Mum had her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced from me to Sebastian who stood behind me. Her expression was one I knew well from my childhood—unamused and trying not to lose her shit.
“Hi, Mum,” I squeaked out. “What’s up?”
She pressed her lips together and Sebastian took that opportunity to place his hands on my shoulders in support. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Sawyer.”
She didn’t tell him to call her Liv this time. Instead, she glowered at his hands.
“Stop touching me.” I shook him off.
I heard him try to cover a snort of laughter.
Mum grimaced. “Isn’t this the highlight of my career? Who would have thought the first time I kicked a pair of horny students out of a study room that one day one of them would be my own kid?”
“Mum, we were?—”
“I don’t want to know.”
Stupidly, I asked, “How did you know Sebastian was here?”
“I was coming to bring you a coffee.” She raised her hand, and I noted the coffee cup in it and felt even more guilty. “And I saw your boyfriend scurry in here with ill intent.”
“My intentions toward your daughter are in fact honor?—”
“Sex with someone’s daughter will always be considered as ill-intended by said parent. Do you understand?” Mum glared at him. “Even more so in my library. Now, usually I have a pretty good sense of humor about these things, but Lily is my baby girl, and I’d quite like to maim you with a letter opener.”
Oh boy.
“I can assure you, I wasn’t here to?—”
“Don’t lie to me. Please. It’ll only make it worse. Just leave.”
My belly swooped at the unpleasant altercation. Sure, I half expected this was how it would be with Dad, but Mum was always so laid back with my boyfriends.
Then again, I’d never tried to have sex with one of them at her place of work.
I grimaced, my cheeks burning hot.
Sebastian sighed at my back and then stepped around me. He had the gall to cup my face tenderly in front of Mum. His expression told me not to worry. Then he brushed his mouth over mine in a gentle promise before releasing me to leave.
However, he halted at Mum’s side before departing. “I love Lily, Mrs. Sawyer. My intentions really are honorable.”
Mum softened infinitesimally and she let out a long sigh. “I know. I can see that. I think I saw that before you saw it. And we’ll be fine. Just don’t dothisagain.” She gestured in a vague way to our surroundings.
“Of course.” Sebastian threw me another reassuring smirk and then walked away. He was almost around the corner when he glanced back. Even from a distance I could read the hot promise in his expression.
Once he disappeared, I reluctantly turned to Mum. “I really am sorry.”
“I know. You’re a good girl. Which means you really must be in love to lose all sense of common decency.”
My cheeks were on fire with embarrassment, and even if I wasn’t a blusher, I knew my mum could sense it.
She chuckled, softening even more. “Don’t let it happen again.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Bring him over to the house soon. He sounds very serious about you, so I want to get to know him better.”
“Okay.”
