Her brother held up his hands. “We considered it, that’s all. In the end I settled for another glass of red wine while Marnie got out her knitting. Oh God, Ari, her knitting. It was a blessing that my husband was up to his armpits in voodoo thirsty cashmere, because holy shit, he’d have had a stroke if he’d seen the sweater she’s apparently knitting.”
“Koigu Kersti cashmere,” Ari corrected him, but she smiled. “She made Reine and I matching jumpers earlier this year.”
“Burn them,” Sebastian ordered as he started the coffee machine. “Burn them and then bury the ashes.”
“She means well.”
“Yes, I’m sure she does. Black coffee, love?”
“No. I’ll take milk today. And three sugars.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her but started the milk frother all the same.
“Anyway, she passed out in her wool at around 2a.m. and then Luis passed out in his Wagyu Nursie cashmere at about four, so I slept on the sofa in the living room and left them all to it.”
“Koigu Kersti cashmere,” Ari corrected him again, before wrapping her hand around her coffee gratefully. “Thanks.”
Sebastian eyed her carefully. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?” he pressed, looking at her steadily.
Ari shook her head. “No.”
Sebastian sighed, tying the knot in his robe again and slumping into the seat beside her. “Sorry love. Was he that bad in bed? Well, never mind. It has been a hot minute since you last shagged him. You know the old saying about women ageing like fine wine? Men aren’t like that. We’re like lettuce. Still kind of holding the shape but mostly limp under the leaves.”
“No, I didn’t mean—no, he was good, he wasreallygood and...” Ari trailed off, blushing deeply.
Sebastian stared at her.
“Oh,” he intoned, nodding. “So, this is more of an emotional thing?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian nodded again. “I should probably wake Luis up for emotional things. He’s good that way. Or Marnie.”
Ari winced. “Please don’t tell . . . my, um—”
“Lover,” Sebastian supplied helpfully. “Your lover. We’re grown-ups here, Ari. You can say it.”
Ari blushed again. “Please don’t wake Tom’smotherso I can talk about sex with her son, okay?”
Sebastian shrugged. “Okay, well, that leaves me then. So, you had full sex with him then? It wasn’t just a kiss and a cuddle before you fell chastely into the same bed?”
“We had sex.”
“Did you mean to?”
Ari stared at him. “What do you mean?”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “I have limited experience with straight women — outside of all the brides, that is, and I don’t think they count, since sex isn’t their aim — but even I know that when a woman turns up to dinner looking like you did last night, in a dress like the one you were wearing, she means business. Tom, that poor sap, didn’t know what hit him.”
Ari chewed on her lip, looking into her coffee. “I didn’t mean to... Well, it wasn’t my intention to sleep with him.” She paused, looking up to find Sebastian staring at her sceptically. She gave him an awkward smile. “But I guess it wasn’t my intention not to sleep with him either.”
Sebastian nodded, sipping his coffee. “I get it.”
Ari sighed, swirling a teaspoon in her coffee restlessly. “I just... When I’m with him, I feel so... I don’t know. He’s easy to talk to and he makes me smile and he’s trying so hard with me and Reine. When it’s just us, I remember all the things I loved about him. I remember why I waited for him for so long.”
