“Bloody hell, where have you all been?” a familiar and unexpected voice asked. “I’ve been waiting here for ages.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LILY
Apixie of a woman stood in the entrance of the open-plan living area of Sebastian’s impressive flat. She was petite but stunning with her short blond hair and doll-like features.
“Juno!” Harry crossed the room to pull the woman into his arms.
She laughed and hugged him back. “Well, that’s a nice greeting.”
“My sister,” Sebastian told me with a pleased grin before he strode toward her.
Nervousness fluttered in my belly as I followed him.
Juno released Harry as Sebastian reached her and he bent down to lift her off her feet in a bear hug.
“Put me down, you big softie!” Juno cried happily.
Sebastian set her down but cuddled her into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple as he proudly introduced, “This is my sister, Juno. Juno, you know Harry and Zac. These are their recently made friends Alana, Katie, and Shan.” His gaze moved to me, and he beamed. “And this is my new best friend, Lily. Lily, meet Juno.”
He was so disarmingly boyish sometimes it made my chest ache.
“Hi.” I waved shyly.
Juno grinned, shrugging off Sebastian’s arm to pull me into a hug. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“You have?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She released me but only to study me like a prospective mother-in-law might. She stared and then announced, “You’re frightfully attractive, aren’t you?”
I bit my lip against teasing her for using the wordfrightfully. “You are too.”
“Oh, I know.” She tilted her head cockily. “Did I hear you were leaving? You can’t leave yet. Stay for a bit, please. I’m only in the city for one night.”
“Whatareyou doing here?” Sebastian asked.
“I have a meeting with an art gallery who might be interested in showcasing and selling my latest pottery collection.”
“You’re a potter?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“You didn’t tell her about me?” Juno smacked her brother’s arm. “What’s wrong with you?”
He snorted. “I did tell her about you. I somehow forgot the potter part.”
“I feel so loved.”
Sebastian hooked an arm around her again, crushing her into his side as he guided her toward the kitchen for drinks.
For the next hour, we lounged and chatted in the living room on the giant sectional. Juno seemed only to be interested in me, so I felt a little under the microscope. At first, I was worried she thought I wasn’t somehow good enough for Sebastian. In friendship or otherwise. Seeing his penthouse flat here on the Royal Mile reminded me of something I often forgot when we were together, unless we were directly talking about it: Sebastianwas from money. A lot of it. And not just money. He was the son of Lady Clarissa Hanover, the daughter of a princess.
To my relief, however, Juno, despite her posh accent and manner, wasn’t a snob. She was hilarious and kind. I’d just finished telling her about my bad date that evening.
“Dating is the worst.” She leaned against Sebastian on the couch. “I once had to climb out of a ladies’ restroom window to escape a bad date.”
I chuckled at the imagery. “It must have been pretty terrible if you had to do that.”
“Oh, awful. It started off as little ‘icks.’ If you know what I mean. Talking with his mouth full, ogling my breasts.”
