Tom flicked her ear. “What’s up?”
“Ow!” Helen shot him daggers. “My brother’s a pest, that’s what’s up.”
Tom snickered. “Missing the boyfriend?”
“No.” Helen checked her phone again. Still no messages from Sebastian so she assumed he was still coming. And tomorrow, they were due to attend the next Get Living event together; Gary Grice would be interviewing them again and she’d be doing her usual mingling with the public during the day, then later at dinner with sponsors and organizers. The perfect girlfriend.
Yet not so perfect after all.
When Helen looked up, Tom and Emma were still watching her.
“Everything okay?” Tom asked.
Helen gave them a small smile, but there was no use pretending. “I told Sebastian about Dad the other day—allthe details—which increased his opinion of me so much that, of course, I justhadto tell him about Jaxon and DC Nazir, too.”
“Oh.” Emma winced.
“You dished out a triple whammy.” Tom shook his head. “And he didn’t fall at your feet and ask for your hand in marriage?”
Helen couldn’t help but laugh, just as Tom had intended. “Surprisingly, no.”
“Ada told us never to be ashamed of who we are. If that’s how he’s making you feel—”
“He’s not, Tom. You know I’m capable of nurturing an inferiority complex all on my own.”
“Good, because that looks like him coming up now.” Tom nodded behind her. “And it would be a shame if I had to kick his backside in front of all his adoring fans.”
Helen eyed Sebastian as he made his way up the hill, causing a bit of a stir among the crowds. Decked in Strive sports gear—his public uniform when not attending dinners and corporate events—Sebastian stopped to pose for photographs with the children who’d run up to him, shaking hands with their parents and being an all-round nice guy.
“It’s okay, Tom. I can work it all out with him.”
I think.
But feeling the way Helen did for Sebastian, so fragile and unsure of herself, was like walking on the edge of a rocky cliff. One wrong move and she’d go splat.
When Sebastian finally reached them, he greeted Tom and Emma first, acknowledged the children, then held out his hands to Helen, pulling her to her feet. “Hey.”
“Hello.” Awkwardness flittered around them, threatening to push her over the cliff.
Sebastian’s gaze dipped to her mouth. “How you doing, Hobbs?”
“Good. How are you?”
“Good.” He did his jaw-grinding thing again. “People are watching. Fire in the hole?”
“Oh, I think we’re past that now, Sebastian.” She tilted her face to his. “It’s time you realized it.”
Something flashed in his eyes, so quick that it barely registered before he pressed his lips to hers for a simple, sweet kiss that made her think of all the times he’d been inside her. Powerful, consuming and addictive. Three days apart, and she’d missed the smell of his skin, the feel of his body next to hers, the weight of his hands on her hips … how would she cope come September?
A movement to the side caught their attention. They stepped apart as a group of teenagers shuffled toward them. One of the girls, who looked to be about thirteen, had a football under her arm.
“Do you want to play with us?” she asked Sebastian.
“We could teach you some tricks,” said a boy at the back.
“Sure.” Sebastian flashed them one of his warm smiles. “I’ll be right over.”
“Duty calls, huh?” Helen said.
