He looked up at me. Brown hair ruffled like he’d run his hands in it too often, his warm brown eyes tired, and one knee bouncing just slightly like his brain hadn’t stopped moving since I left.
“Hey,” I said, more softly than I meant to.
He closed the laptop halfway. “Hey. You ready for this?”
I crossed the small room and sat beside him on the armrest. “Show me.”
He angled the screen toward me and flipped through the digital renderings. “The old plan underestimated the cumulative weight of the roof plus the renovations over theyears. So I ran new load calcs—horizontal and vertical distribution.”
“Of course you did,” I said, trying to follow, failing a little.
He flipped to the next drawing. “So instead of forcing the joists to bear more than they were ever designed for, I’m adding concealed steel reinforcement here and here and here,”—he pointed—“but from the inside, so the outer walls still look original.”
I blinked. “You came up with this today?”
He looked up. The years had left subtle marks on his forehead, making him even more dangerously handsome. “I started thinking about it last week,” he admitted. “Got serious on the flight.”
I studied the plan, but even without the drawings and notations, I knew I could count on it and him, even with my eyes closed. “This would save the building? Stop the sagging?”
“It’ll do more than that. It’ll hold.”
I exhaled. “I should hire you permanently.”
He smirked without looking away from the screen. “You couldn’t afford me.”
“You sure?”
Our eyes met. For a second too long.
I shifted slightly, my thigh brushing his forearm.
His knee had stopped bouncing.
I glanced down at the plans again. But I didn’t see them. Not really. Not anymore.
I rose slowly and took a few steps back.
Sebastian leaned slightly back in the chair, eyes lifting to mine, watching me like he already knew something had shifted.
Without a word, I reached under the hem of my blue sundress and slid my panties down, slowly, deliberately, never breaking eye contact. The lace skimmed down my legs. I let them fall to the floor and stepped out of them.
His gaze darkened.
I edged closer.
His hands were resting on the chair’s armrests, and he was perfectly still, waiting to see what I’d do next.
I took the laptop from him and placed it on the table next to the tray, then straddled him without hesitation, settling on his thighs.
Sebastian grasped my hips, grounding us both.
I leaned in and kissed him.
But just for a moment. Even though I missed his taste and wanted more.
I took off his shirt and opened his jeans without taking my eyes off him.
He gripped my dress and took it off me.
