“You.” She reaches to cup her hand over my cheek. “I talked to Frannie about it this morning. I wanted her to know that I picked you.”
“I thought…” I begin before I glance over at Julian. He’s smiling. His hands are folded together on the table in front of him. When I look back at Maya, her tears have dried. “I thought you’d ask both of us. Frannie asked us both to stand up for her at her wedding.”
“I thought about it, but I want it to be you.” She sighs. “We’ve become so close since you moved here and Frannie totally gets it. Besides, Becca and Jolie are going to be flower girls.”
Frannie’s daughters will make perfect flower girls.
“Tell me you’ll do it.” Maya laughs. “You want to do it, right?”
“Of course I’ll do it.” I throw my arms around her shoulders. “Thank you, Maya. Thank you for picking me.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sebastian
I don’t knowhow I made it through that dinner without touching Matilda. She was sitting so close to me and looked so fucking beautiful in that navy blue dress she was wearing.
She wore her hair down again. This time it was straightened and the light coating of pale lipstick she put on after we’d finished dessert was a beacon that was luring me to her perfect mouth.
Jesus, I wanted to kiss her when she leaned over and whispered that the chocolate cake was the best thing she’d ever tasted.
I wanted to taste her. Her lips, her skin, her pussy, all of her.
I try to shake off the thought as I sit in our living room now.
We’d shared a taxi with Maya and Julian, which meant I was stuck in the front seat while the three of them piled into the back.
They dropped us at our apartment first with a round of hugs and a promise to meet for dinner again in a couple of weeks to go over wedding plans.
I don’t know the first thing about planning a celebration of that magnitude, but I’ll do it. I’ll sit through any discussion about flowers, caterers and photographers if I can do it with Matilda.
“When did Julian ask you to be his best man?” Matilda’s voice comes at me from behind.
I sat down on the sofa as soon as we got home. She took off toward her bedroom muttering something about needing to get out of her dress.
The offer to unzip the back of her dress danced on my lips, but I held back because I know I’d want to touch more of her skin and I can’t read if she’s feeling the same pull to me as I am to her.
“Right before we got to the restaurant.” I glance back to see her approaching.
She’s changed into cut-off denim shorts and a pink T-shirt. Her toned legs are on display, her nipples have furled into tight points beneath the fabric of the shirt.
“I was surprised that Maya asked me tonight.” She sits in the oversized armchair that faces the sofa. “I thought it would be just another birthday dinner, but it turned into a really special night.”
I run my palms over my thighs trying to curb my arousal. “I had a great time.”
“Me too,” she says softly. “Julian and Maya are so in love, aren’t they? You can feel it when you’re near them. At least I can.”
I don’t know what love feels like.
“Have you ever been in love?” I ask before I realize that I don’t want to know the answer. I don’t want to hear about her feeling anything substantial for another man even though I don’t know what the fuck it is that I’m feeling for her.
It feels like lust, a pure carnal need to fuck her.
I close my eyes against the swell of my cock in my jeans.
“Once,” she whispers. “It was forever ago.”
I glance over at her. She’s shifted slightly in her seat, so her legs are now crossed at the knee.
