Chapter 136

Author Let’s get one thing clear: Alpha Sebastian didn’t just kiss—he launched a full-scale campaign. If kissing were an Olympic sport, he wasn’t aiming for a bronze. The man was going for gold, world record, and a Wheaties box feature all in one go. His kiss was the kind that came with a warning label: may cause spontaneous memory loss, temporary inability to stand upright, and a strong desire to make questionable decisions. Cecilia had thought she was signing up for a lakeside stroll and maybe some flirty banter. PG-13 at most. Instead, she found herself pressed up against pure temptation in tailored black, his scent a heady cocktail. And she was all in. She tried to murmur something that maybe resembled a protest—probably something responsible like “Wait” or “We should talk”—but all that came out was a weak exhale that he promptly captured and turned into the next act of whatever dark romance novel he was currently starring in. Somewhere deep inside, her rational brain flailed like