Chapter 140 Back at Bendis

Chapter 140 Back at Bendis
Sienna
“Sienna,” Sebastian warned, his tone low, but the gray in his eyes darkened with a sudden, heavy intensity that let me know I had hit a nerve.
And all I did was press an innocent kiss to his cheek.
“Yes, Sebastian?” I asked teasingly as I pushed myself forward toward him, leaning in close enough to make sure he was wrapped entirely in my scent.
Sebastian reached up, his large hand gently cupping the back of my neck. His broad thumb rested along my jawline, tracing a slow, lingering path toward my chin, making every tiny hair on my arms stand straight up.
“Do not test me, Sien,” he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, quiet rumble against my ear. “Unless you intend for us to request an emergency landing.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, outright challenging the confidence oozing out of him. “And why, exactly, would we require an emergency landing?”
“Would you prefer we have an audience?” he asked smoothly, his dark eyes casually darting toward the galley where the cabin attendant was quietly preparing drinks.
Heat instantly rushed up my neck and straight to my face. I cleared my throat loudly, quickly leaning back into my seat and grabbing my champagne glass off the tray table to take a hasty sip.
“I... think I am suddenly quite tired,” I mumbled, staring fixedly at the bubbles in my glass.
Beside me, a genuinely amused chuckle broke from Sebastian’s chest. I closed my eyes, deciding it was far safer to pretend to sleep than to risk poking the Alpha again.
I must have drifted off properly, because the next thing I felt was a light, careful tap on my arm. My head was resting against Sebastian’s shoulder, and when I blinked my eyes open, he was already looking down at me with a watchful warmth in those gray eyes.
“We are landing,” he murmured softly.
I sat up straight in an instant. “That fast?”
“Has anyone ever informed you that you are an exceptionally heavy sleeper?” he asked, a faint trace of humor touching his mouth.
“Only on airplanes,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes at him. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Not in the slightest,” Sebastian replied, his gaze locking onto mine without an ounce of hesitation. “I find it rather endearing.”
I stared at him, genuinely caught off guard by how easily the soft words slipped out of his mouth. “Well. Aren’t you getting brave?”
Once the jet taxied to a halt and we made our way through the private gate, the warm, humid air of Bendis hit us. I was just reaching into my bag to locate our ride when my phone—the personal line I used specifically for my life in the city—started blaring a loud ringtone.
Dante.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. I looked up at Sebastian. “I need to take this really quickly.”
Sebastian gave me a nod, stepping back to give me space.
I took three paces away and swiped the screen.
“Sienna Montclair.”
I instantly pulled the receiver an inch away from my ear as Dante’s voice bellowed through the speaker, packed with overbearing Alpha authority.
“Yes, Dante Matteo Montclair?” I answered dryly, adjusting the phone back against my ear.
I heard him blow out a heavy, irritated breath. “I’ve been trying to reach your line since the moment I learned you left for Bendis . Our parents are arriving tomorrow!”
“I am currently traveling with Sebastian,” I stated flatly, leaning my hip against the railing. “It is a date.”
Even without seeing his face, I could practically hear the dramatic eye-roll in his tone. “Or you are simply inventing excuses to delay meeting them.”
Well. He wasn't entirely wrong. Parents were an absolute nightmare when it came to prospective partners, and mine were at the very top of that list. You’ll know why soon enough.
“If you insist on looking at it that way, fine. That is also a reason,” I countered, softening my voice slightly. “Come on, Dante. I recently almost died. Sebastian almost died. We deserve a brief retreat. A romantic one.”
The line went completely silent for three long seconds.
“I intend to strangle Sebastian the moment you set foot back in this territory,” Dante growled out, completely unamused, before slamming the end-call button.
A laugh tore out of my throat as I lowered the phone. He was definitely annoyed.
I turned back to Sebastian, slipping my phone into my pocket.
“Dante?” he asked, eyeing my amused expression. “Was the matter resolved?”
“Handled like a professional. Come on, our ride is here.”
I grabbed his arm, steering him toward a waiting taxi near the curb. I gave the driver the familiar address to my old apartment complex, and within fifteen minutes, the city skyline gave way to a familiar street.
Sebastian reached into the trunk and effortlessly lifted both of our heavy bags in one fluid motion, entirely unwilling to let me carry even a lightweight strap with my healing injuries.
We stepped into the lobby and boarded the elevator.
“You lived here alone for five years?” Sebastian asked, his dark eyes fixed on the illuminated floor numbers above the door.
I raised an eyebrow, catching his eye in the reflection of the mirrored walls. “What, you think I can’t handle living on my own?”
“That is not what I meant,” he replied softly, his jaw tightening as he hesitated, unable to look me directly in the eye.
A sudden, wicked urge to tease him washed over me. “If you’re worried about whether I had other guys over to my place, Sebastian, you can relax. I was way too brokenhearted over you to even think about sleeping with anyone else.”
When I glanced back up at him, the somber look on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a subtle, arrogant smirk that made my heart do a stupid flutter.
“Oh, yeah? Proud that you broke my heart, you bastard?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
The smirk melted away instantly. His expression softened into something so deeply serious, so vulnerable, that it made my breath catch in my chest.
“Of course not,” Sebastian murmure. “You were also the only one on my mind for those five years, Sien. No one else ever existed for me.”
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open on the fifteenth floor.
“I sure hope so,” I whispered, taking a small step out onto the carpeted hallway to hide the warmth rushing to my face.
I retrieved my keyring, walking down the familiar corridor until I stopped right before the second door on the left. I slid the metal key into the keyhole, but before I could turn the lock, a warm, solid weight pressed gently against my back.
Sebastian stood directly behind me, his chest flush against my shoulders. His large, calloused hand reached out, wrapping completely over mine where it rested on the key, trapping my fingers against the cold metal.
His warm breath brushed against the shell of my ear, sending an intoxicating shiver straight down my spine.
“I’m telling you the truth, Sien,” Sebastian whispered. “Would you like me to prove it?”