I shake my head. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I prefer character, one that looks like it’s weathered the storms and made it out the other side. A perfect tree lacks that.”
He nods, and his expression is like a puzzle piece is snapping into place for him. His eyes hold mine until Walker calls his name, and he offers me a soft smile before joining him.
Sebastian calls my name, pulling me from the memory, and holds out the star. I look up at the tree and know there’s no way I’m getting it up there myself. I search the room, looking for a sturdy chair I can stand on and try to reach. As I search, Sebastian steps closer, so close that I feel his body heat against me, and my mouth dries as I inhale the scent of his cologne. It’s masculine but not overpowering, cedar with subtle hints of vanilla to soften it.
“You could always get on my shoulders, Lise.”
Those words are enough to send goosebumps up my arms, and I fight to hold back a shiver. The times I thought abouthaving Sebastian between my legs during that trip years ago did not have me on his shoulders putting the star on the Christmas tree.
He takes another step closer, and the air in my lungs stills. Sebastian is so close right now. I could brush the tip of my nose across his chest or rise on my tiptoes and brush my lips over his.
Don’t be an idiot, Lise. You don’t like this man, and for good reason. He completely broke your heart years ago, and you’re not going to let some sexual attraction change that.
I bite my lip and nod as I take a step back. I can totally get on his shoulders, put the star on, and think absolutely nothing more about it.
I know it’s a lie, but I tell myself it anyway.
Sebastian moves to the couch, and I stand on it while he crouches in front and I gently manoeuvre a leg over his shoulder. His hand wraps around my calf, holding my leg to his chest so I can balance as I move my other leg over his opposite shoulder. Goosebumps erupt under the fabric of my leggings despite the heat radiating from his hand.
I position myself and flex my core muscles, well what little in the way of ab muscles I have, and he stands. I jolt and close my eyes as I let out a breath, telling myself to ignore the fact that if I were just on the other side of his head, this could be a very different situation.
Sebastian holds up the star, and I take it from him, and he slowly moves closer to the tree. I stretch and reach towards the tree, trying not to fall ass over teakettle onto the tree. I manage to get the star on, and panic starts to race through me as now I’m thinking about how the hell I’m going to get down.
TEN
SEBASTIAN
When I’ve thought of my head between Annalise Reid’s thighs, I didn’t exactly imagine it this way. The muscles in her thighs tense as she reaches for the top of the tree and places the star, and the second it’s on, her legs squeeze against my head, and I know she’s panicking about something.
“Ummm...” she muses, and I hear her release a deep breath. “How am I supposed to get down, Sebastian?”
I never really thought about that. I just wanted to feel her close to me, and I knew she wanted the star on the tree. Hence the shoulder idea. I twist slightly, and a thought comes to me. I start moving towards the stairs, and Lise’s hands grip my hair as a startled shriek leaves her.
“What are you doing?” she asks, fear and shock filling her voice.
“We’re going to get you down,” I say, unable to hide the laughter in my voice.
I stop at the base of the stairs, and she fights my grip on her calves, trying to lock her legs together.
“You are not taking me up these stairs, Sebastian Hayes,” she yells, tightening her grip on my hair. If only there were another reason she was gripping it for dear life.
“Lise, I’m not taking you up the stairs. You’re going to brace yourself on the wall and I’m going to bend down, then when I’m low enough, you’ll slide off.”
She doesn’t say anything, but I hear the clogs working in her head.
“Lise?”
“Yeah?”
“You good?”
“Yup. I brace, you bend, then I slide off.”
“Good girl.” Her legs tighten at my words, and I file that little piece of knowledge away for later. “I’m going to bend now.”
“Okay.”
I lean forward and hear her hand meet the wall. I slowly move farther down, and she slowly slides off my shoulders, landing on one of the stairs. She turns around, and I’m now face to face with her leggings-covered pussy, and I fight my groan. What I wouldn’t give to pull those leggings down and feast on her right here. To hear her moan my name as I savour the taste of her on my tongue.
