“He hunts,” I replied, knowing the one thing that would stop her in her tracks.
“Ew,” she squealed.
Piper wascurrentlystaunchly vegan.Despite the fact that her closet could probably fill up a small zoo of dead animals.
She opened the white oak drawer underneath the sink and tossed back in the lipstick.“I don’t understand guys who kill animals for fun,” she said.
Sebastian’s prey were of a human variety, but she didn’t need to know that.
“So you and Mark?” I asked, bringing her mind away from the dangerous territory of Sebastian. Just in case she overlooked his interests because ofhisbroad shoulders.
But also I was curious. After Mark broke up with me, she’d sent her maid off to grab five boxes of caramel sea squares. We’d gone through all five boxes while I’d sobbed through half a season of Grey’s Anatomy. It surprised me to think she would go for him after that. But I’d ditched her months ago when Ray was putting pressure on me. Who knows if she still held any loyalty to me.
She rolled her eyes as shereached for the bronzer. “Do you really think I would go for him? I saw him at Soho House, and since you were coming, I’d thought I’d let him see what he was missing.”
A feeling of relief flooded through me. Piper hadn’t changed at all. Then the meaning behind her words carried into my mind. Was she trying to get me back together with Mark?
I tried to conjure up an image of a life with Mark. I somehow couldn’t picture him sneaking into abroken-in rentalhouse to Netflix and Chill.
I shrugged.“I have zero interest inMark.”
“Because you’re too focused on Sebastian?” she asked.
A tinkling laughescapedfrom her lips when I frowned at her.
“I’m not an idiot,”she continued, dropping the bronzer back into the drawer, “You’re one of my best friends: I know when you like someone.”
I most definitely did not like him.I didn't even bother deigning her comment a reply. Instead, I just shook my head.
She closed the drawer and stood up from the fluffy chaise. “Don’t worry, I’m not going for Sebastian or Mark,” she said.
Piperopened the ten foot high oak door, and muted chattering morphed from a whisper to a roar.Shewandered off towards her next target, and I glanced around the room for an annoyingly familiar face.
Sebastian leaned against the marble bar sipping on whiskeythatcost as much as my dress. A tanned woman was perched next to himinfive inch heels almost as thin as my fingernail. God, I would’ve killed to have even that thinof heel. These heelless shoes were cramping my calves so badly I doubted I could’ve outrun Piper, let alone Ray’s men.
Sebastian’s eyes hooked on mine like a net around a wounded animal.Maybe I was taking the hunter analogy too far.
He stepped away from the bar, not even glancing at the girl still speaking to him. The way his eyes narrowed as he approached made my stomach dip against my will.
Okay, maybe the hunter analogy wasn’ttoofar off.
Ignoring the feeling in my stomach I stepped towards him, challenging him with my eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“Nice dress,” he said.His eyes flicked over my figure, and I hated the way my thighs clenched together.“I didn’t think you owned anything other thansweatpants.”
“And I didn’t realize you had a habit of stalking me at personal events,” I shot back.
“Oh, because my entire world revolves around you,”he answered with a snort.
He inclinedhis head towards the door to the balcony, and I followed him while resisting the urge to knock him over the head with an asymmetricalbronzestatue. Sebastianheldthe door open for me, and I was rewarded with warm air smacking me in the face.
I stared out at the neon landscape, while he muscled the door closed.“Why are you here?” I askedagain, my voicelow. If hispresence had anything to do with hurting Piper, I’d push him off this balcony.
“Friend from high school,”he replied with a shrug, settling down into a linen settee.
I blinked, surprised at his honesty.Unless he was lying? I remained standing, waiting for ashallowbreath or a stiffening of his arm to give him away. His posture remained languid, and I shifted my gaze up to this face.I’d stared into the faces of many liars, some who’d skimmed money from me, others who didn’t want to admit they’d fucked up a negotiation. Sebastian lifted the tumbler of whiskey to his lips, gazing back at me steadily.
