The living room is empty, so I continue through to the kitchen.
I drop my bag onto the marble island, then scan the space.
I’m debating where to look next, when he wanders through the open French doors that lead to the pool.
He stops short.
His gaze runs over my body. I shiver as he takes in every detail. I become acutely aware that I’m not in my uniform of shirt and knee-length pencil skirt. My deep green dress exposes a lot more leg and cleavage than normal.
I swallow. He’s not the only one doing a slow perusal. He’s only wearing low-slung board shorts. Water droplets inch down the expanse of muscled, tanned skin. His eyes look impossibly blue, flanked by dark, wet lashes. He dries his hair with a white towel and gives me a smile that sets almost every woman’s heart aflutter.
Except mine.
If I tell myself that often enough, I might believe it.
“Hey.”
His casual greeting reignites my anger.
“Don’t you ‘hey’ me.” I huff. “I left a very promising date because you called and messaged multiple times saying that you had anemergency.” I wave my hand to gesture around the room. “I don’t see a fire. There’s no flood. No gang of zombies.”
“How was your date?” He slings the towel over his shoulders and moves farther into the kitchen.
“It was great until the part where you kept calling and interrupted us when things were about to getgood. Do you know the odds of me meeting a nice, normal man with a job who likes kids?”And wants meand not a social media influencer or aspiring model with a stunning rack and perfect bone structure.I put my hands on my hips.
“Well, hell, Em,” Sebastian says, his smirk becoming more prominent. “You didn’t have to answer.”
My glare turns lethal. “I didn’t, as you well know. But you kept calling. And calling. And then you texted you needed me. For an emergency.”
“So what you’re saying is he didn’t get a kiss?” Sebastian asks. He seems a little too happy about the possibility that he cockblocked me.
“Oh, he got a kiss,” I lie.
The truth is, the date was just… okay. Iwantedto be interested in Dr. John Winters. But I was distracted. And there was something about him that bothered me, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what.
Maybe my perspective is so messed up that nice and normal seems boring. This is the problem with spending most of my time with Sebastian.
He’s infuriating. I never know what he’s going to say or do. Being around him is like balancing on live wires five hundred feet up. I feel fear and frustration. But it’s also exhilarating. All my senses are engaged, with every nerve ending firing.
Everything else seems bland compared to that.
Maybe I’ve become addicted to the adrenaline. Or I’m a masochist. Is it even possible for a normal guy to hold my interest? That thought is super depressing.
I was secretly relieved to have an excuse to leave. But I’ll go to my grave with that information. I also hate that Sebastian is right about something else. I didn’t have to answer his phone call. But I did.
If I could afford therapy, my lack of boundaries with my boss would be a good place to start.
“We had a make-out sesh,” I add, crossing my fingers behind my back. “Before I said good night.”
Sebastian’s smirk disappears.
“And? How was it?” he growls.
It wasn’t.
“It was hot. No thanks to you interrupting my date.”And no thanks to me being incapable of falling for a regular dude.“I’m here now. So? Where’s the emergency? And there better be one.”
Sebastian’s mouth lifts.
