“I wasn’t expecting you home until the small hours.” She placed her fingers in the contours of his hard stomach. “Did George Hampton want to get the early train back?”
“No, he’s staying in London tonight. I left him talking to Nadine.”
Helen’s hand stilled. “Nadine Charming was there? Why?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t stick around long enough to find out in case I missed the train.” Sebastian yawned and rubbed his eyes. “As it was, I had to sprint all the way to the platform the moment I got out.”
But the trains back to Bristol ran until way past midnight.
Helen raised her head.
Sebastian opened one eye. “What?”
“Nothing.” She settled back down against his chest, hiding her smile as she pictured him running in his tuxedo.
Running to be with her.
Chapter 25
You’re sleeping with her? Actually sleeping?
Athisdeskatthe Get Living Center, Seb hovered his thumbs over his phone’s keypad, unsure how to reply to his friend Jimmy’s latest message. A month had now passed since Seb and Helen started their just-sex relationship, and somehow Just Sex had turned into sleeping in her bed every night and waking up next to her every morning.
He replied, deciding to be blasé.
She has the more comfortable bed.
Ha!
Ha? Seb stared at Jimmy’s reply. Was thathato the bed comment? Orha,you’ve got another thing coming, you fool?
Seb didn’t want to know, because bottom line, both he and Helen were happy with their arrangement—in bed and out. They made a good team, but that’s all there was to it.
At the events, the public liked her. She was great with the kids during the events. She never came on stage with him, preferring to stay in the sidelines to hang out with Freddy and the rest of the Get Living team, but at the dinner parties, Helen socialized well in small groups.
Grice always seemed to gravitate toward her. This had been a point of concern at first, but despite his annoying little ways, Seb had to admit the hack was proving to be quite an asset to the campaign. His interview skills lacked the grace and style of other journalists, but his articles were well-written and entertaining, and it seemed he did have the well-being of the campaign at heart.
Jimmy sent another text.
So what’ll happen in September when it’s time to come back?
When Grice had asked that question two weeks ago, Seb had waxed lyrical about work commitments and holidays because it seemed like the logical, diplomatic answer. But truth was, no matter how much he liked Helen, a relationship with her beyond September wasn’t in his future.
Or hers.
Her life revolved around her brother and his family, her cottage, and her hens, so there really was no point pretending that this rather pleasant,almost-just-sexrelationship could ever have a longer life span than a box of cereal.
He lived in Canada.
She lived in the UK.
End of story.
He replied to Jimmy.
We’re just hanging out, having fun. It’s no big deal.
Seb signed off with Jimmy and walked to the window. Outside in the yard, a small group of teenagers had gathered for an outdoor fitness class in the area Helen had worked in. Even if Seb was looking for a relationship—which he absolutely wasn’t—that eventful day when Helen had kissed him at the press call served as a reminder that there really was no point entertaining a future with a woman he’d met under such random circumstances.
