We waited a full minute in silence before either of us moved.
"That was close," Rosalie breathed, her head coming to rest on my stomach.
"Too close." I stood, pulling her up with me and hugging her tight. "You stay here. Fix your makeup for real. I'll sneak out, go back downstairs like I was never here."
"Derek..."
"After Westpoint," I promised, cupping her face. "A couple of days. We can make it, right?"
She nodded, but she didn't look convinced.
I kissed her softly, trying to pour every emotion into it. "I love you."
"I love you too." She pulled back, wiping at her eyes. "Now go before someone else comes looking."
I cracked the door, checking the hallway. Empty. I slipped out, moving quickly toward the stairs.
And ran directly into Sebastian.
"Well, well," Sebastian's smile was predatory. "Interesting place to run into you. Upstairs. Near the bathroom where Rosalie's been hiding."
"I was looking for the bathroom," I said evenly. "The one downstairs has a line."
"Right. The bathroom." His eyes gleamed. "Must be nice, having such easy access to her. All those late-night studio sessions. Private Pilates lessons. I bet you're getting very... personal instruction."
My fist clenched. "Watch your mouth."
"Or what? Will you hit me? In front of everyone?" Sebastian stepped closer. "I'm not stupid, Derek. I see what's happening. And I'm not the only one."
"Nothing's happening."
"Keep telling yourself that." He started to walk past me, then paused. "You know what's funny? Aaron asked me to keep an eye on you two. Said something felt off. Guess he was right. Imagine my surprise when I passed by the studio late at night, seeing you too naked and all over each other. Should I have known Pilates was that much fun, I would have signed up sooner." I moved towards him, but he laughed and lifted his hand. “Don’t worry, I only snapped a couple of pictures before I left.”
Ice shot through my veins. "What are you going to do with those?"
"Me? Nothing. Yet." Sebastian shrugged. "But if I were you, I'd be very careful at practice tomorrow. Wouldn't want any accidents before the big game. It would be a shame if I had to start instead of you."
The threat was clear. Keep Sebastian happy, or he'd tell Aaron everything.
"You're an asshole," I said quietly.
"I'm a realist. And realistically, you're screwing your best friend's sister behind his back. That's going to blow up in your face eventually. I'm just deciding whether I want to be there when it does. It’s just going to be an added bonus that I can get my position back on the team."
He walked away, leaving me standing in the hallway with my heart pounding.
This was falling apart. Fast.
I made it back downstairs and found Max immediately. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The Sebastian kind." I quickly filled him in on the encounter.
Max's expression darkened. "That motherfucker."
"He's going to tell Aaron. Maybe not tonight, but soon. And he's threatening to cause problems at practice. He wants to start." I ran my hands through my hair. "What do I do?"
"You tell Aaron first," Max said firmly. "Tonight. Before Sebastian can."
