We glared at each other, our chests heaving. A dim splash of light cast shadows over the stubborn set of his mouth, and I was tempted to… to…ugh.
I tore my eyes away from his and tried to calm the furious beats of my heart. I was getting bombarded with a thousand emotions at once, and while it would feel so good to unleash them all on Sebastian, I knew deep down this wasn’t his fault.
It wasneitherof our faults. We got hit with bad luck, and we just had to ride it out.
Sebastian must’ve reached the same conclusion because he didn’t say anything else.
We fell silent, our burst of hostility softening into disgruntled acceptance.
The fact of the matter was, we were stuck together for the night. I didn’t want to spend it fighting with the only company I had.
When I glanced at Sebastian again, he was staring straight ahead, his jaw tight. His clothes had dried a bit, but still, he must’ve been freezing.
His posture was unnaturally rigid, like he was forcing himself not to move, but one tiny shiver slipped through.
I pressed my lips together.Don’t. Mind your own business.
If he wanted to stay in damp clothes all night, who was I to stop him?
Another shiver betrayed him, and I released a frustrated breath. Sometimes, I really hated myself. “You should change, or you’ll get sick,” I said.
“I’m fine. My clothes have mostly dried.”
“Damp is not the same as dry. If you sleep overnight inthat”—I gestured at his outfit—“you’ll catch pneumonia.”
He flicked a sideways glance at me. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Your concern is touching.”
I blushed. “I only care because I don’t want to be stuck with a frozen corpse in the morning,” I said loftily. “Body disposal is not on my bucket list of experiences.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Sal.” But after a moment’s hesitation, Sebastian opened the door and ducked out into the rain. He came back a minute later with his duffel bag in hand and water dripping from his hair.
I reached over and started the engine. Heat blasted through the vents. “We can turn it off once we’ve warmed up.”
Sebastian looked at me again. This time, his expression was inscrutable, but he retrieved a pair of sweats and tossed his duffel in the back seat without responding.
A beat passed before he said, “Are you going to turn away, or do you want to watch me strip?”
My blush erupted into a full-blown wildfire. “Hardly. This night is awful enough without having to see your… your…” Ifloundered, trying to come up with something negative to say about his physique. Unfortunately, it was sculpted like a fucking Greek statue.
His smile turned devilish. “My…?”
“Oh, just shut up and change,” I grumbled. I stared out the window, ignoring his low chuckle.
But the car was only so big, and I caught bits and pieces of his reflection in the rain-splattered glass.
The broad span of his shoulders. The flex of his arms as he pulled his shirt over his head. The careless confidence with which he moved.
Awareness curled low inside me. Every rustle of clothing sounded abnormally loud in the contained space, and the more I tried to ignore it, the more my muscles tensed.
I stared fixedly at a water droplet sliding down the glass. I was so determined not to pay attention to what was happening behind me that I nearly jumped out of my skin when Sebastian spoke again.
“You can turn around.”
I swallowed. I smoothed my features into what was hopefully a neutral expression and peeked at the driver’s seat.
Sebastian was fully dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants. His hair was still damp, but his skin had regained its healthy color.
He shoved a sweatshirt toward me. “Put this on.”
