MasukRosie didn’t answer. Instead, for some reason, she lowered her gaze, her attention fixed on something else entirely.Sebastian assumed she was retreating into herself again, being stubbornly silent when she was upset. The longer he looked at the angry red scabs marring her cheek, the more his temper flared.The sight of those scratches on her face made something dark and possessive stir inside him.His hand came down sharply on the table.BANG.Rosie jumped.Yet even then, she continued staring downward as though completely distracted."Look at me, Rosie!" Sebastian barked. "Tell me who did that to you."Still nothing.His frustration mounted.He was seconds away from storming round the table and demanding answers when Rosie suddenly backed away."S-Sebastian, don’t come any closer..."The warning stopped him in his tracks.Immediately.He drew a slow breath and studied her properly.There was fear in her eyes.But not much.Far less than he'd expected.Instead, there was something el
Sebastian had just finished showering and emerged from the bathroom with only a towel secured around his waist.He ran another towel through his damp hair when his phone buzzed on the bedside table.His entire body immediately tensed.Rosie.It had to be Rosie.Despite himself, a knot of anticipation tightened in his chest.He’d sent that text partly out of irritation, partly out of sarcasm. If Rosie insisted on tormenting him with those bloody condoms and those innocent little notes, then he was entitled to a bit of passive-aggressive retaliation.Surely.Switching off the hairdryer, he crossed the room and picked up his phone.The moment he opened the message, he froze.—From: RosieNo problem, just tell me if you need more, okay?I’ll give it to you, as much as you like.—Silence. Sebastian read the final sentence once.Then twice.Then another five times.By the tenth reading, he was convinced the words had somehow rearranged themselves specifically to ruin his evening.—I’ll
Sebastian finally opened his eyes after nearly ten minutes of sitting motionless in the driver's seat.For a glorious few seconds, his brain was blissfully empty.Then he looked around the car.“...Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”The post-orgasm clarity arrived with the force of a double-decker bus.He stared at the interior in horror.The steering wheel.The windscreen.The gear stick.Part of the passenger seat.Even the bloody ceiling.“Fantastic.”He rubbed both hands over his face.“Absolutely first-class work, Sterling.”If there were awards for losing one’s dignity, he was fairly certain he'd just secured a lifetime achievement trophy.A successful CEO.A respected businessman.A man trusted with multi-million-pound deals.And yet somehow he’d ended the evening sitting in a car park covered in evidence that he’d spent the last half-hour fantasising about a woman who'd merely packed him dinner and bought him some condoms.Not exactly his proudest moment.“God.”He let his head
Sebastian sat in the driver’s seat for a long moment and glanced down. “Seriously?” he muttered. "Darn it, why are you still hard? Do we really need to do this?" Sebastian cursed as his rock-hard cock still demanded to be rubbed and serviced.His body was refusing to cooperate.After everything he’d just told himself about patience, self-control and not being an idiot, he was still painfully aware of exactly how affected he was.Sebastian sighed defeatedly and pulled down his trouser and boxer. His cock sprung up instantly. Under the dim light of the basement lot, Sebastian could see his cock twitching, and the tip was already leaking precum.“Unbelievable.” He could usually last for at least an hour or two when having sex with any woman. But now, he was just thinking about Rosie— not even touching her, and he was already leaking precum?!What kind of lust spell did she put on him?!Sebastian grabbed the shaft of his thick and veiny length and started slowly stroking it up and down.
“Well, I never actually said I wouldn’t sleep with anyone else,” Sebastian muttered, already building a case for himself. “But I come straight home every night, no matter how late it is. I haven’t flirted with anyone. I haven’t brought a single woman back to the penthouse.”He stared at the two boxes of condoms sitting on the table.“So Rosie knows I’m not seeing anyone else, right?” he reasoned. “She’s the only woman in my life at the moment...”A dangerous thought slid into his mind.“Is this an invitation?”His gaze dropped to the packaging again.Ultra-thin.His preferred brand.His preferred size.Sebastian swallowed.Before Rosie had reappeared in his life, he’d used that exact type regularly. It offered all the advantages of protection whilst preserving as much sensation as possible.Now, however, he hadn’t been with anyone for months.A very, very long few months.He’d been surviving through sheer self-control and the occasional solitary solution.Which meant that a gesture li
Rosie finished preparing a separate dinner for Sebastian and gave the dining table one final inspection.Roast chicken. Buttered vegetables. A generous serving of mashed potatoes.Simple, filling, and exactly the sort of meal he usually demolished without complaint.She nodded to herself in satisfaction."Right. He should like this.""Mommy, let’s eat! I’m so hungryyyyy!"Izzie’s voice drifted up from downstairs."I won’t eat without you, Mommy!"Rosie’s lips softened into a smile."Yes, dear! I’ll be down in a minute!"She was halfway to the door when she stopped abruptly."Oh."Patting her pocket, she pulled out the small item she’d nearly forgotten and let out a relieved sigh."Good thing I remembered."Otherwise, she had absolutely no idea how she would have handed it over later without dying of embarrassment.Rosie walked back to the table and carefully placed the two boxes of condoms beside Sebastian's dinner plate.Her face immediately warmed.Even after all these years, buying
Rosie reacted at once, catching hold of her daughter’s arm and gently but firmly pulling her aside.“I’m so sorry, Sebastian,” she said quickly. “P–Please don’t be upset with Izzie. She’s only a child, I—”“Tch. It’s fine,” he cut in, dismissive. “Just make me the same smoothie. And from now on, yo
Rosie scarcely realised she had begun to run until the corridor stretched before her like something endless, her heels striking sharply against the marble as though urging her forward. Tears blurred her vision, spilling freely now, unchecked and unwelcome.This family… they’re all monsters.The tho
Her fingers trembled as she dialled his number.He picked up almost immediately.“Yes?”“Where is my daughter?” Rosie demanded.A soft chuckle. “You mean our daughter?”Her jaw tightened. “Don’t play games with me, Charles.”“She’s fine,” he said casually. “We’re at the toy store. She’s picking wha
Rosie sat at the dining table, the candlelight flickering softly against untouched plates. The roasted chicken—Isabella’s favourite—had long since gone cold.She glanced at the clock.Nine o’clock.Charles Sterling was not home.He had promised. He had promised their daughter he would return before







