Chapter 29

Cecilia The bed shifted beneath me—suddenly, sharply. Before I could react, a large hand pressed against the back of my head, pulling me forward. My lips brushed skin. Warm. Smooth. Solid. Not his shoulder. Not his neck. His jawline. My eyes widened. The shock hit first. Then everything else came rushing in behind it. The faint heat of his skin. The crisp scent of his cologne. The masculine warmth that radiated from him like a living thing. It was all too much. Too real. Sebastian froze beneath me. For a breathless beat, neither of us moved. Then his hand eased. Not away—just enough to tilt my face back slightly, creating a whisper of space between us. His palm still cradled the back of my head. Our eyes met. Mine, wide with alarm. His... unreadable. Too still. Too intent. Time splintered. My pulse thundered in my ears, loud enough to drown out thought. I was the first to break. I jerked upright, stumbling off the bed like I'd been burned. My hands flew to my hair, smoothing it with fr