<h4>Chapter 158: Chapter 158 Morning After</h4>
Cecilia’s pov
Six a.m.
My mind was foggy, caught between the remnants of a dream and the reality of morning..
I blinked into the early morning light, not quite ready to deal with... reality.
My hand shiftedzily, fingers brushing against warm, smooth skin - firm, male.
My leg was tangled over something solid. Correction: someone solid.
And the second I tried to move, my entire body protested.
A low, involuntary groan slipped from my throat.
Oh. Right.
Memory came rushing back like a tidal wave - hot, wild, and absolutely unfiltered.
I’d had a "preview"st time, sure. Butst night? That was the full cinematic experience in IMAX 4D - and I was wrecked.
Even my most expensive toy in my drawer couldn’tpare. Hell, they weren’t even in the same universe.
Sebastian had zero chill. No mercy. No brakes.
Harper always joked that, in the end, it didn’t matter - someone was eating someone.
Yeah, no. That was total bullshit.
When a lion tore into a gazelle and drained it dry, the gazelle wasn’t exactly contributing to the experience.
Lost in the wreckage of my own thoughts, I froze when I heard footsteps in the hall.
Shit.
My eyes flew open. Heart pounding.
I moved slowly, prying my leg off Sebastian’s hips like I was defusing a live bomb.
He didn’t stir. Justy there like the smug, gorgeous menace he was, lips parted in sleep, chest still marked with the evidence of our enthusiasm.
I sat up, wincing as my muscles screamed in protest.
My thighs were trembling. My dignity? Already limping out the door.
I reached for his robe on the floor and wrapped it around myself like armor.
The scent of him clung to the fabric, clean, masculine but dangerous.
One nce back at the bed and I winced. The sheets were a disaster.
His chest was scratched to hell - my handiwork.
The kind of damage I left when I threw everyst bit of caution to the wind.
Awesome. Just awesome.
Nighttime Cecilia was a reckless bitch. Daylight Cecilia? She was the one who had to clean up the mess.
I needed to escape before he woke up. He’d said it himself - no need for responsibility!
I crept to the door, listening for any sounds outside.
When silence fell, I opened it just a crack, peering out to make sure the coast was clear. Confirming that Liam wasn’t around, I slipped out.
I swear I’ve never walked a more nerve-wracking path in my life.
Each step was taken with the fear that Liam might suddenly appear, and I couldn’t imagine how awkward that encounter would be.
I would stop every few feet to scan my surroundings, already dizzy and weak-legged from the night’s activities, now with added anxiety.
By the time I reached the foyer, I was practically copsing.
I didn’t dare take the elevator - who knew which neighbors might be leaving at this hour? What if that psycho from the 20th floor had also decided to spend the night here?
Shaking my head, I chose the stairs.
It was silly to be this paranoid, but better safe than sorry.
Thankfully, going downstairs required minimal effort.
Punching in my security code, I finally reached the sanctuary of my own apartment.
In the bathroom, I removed the bathrobe and stared at the constetion of love bites across my skin.
Heat rose to my cheeks as a strange silence enveloped me.
After washing away the stickiness from my body, I got dressed for work.
Before leaving, I pulled out the bag from under my bed - the one with the lingerie - and hid it in the deepest corner of my closet.
As I reached for the door, I realized with a jolt that my phone was still upstairs.
My heart sank. Going back was thest thing I wanted to do. But it was a workday - what if someone called me?
Checking the time - not quite seven - I figured Sebastian might still be asleep. All I needed to do was dash into the guest room, grab my phone, and escape before anyone noticed.
With trepidation, I headed back upstairs.
I walked through the foyer with forced calmness.
And then I looked up - and came face to face with Liam.
He seemed equally startled by my appearance.
"Cecilia," he greeted me with a kindly smile.
"Good morning, Liam," I replied with all the dignity I could muster. "I... came to check on the kitten."
"Go right ahead," he said, waving me on.
I took a few steps toward the rooms before he called out again.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone - my phone.
"Cecilia, did you perhaps drop thisst night while caring for the kitten?"
I stared at the phone in his hand, feeling myposed expression crumble as my face turned the color of a ripe tomato.
---
By nine o’clock, I’d been sitting in my office for a full hour.
After the mortifying encounter with Liam, I’d gone straight downstairs, driven out of theplex, and arrived at work embarrassingly early.
My emotions were a tangled mess. Extremely tangled.
Any minute now, Sebastian and Beta Sawyer would arrive.
I needed to act natural, greet them normally, and pretend nothing had changed.
"Good morning, ," I practiced under my breath.
When Sebastian finally appeared, his eyes found mine immediately.
I managed my rehearsed greeting.
"Good morning, Boss."
Sebastian looked at me steadily, nodded. "Yes, you certainly are early today."
With that and a slight smile, he walked into his office.
I stood frozen for several seconds.
"That was an interesting greeting from the boss," Beta Sawyermented with a grin.
Then, leaning in like he was about to spill the juiciest drama of the week, he whispered, "You should’ve seen it - Liam totally lost it this morning. He loaded the Alpha’s breakfast with every kind of testosterone booster he could find."
Beta Sawyer seemed thoroughly amused by this.
I, on the other hand, wanted to sink through the floor.
"Shut up," I muttered to myself, burying my face in a folder as Beta Sawyer looked at me strangely.