Chapter 198

Cecilia's pov My suggestion hung between us, and I watched as Sebastian's eyes shifted--from intense to something darker, hungrier. Almost feral. His Adam's apple bobbed in a slow, deliberate swallow that seemed to echo in the sudden silence. He didn't speak, didn't warn me--his hand came to my face, fingers pressing against my jaw as his mouth crashed onto mine. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was possession. His lips were hot, almost hard, moving over mine with a desperation that stole my breath. He kissed me like a man starved, and I... I dissolved. Thought fled. My knees buckled, and when he pulled away, I swayed, unmoored. He didn't let me fall. In one fluid motion, he lifted me into his arms and carried me toward the bedroom, his silence more potent than any words. In the bathroom, the wide showerhead roared to life, cascading water in a warm, heavy curtain. Steam quickly enveloped us, thick and humid, weaving a private, steamy world where nothing existed but the two of us. He presse