I felt a stab of disappointment.
I’d left my phone in my suite, and I didn’t know what his room number was. Even if I did, I wasn’t bold enough to seek him out like that yet.
Uncertainty mixed with a twinge of frustration.
Every time Sebastian and I made progress, someone orsomething interrupted us. It was like the universe got a kick out of throwing us together only to yank us apart—except tonight was different. We’d crossed the point of no return, and I didn’t know where to go from here.
I stepped out of the tent, my thoughts in turmoil. I had to pass through the gardens again to reach the hotel, and my gaze strayed to the spot where we’d kissed.
I half expected to see him standing there, his mouth curled into a lazy smirk as he made some smart-ass remark about what took me so long. But of course, he wasn’t. There was nothing except shadows and greenery.
I shook off another wisp of disappointment.Did you really expect him to wait?Why would he stay here when he had no idea whether I was coming back or not?
Still, his absence didn’t stop a surge of memories.
His hands. His lips. His voice.
T’as encore un meilleur goût que je ne l’imaginais, mon ange.
You taste ever better than I imagined, my angel.
If Priya hadn’t interrupted us…
My skin flushed hot and cold all over as a host of new images invaded my mind. Things we would’ve done—things I would’velethim do—right here in the garden, potential witnesses be damned.
Need coiled low in my belly, and I picked up my pace until I was basically running. But no matter how fast I moved, I couldn’t outrun what happened.
One kiss, and Sebastian had imprinted himself on my mind forever.
I burst into the hotel lobby and beelined toward the elevators, keeping my head low in case one of the other guests tried to stop me for small talk. I was about to press the lift button when I spotted several of my aunties turning the corner.
Shit. If they saw me, they’d rope me into an hour-long gossipsession about who did what at the wedding or, worse, grill me about why I’d shown up without a date.
I frantically looked around for a place to hide. My eyes landed on the door to the stairwell, and I rushed through it before they noticed I was there.
“Was that Maya?” I heard one of them say as the door closed behind me. “That looked like her lehenga.”
“Why would she be taking the stairs?” another scoffed. “You’ve been drinking too much…”
I breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator pinged, and their voices disappeared. That’d been a close call.
However, I only made it up one flight of stairs when I heard footsteps behind me.
I tensed again. I whirled around, bracing myself for a confrontation with my aunties or a serial killer. I wasn’t sure which would be worse.
As it turned out, I was wrong on both accounts.
My heart pulsed when I saw Sebastian at the bottom of the stairs, my dupatta in hand. He must’ve picked it up when I lost it. “Don’t shoot,” he said, his expression faintly amused. “It’s just me.”
“God, Seb.” My shoulders sagged again with relief. My fight-or-flight response was getting a real workout this evening. “Were you behind me this entire time?”
“Yes. I’ve been trying to get your attention since you left the party.” Sebastian joined me at the top of the stairs, his amusement visibly deepening. “You dropped this in the garden.”
He handed me my dupatta. I took it, my skin tingling when our fingers brushed. His hand lingered for a second before he dropped his arm.
“You’re a fast walker,” he said. “Actually, ‘runner’ would be more accurate.”
My cheeks flamed. “I had a lot on my mind.”
