Page 38 of Knotting on Heaven's Door

“No,” I said, smoothing my hands down his chest like I wasn’t seconds away from pushing him off me and pretending none of this ever happened. “I need you to make the dessert, remember? Butthiswill never happen again”

His mouth twitched.

And I didn’t wait for a reply.

CHAPTER 9

Sebastian

Fuck, she was stubborn.

Mouthy. Controlled. Sharp as a blade.

And she had no idea how much that turned me on.

I leaned against the prep table, still shirtless, still catching my breath, watching her slide off the counter like she hadn’t just let me bend her over it minutes ago. Her blouse hung open, cheeks flushed, hair mussed from my hands—and she looked so fucking perfect like that I nearly grabbed her again.

But she avoided my eyes. Straightened her shirt. Reached for her watch like she could snap everything back into order if she justwilledit hard enough.

“This ends here,” she said, voice brisk, clipped. Like a closing statement in court. “Now.”

I pushed off the table, slowly rolling my sleeves up—part because I needed something to do with my hands, part because I liked the way her eyes flicked down, even when she didn’t want them to.

“You can say that,” I murmured, stepping toward her. “But we both know you don’t mean it.”

“Ido,” she snapped, backing up—right into the fridge. No more retreat left. “You’re my employee. This was a lapse in judgment.”

I bracketed my hands on either side of her against the stainless steel. Close, but not touching. Not yet.

“Oh, sweetheart,” I said, voice low and full of threat and promise. “You haven’t even seen what a lapse in judgmentreallylooks like.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

I grabbed her wrists—not hard, just enough to feel her pulse thrum beneath my fingers—and leaned in close, my mouth hovering over hers, but not touching.

“Next time,” I whispered, letting the words pour against her skin like heat, “I’m going to have you naked in that pretty office chair you’re so fond of. I’ll make you keep those glasses on while you beg me to touch you. And I won’t stop until your voice is so wrecked you can’t even say my name—just moan it.”

Her breath hitched.

Suppressants or not, I smelled it—the shift in her scent, the way her body betrayed the iron grip she held on her self-control. Her pupils were blown wide. Her wolf clawed just beneath the surface.

I smiled.

She scowled, pulling her wrists from my grip with a growl. “There won’t be a next time.”

Gods, the way she said it… like a challenge.

I leaned back, hands raised in mock surrender. “Whatever you say, boss.”

But we both knew the truth. The clock was ticking. And the next time wouldn’t be amatter of if. Onlywhen.

She shoved me. Hard.

“Fuck you,” Ada snapped, eyes blazing. “I was going to offer you a ride back to your hotel, but now you can walk, because guess what? It’s after midnight. There are no more buses.”

I blinked. “Seriously?”

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