Chapter 7
Shayne
His middle name has got to be Arrogant Bastard because that’s what he is. He’s driving with this sexy little smirk on his lips and his eyes are sparkling and he’s winked at me more than once and my God, when did arrogance start making me hot? I could bail on him—jump out of the car at the next stoplight…but I won’t. I sat my ass in this delicious little sports car all by myself because I want to be here. But why doeshewant me here?
By getting in the car did I just give him the impression it’s totally cool that we had sex, that I still don’t know his last name, and that he just disappeared for twelve days afterward? Is he interested in me? If he is, then why did he disappear? Is this his attempt at another random hookup? If it is, will I give it to him? Is that what I do now?
No. It’s not. I just hate public transit and I’m lazy after a long day of work and maybe, just maybe, if I spend more time around him, maybe this will be something…more. Is that possible? Am I being naïve? Would veteran one-night-standers scoff at my stupidity? “Seriously. Who told you about the barbeque?”
He drives like an Indy 500 champion—fast but in control. His eyes don’t leave the road. And the smirk on his pretty little lips doesn’t leave either. I sit staring at the cocky excuse for a smile, trying to decide if it angers me or creates that damn tingle.
“And how did you know I was going? I need to know which friend shares my personal business with strangers,” I tell him in a clipped tone as I cross my arms like an angry teenager.
“The hosts of the party invited me. You know, your college roommate and her boyfriend,” Sebastian replies flippantly. “They’re great, by the way. It’ll be your loss if you disown them.”
“What?!” I’m beyond shocked. “Audrey invited you?”
He smirks at my reaction, glancing quickly over at me before taking a turn fairly fast. “Josh did. He was at the bar last night too, and I know him. From Sutter Brothers. I just didn’t know he was dating Audrey. Small world,n’est pas?”
“I don’t speak French,” I mutter back. He knows Josh from Sutter Brothers? Josh works at one of the biggest wealth management companies in the Pacific Northwest. Does that mean Sebastian is also a financial advisor? Or is he one of their millionaire clients? I stare at the luxurious car I’m sitting in. Holy shit, I think he’s a client.
“Does he manage your portfolio?” I ask, trying to sound casual. I don’t care about money. I honestly don’t. None of my boyfriends have had a ton of money…Mind you the last time I had a serious boyfriend was college. And I repeatedly turn down my parents’ money. I could be living in a much nicer apartment, with a car that works, if I wanted to take their handouts. Seriously, money doesn’t matter, but…did I just bang a millionaire?
Frenchie shakes his head. “No. His coworker Paul does. Do you know Paul? Oberman?”
I shake my head and swallow, but my throat is unexpectedly dry, and I cough. He slows the car to an acceptable residential speed as we pull off a main street and start through the more residential area that leads to the park.
“You’re a millionaire?” I manage to choke out and instantly regret it. I probably sound like a gold digger or something.
He reaches over and pats my hand on my thigh. His smirk slips a little, but then he shrugs his broad shoulders. “Yeah.”
“I thought you were an accountant or a lawyer or waiter or something.” Seriously, why won’t my mouth stop spitting out words? At least I managed to stop coughing.
“You sound disappointed.” He is still smirking. I amuse him. Nifty.
“I don’t care what you do for a living,” I say airily, finally gaining control of my words and actions again. “It was a one-night stand.”
“We’ll see about that,” he replies in a deep whisper filled with promise.
I bite my lip and turn and stare out the window. He slows as two kids run through a crosswalk holding dripping ice cream cones, and I smile. When I glance at him, he’s smiling too, and it’s not cocky, it’s just pretty.
Just past a newly renovated apartment building he takes a left down a road that looks like a dead end. There are only a few homes on it, and then the road narrows to essentially a one-way—even though it’s not—and the houses disappear. It’s nothing but overgrown grass and weeds. The property technically belongs to the city, but no one maintains it like they do the other park areas. It’s a popular place for locals because it’s less touristy than the other areas around the lake.
Sebastian pulls over behind Josh’s red SUV at the top of the hill. Other cars line the rest of the narrow roadway. He turns the car off and hurries around to help me out. I ignore his outstretched hand, haul myself out of the smooth, deep leather seat, and storm ahead to the picnic tables by the water.
I glance down the small rolling hill to the party. There are about a dozen people already here. They’ve set up chairs and towels on the long, slim strip where the grass gives way to sand by the edge of the lake. Josh and some other guy in a trucker hat whom I recognize as one of Josh’s friends are placing rocks in a circle to enclose what will become a fire pit. I march toward Audrey, who’s setting up camping chairs around the fire pit the boys are building. She’s grinning at me like a fool.
“So, how was your day?” She winks at me.
“Fuck you, you traitorous whore,” I say flatly and flop down in a chair.
“I see you found a ride.” She wipes the condensation off the can of beer in her hand and flicks the water from her fingers at my face. It splatters all over my sunglasses.
As I remove them to clean them, I glance over my shoulder. Josh has jogged up to help Sebastian with the two coolers he’s pulled from his trunk. I didn’t realize he brought stuff. So now I’m the jerk who grabs a ride and abandons him. Perfect. I stand to go back up there, but with Josh’s help he doesn’t need me, so I allow myself to unabashedly admire the sight of Frenchie. He looks sexy as hell in his casual clothes. Just as sexy as he does in a suit. And in sweaty workout wear. His hair is an intricate, tousled mess, curling slightly at the ends. My fingertips tingle with the need to touch it. His hair was so soft and deceivingly thick when I held on to it that night while I came…
I give my head a shake to fight the heat rising in my body. “You should have warned me.” I pull my gaze back to my best friend and give her a pointed stare.
“You said you didn’t care if you ever saw him again,” Audrey reminds me, shaking the water out of her dirty blond hair. “You said it was no big deal and you were over it.”
