The CEO’ s second choice novel Chapter 19

　　Sebastian

　　My body feels stiff.

　　I opened my eyes to sunlight and felt a weight pressed up against me. I glance down only to see the sleeping face of Elena wrapped up in my arms. We had fallen asleep on the L-shaped couch last night; I was up against the armrest and she was lying on her side in between my legs with my arms wrapped around her. How did we get in this position?

　　My heart starts to race when I realize that for the first time in years I had slept well; no nightmares had plagued my sleep. Was it because I had Elena in my arms?

　　I peer down at her again and my heart skips a beat; she truly was an exquisite beauty. How could I have been so foolish as to cheat on her with Sarah so many times? She was the woman I had dreamt about long after we met at the masquerade ball, the one who had not been scared to call stiff customs ‘stupid’.

　　My rebellious heiress.

　　And I had almost thrown it away for an office fling, all because I had needed to feel wanted by someone.

　　Last night she had confessed to me that she was a virgin, saving herself for her husband and one true love, and it had honestly made me see her in a different light. She was the polar opposite of Eliana in every way. The fact that no other man had seen what I had thrilled me; Elena was perfection in every sense of the word.

　　Finding out the man she loved and saved her virtue for had been lying broke her spirit. So I would need to be there for her in every way possible, even if she didn’t need me.

　　I kiss the top of her head and draw her closer to me, her sweet perfume muddies up my mind and I close my eyes to savour the moment. She stirs in my arms, then snuggles deeper into my embrace. I realize then that she must be cold, and move to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.

　　“...Sebastian…” I hear her voice call to me in a whisper and peer down, only to find her eyes closed and her eyebrows bunched together in a frown. “... can’t… feel…” She continues to mumble nonsensically in her sleep, then her mouth opens a bit and then she was fast asleep again.

　　The whole thing made me smile. Was she dreaming about me?

　　I see Ilse in the foyer and cock my head towards the top and she proceeds to follow me. I had a feeling that I was late for work and my first meeting for the day. As we get to the landing, I walk straight to my bedroom and lay Elena down, “I need to shower then head out to work. Will you please keep an eye on her for me, Ilse? You and no one else.” I say to my trusted help, and she nods, “Certainly, sir. I will go and fix her a nice oatmeal breakfast so she can get her energy back.” Ilse says, then nods to me as she walks out.

　　She truly was a God sent.

　　I cover Elena with my blankets then head towards my shower to get ready for the day.

　　Elena

　　I stretch out and realize that I was back in my bed; but something felt different, something smelled different. Wait, how did I even get back here? That’s when I hear it: Sebastian’s voice. I open my eyes and peer out from under the blankets, only to see him standing there glistening and with a towel around his waist.

　　“Yes, reschedule this morning’s appointment as I will be in late. 10 am is fine, Anne.” He says then I hear him put his cell phone down on a surface in front of him and his footsteps retreat towards his massive walk-in. From this angle, I could see that Sebastian had an incredibly well-built body. No wonder his chest felt rock hard when he pulled me against his body during our dance at the wedding.

　　I hear a flutter of clothes coming from the walk-in, then hear him spritz on his cologne and his footsteps as he appears at the entryway. He had not buttoned his shirt up as yet and my mouth went completely dry at the sight of his chiselled chest. He had well-toned six-pack abs, a firm upper body and those yummy V lines and headed straight into his crotch area.

　　Lord have mercy.

　　I blush as I realize that I had been staring at him. “You’re awake, petite pâquerette,” He says with a smile, calling me little daisy yet again. If he noticed I was staring, he mentioned nothing. He continued to button up his shirt, then walked towards the cabinet where he had left his phone. I nod, “Yes, I am. Uhm… How did I get into your bed, Sebastian?” I ask him, genuinely confused.

　　He smiles at me, “We fell asleep in the conservatory. I woke up about 40 minutes ago, then I realized that you were cold and that I was incredibly late for work. I hope you don’t mind me putting you here while you sleep. You looked so peaceful, I did not want to wake you.”

　　I returned his smile. That was incredibly kind of him. “Thank you, Sebastian. But I think I need to head to my own room,” I say while getting out of bed. But as soon as I took two steps toward the door, I saw stars and faltered, falling forward. I braced myself for the fall, but it never came. Sebastian lifts me up and puts me back into his bed, “Easy, Elena. Your blood sugar must be low, seeing as you have not eaten since your brunch yesterday. Ilse will be up soon with your breakfast, but for now, rest in my bed for as long as you wish.”

　　Why was Sebastian being so kind to me?

　　“Thank you,” I say again as I lay back down on the bed and try to get my bearings. Sebastian smiles at me then grabs his suit jacket and speaks while he affixes his cufflinks. “My sleep in has caused a delay in meetings, so I might be out a bit late this evening.”

　　Why was he telling me this? It wasn’t like I was going to wait up for him…

　　I nod anyway, “I understand. I apologize for keeping you up so late, Sebastian.” I say, but I only see a gentle smile crossing his face, “It was worth it, Elena. I got to know you better.” He says before grabbing his briefcase and phone, then he walks towards me and plants a kiss on my head. “I must be off. Have a lovely day, petite pâquerette.”

　　And with that, he was off.