Chapter 144: Drunken Habits

Sienna

“Sebastian.” I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning against the doorframe as he hauled a completely wasted Liam into the apartment.

“It’s almost midnight! “And you brought Liam back drunk? He never gets drunk.”

A brief look of guilt washed over Sebastian’s face. He stood there holding Liam’s weight without moving an inch, though a red flush crept up his neck.

“I apologize,” Sebastian said. “Ian was very enthusiastic about drinking. I found myself unable to refuse him.”

I let out a heavy breath and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “So you just went right along with it?”

I hated dealing with drunk men. I’d seen what alcohol did to people, how it turned decent guys into unpredictable wrecks. God knows Julian had come home smelling like a distillery way too many times, turning every quiet night into an absolute nightmare.

“I am truly sorry, Sienna,” Sebastian said, looking dead serious.

Before I could answer, Liam suddenly lurched forward. He shoved Sebastian’s hands off him and stumbled into me, throwing his arms around my shoulders in a massive hug. His full weight almost knocked me flat, but I set my feet and held us both up.

“Ugh, Liam! You stink!”

He didn't care. He leaned into my shoulder, rambling on about weddings and love and how crazy his brother was about me. I couldn't help the small laugh that slipped out, even while I grabbed his waist and tried to drag him down the narrow hall toward the spare room.

We didn't make it far before his knees completely gave out.

“Allow me,” Sebastian said softly, stepping in beside us.

He took Liam away from me, lifting him up towards the room.

I walked back into the living room, trying to get my heart rate down. A second later, the door clicked shut behind Sebastian.

He didn't say a word. He walked straight over, dropped down on his knees right in front of me, and rested his large hands on my thighs. He looked up at me with wide, quiet eyes.

“I am truly sorry, Sienna,” he whispered again.

Seeing this massive Alpha kneeling on my rug over a night of bad decisions stripped away whatever annoyance I had left. I sighed, massaging my temples.

“No... I should be the one apologizing,” I said softly. “I shouldn't have snapped at you the second you walked through the door. It was just... I got worried when Liam didn’t picked up the phone. For all I knew, nineteen years of bad blood caught up to you guys and Liam left you in an alley somewhere.”

A faint smile touched Sebastian’s lips, and the tension left his shoulders. His hands slid smoothly from my thighs up to my hips. In one smooth motion, he stood up, carrying me right along with him like I weighed almost nothing.

My breath caught. Before I could even react, he sat down on the couch and pulled me straight into his lap, pressing my chest flush against his.

My heart did a wild flip. What the hell?

Sebastian buried his face in the crook of my neck, letting out a long, slow breath. The heat of his skin hit me immediately as he breathed me in. His hands stayed firm on my hips, holding me tight against him.

After a moment, he leaned his head back against the cushion. I kept my hands on his broad shoulders, watching his heavy eyelids droop in the soft lamp light.

“You’re drunk,” I whispered.

“I am... somewhat intoxicated,” he admitted, his formal words slurring just enough at the edges.

“How much did you drink, anyway?”

“A bottle of whiskey.”

I stared at him. “All of it?”

“All of it,” he repeated softly, without an ounce of regret.

I tried to glare at him and failed completely. “Just because you’re a wolf doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about your liver, Sebastian.”

“I do not enjoy being in this state,” he murmured. He reached up and rubbed his forehead, looking at me with an expression so sweet and open it made my chest ache. “Could you... kiss me? To make it better?”

I raised an eyebrow and lightly slapped his chest. “You did this to yourself.”

His hand dropped back to the couch, looking up at me like a hopeful puppy. “Please?”

I bit my lip, my resolve completely crumbling. How was he doing this? The scary Alpha of Regalia was sitting on my couch, totally hammered, looking at me like I was the only thing in the room.

I let out a small sigh, leaning down to plant a soft, short kiss on his lips.

I started to pull away, but before I could, his hand reached up to the back of my neck. His fingers tangled into my hair, holding me in place, and he pulled me right back down to deepen the kiss.

A quiet noise caught in my throat as his mouth met mine again. The gentle restraint was gone. He parted my lips with a slow pressure, his tongue sweeping in to take whatever I gave him. He tasted like rich whiskey and heat, completely overwhelming my senses.

I stopped thinking, matching the rhythm of his mouth and sinking into him. My hands slid up his chest, tracing the hard muscles beneath his shirt, feeling him tense up the second I touched him.

I pulled back just an inch to grab some air, but his other hand slid down my waist, pulling my hips flush against his until there was zero space left between us.

I froze for a split second as I felt his hardness against the fabric of my pants. There was no rush, no force—just an agonizing, quiet wait for my permission.

And looking at his flushed face, feeling the heat coming off his skin, there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to give it to him.

His mouth shifted, trailing hot kisses down my jaw and onto the side of my neck.

“Seb...” I gasped out, my hands gripping his shirt as my head fell back.

Then he stopped moving.

“Sebastian?” I asked when he didn't move for a few seconds.

Nothing.

I shifted slightly, tilting my head down to look at him. His face was buried comfortably in my neck, his chest rising and falling in a deep, steady rhythm.

He was fast asleep.

A breathless, stupid laugh came out of my mouth. “You have got to be kidding me.”

I gently pushed his shoulder, guiding his head back until it rested on the sofa cushion. He didn't even wake up, just let out a soft sigh while his hands stayed loosely resting on my waist.

There was no way I was going to be able to drag this giant man to my bedroom. I looked at his peaceful face, his sharp jaw finally relaxed, and felt a wave of quiet warmth wash over me.

Carefully, I shifted my weight and leaned forward against his chest. I wrapped one arm around his waist, laid my head right over his beating heart, and closed my eyes, letting his warmth carry me off to sleep.