and Harper found herself noticing details she’d missed before—photographs on the walls, the way the city lights filtered through the windows, how Sebastian’s shoulders carried less tension than usual.
His bedroom was exactly as Harper remembered it—understated luxury that somehow managed to feel warm and personal. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the terrace they’d just left, and soft lighting made everything feel golden and dreamlike.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about you too,” Harper said, backing him toward the bed.
“Have you now?” Sebastian’s hands tangled in her hair. “What exactly have you been thinking about?”
“How I want to see if I can completely wreck that composure of yours,” she said, pushing him down onto the mattress.
Sebastian’s laugh was breathless. “Harper, do you have any idea what you do to me when you talk like that?”
“I have some theories,” she said, straddling him, her fingers making quick work of his shirt. “But I’d rather have proof.”
“You want proof?” His hands slid up her thighs, voice dropping to that rough register that made her pulse quicken.
“Yes,” she said, leaning down to bite his shoulder. “Lots of it.”
What followed was intense and intimate, all heat and hunger and desperate kisses. Harper took control the way she always wanted to—completely, confidently, driving them both toward the edge with a precision that left Sebastian completely undone.
“God, Harper,” he said, settling back to take a better look at her. “You’re incredible, you know that?”
“I do know that,” Harper said with characteristic directness. “But I like hearing you say it anyway,” she breathed against his skin.
He laughed, “Modest as always.”
“Now stop talking and let me ruin you properly,” she teased.
“Okay, but fair warning, I’m going to ruin you right back,” he said, flipping them so she was beneath him. “Since you seem so interested in wrecking things tonight.”
When they finally collapsed together, breathing hard and thoroughly satisfied, Harper curled against Sebastian’s side with a satisfied smile.
“So,” she said. “How was that for a proper date?”
Sebastian laughed, the sound low and content. “We skipped dessert.”
“Speak for yourself,” Harper said, deadpan.
He looked scandalized, then delighted. “Remind me to take you out in publicnever.”
She smiled, “This is the part where I remind you we’re supposed to be keeping this quiet anyway.”
“I know.” He reached up, brushing her cheek. “We’ll be careful. Besides, maybe I like keeping you all to myself for now.”
“Me too,” Harper whispered.
They lay there in silence, the air between them soft and full. She rested her head on his shoulder, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
Outside, the string lights continued to twinkle, and for the first time in weeks, Harper felt like they had found something that was entirely theirs.
48
Morning After
Harper woke to the smell of butter and herbs, the kind of rich, mouthwatering scent that tugged her from sleep with more authority than any alarm ever had.