Exposing the truth of my need.
Panic mounts. My eyes sting with desire and guilt—conflicting sides of a decision that isn’t fully mine to make.
Oliver lowers his head between my legs, and I feel Sebastian more than see him through the narrow opening of that door. My heart thumps so wildly I’m certain the entire estate can hear it, the rhythm turning ragged as Oliver works me with unhurried strokes.
He savors my torment, confident he can undo me on his timeline.
And he’s not wrong.
My eyes stay fixed on the wardrobe as he sucks my clit into his mouth, nipping with teasing pressure.
A reluctant moan tears free—a sound of betrayal I wish I could yank back.
And that’s when the tears come.
As if sensing the war of my emotions, Oliver pulls back.
“Novalee?” He rises, one hand wiping me from his lips. “What’s going on?”
My throat tightens around the truth. “I’m okay. It’s just…it’s been a long night. I’m still processing.”
The irony lands heavier than he could ever know, with Sebastian hiding in that wardrobe.
Hearing everything.
Seeingeverything.
“You’re shaking again.” He cups my cheek, voice thick. “You don’t have to pretend for me. We can stop. You don’t owe me anything tonight.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Do you want me to go?” He hesitates. “I can stay. Hold you for a while?”
“I could use some time alone.”
“I shouldn’t leave you like this. Aftercare is important.”
“I’m fine. I just need sleep.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Uncertainty lines his face as he leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Get some rest,” he says, reaching for a throw blanket on a chair nearby. He wraps it around my shoulders and tucks the edges, and it’s such a thoughtful gesture that my vision blurs all over again.
The room lacks oxygen, swamped by my guilt, making every lungful a battle.
“I’ll check on you in the morning.” With one last caress of my cheekbone, he steps back. “If you need anything, alert the guard.”
“I will.”
He leaves without another word, and I sit frozen as his steps retreat down the hall. The wardrobe door remains ajar, that sliver of darkness both terrifying and magnetic.
Several agonizing seconds pass before Sebastian unfolds from the shadows like a man rising from the grave, his expression indecipherable, even as the blue eyes I thought I’d never see again burn with questions I’m not ready to answer.
2
Here we are again, facing each other as the air around us vibrates with unspoken things.