He pressed another kiss to my mouth. “I’ll wait for you after class and take you to lunch.”
“That wasn’t asking,” I complained as he stood up to leave.
“You said you’d say yes, but I’m not taking the chance you’ll say no.” He winked and hurried down the auditorium steps.
“Sebastian!” I hissed.
“I love you, Lily Sawyer!”
Oh my goodness. I laughed, my cheeks hot as I buried my face in my hands.
“Thank you, Professor, for giving me the space to declare myself in this humiliating and cringeworthy fashion that will make my grandmother rethink leaving me an inheritance. Much appreciated.”
Everyone laughed.
I peeked between my fingers to see my professor thankfully give him an amiable nod. “You’re welcome. And you’re right. I think I can turn this into a teachable moment.”
“Always happy to be of help.” He glanced back up toward me, flashing that sexy smile. Except this time, I recognized what I’d been too insecure to realize before. His smile was not a new smile. It was the smile he’d given me for months.
It was a smile filled with love.
I bit my lip against my own and Sebastian reluctantly left the hall.
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.
“Well, that was an entertaining respite, but let’s get back to it. Or should we expect more suitors interrupting to declare their love for you, Ms. Sawyer?”
One day, I’d get revenge on Sebastian for this. I groaned and slid down in my seat, shaking my head with a mortified no.
As my professor launched back into her lesson, I couldn’t say I was listening. I was too busy trying to keep the stupid grin off my face and the butterflies in my belly from lifting me right out of my seat with the frantic flapping of their wings.
Then, as the lecture ended and I packed up, taking my classmates good-natured ribbing on the chin, I realized my phone had recorded the entire incident.
I laughed to myself as I saved it with glee.
“You’re so lucky.” A girl whom I’d shared classes with for the last four years but who had never spoken to me before approached as I strode toward the exit. “He’s so gorgeous. And that accent. And what he did and said … it was like a movie.”
“Aye, it was like a really embarrassing, corny movie,” I agreed.
Her face fell. “It’s just a pity we were all too engrossed in the moment to film it so you could see it from our perspective. It was really brave of him. I hope you appreciate that.”
It was brave, but Sebastian wasn’t easily embarrassed. He was too confident to care what strangers thought of him. What he’d done was more smart than brave, really. Because Sebastian did know me. Once I made up my mind about something, I could be a stubborn arse. He knew he’d have to do something like this to get me to stick around long enough to listen. “Who says I didn’t appreciate it?” I shrugged and pushed out of the auditorium doors to find Sebastian leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for me as promised.
The sight of him filled my chest with possessiveness.
And to prove I appreciated him, I strode across the hall, aware of the eyes on us and not caring in the least for once.
He pushed off the wall to greet me, but I got there first, dropping my bookbag at our feet so I could hop into his arms. It was a move I’d have been too self-conscious to make with any other boyfriend, but Sebastian caught me with ease, eyes lit with happy surprise as he cupped my arse in his hands. I tightened my legs around his middle, my fingers moving through his hair, as I crushed my mouth over his. While giving my classmates asecond show, I kissed Sebastian Thorne with all the love I wasn’t quite ready to confess out loud.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
SEBASTIAN
Our laptops and books littered my bed as we ate Chinese takeaway straight from the cartons.
Since Lily had agreed to date me, my appetite had returned. For the last two days, I’d eaten everything in sight and then burned it all off at the gym.
What I hadn’t done was burn it off in bed with my girlfriend.
