Clementine, a social media manager with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes, was a contradiction. Shy in person, her mind buzzed with fascinating trivia just waiting for the right listener.
Sebastian Montgomery as the tabloids dubbed him, was an...
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The bed felt colder without him.
Clem stirred, stretching slightly, her limbs still sore from last night's relentless claiming. A blush crept up her neck at the memory of Sebastian's hands, his mouth, the dark, possessive way he had touched her—like he was branding her, making sure she understood she belonged to him. She swallowed, pressing her lips together as she turned onto her side, feeling the ghost of his warmth still lingering on the sheets.
Sebastian was standing by the closet, already half-dressed, his shirt unbuttoned, his belt unfastened. His movements were controlled, efficient—like he was slipping back into the man the world saw him as, the ruthless businessman, the untouchable Montgomery.
But Clem knew the weight of his stare before she even lifted her eyes. He was watching her in the mirror, quiet, assessing.
"You're awake," he said, his voice low, thick with something unreadable.
Clem pushed herself up onto her elbows, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You're leaving?"
"I have a company to run," he answered smoothly, fastening his belt. "I stayed home long enough."
She bit her lip, her fingers curling into the sheets. He had been here every day, hovering, making sure she ate, making sure she slept, making sure she was never out of his sight for too long. And now he was going back to work—to the life that had nothing to do with her, a life that had existed long before she stepped into his world.
But she had a life, too. And she wasn't going to let it slip away.
"I want to come with you," she said softly, but firmly.
Sebastian stilled.
The tension in the air sharpened as he turned, his expression unreadable. Clem swallowed, suddenly feeling small under the weight of his gaze.
"No," he said simply.
She frowned. "But I—"
"You're not going anywhere," he cut her off, buttoning his cuffs. "You're still recovering."
Clem sat up fully now, the sheets pooling around her lap. "I'm fine, Seb."
His jaw flexed. "You threw up just two days ago."
"That's normal," she countered, voice quiet but steady. "The doctor said I was okay."
"You're not okay," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "You're pregnant."
Heat rushed to her face. The words still sent a strange mix of emotions through her. It wasn't real yet. Not entirely. But hearing it from him, like that, like it was a reason to keep her locked away, made something in her chest tighten.
"I still have a job," she said carefully, watching his reaction. "I have things I need to do."
Sebastian exhaled slowly through his nose, like he was forcing himself to stay patient. "Not anymore."
