Page 23 of In the Net (Sin Bin Stories #5)

HARPER

M y face hits the cushion when I let myself fall forward onto the living room couch after coming home from a date.

I wish this guy had stood me up.

“That good, huh?” Scarlett asks from the table by the kitchen, where she’s doing something on her laptop.

A muffled groan answers her.

“What was so bad about it?” she asks.

“He wouldn’t stop talking about fishing.”

She lets out a guffaw. “Fishing?”

“Fishing,” I confirm sourly.

“That was all he talked about?”

“That was all he talked about.”

I’m not saying I’d never go out with a guy who’s into fishing. But this guy was only into fishing.

“Did he show you fish pics?”

I dig my face into the cushion. “Please don’t make me relive it.”

Scarlett’s laughter mingles with the clicking of her keyboard. “I’m sure the next date will be better.”

I’d say that it couldn’t be worse—but I know that it really, really could, and I don’t want to jinx it.

At times like these, I think about just admitting defeat. Letting my family think the reason I haven’t found a man is because I simply can’t.

But then that stubborn need to prove people wrong swells behind my chest. That feeling that’s driven me to success in more difficult tasks than finding a wedding date. I’m not going to give up.

The jealousy etched in my cousin’s face the two times she’s seen me and Sebastian together flashes in my mind. Being able to see that look all day long at Sophia’s wedding would really be sweet.

But even if I do succeed in finding a date, even if I succeed in finding a good date, it’s incredibly unlikely it’s going to be someone who can generate that kind of envy in Mackenzie.

But even if I can’t bask in her jealousy for the entire ceremony and reception, just shutting her and everyone else up will be good enough.

Speaking of Sebastian, I did actually go to his house the day he was supposed to be visiting Bryce, fully intending to connect my foot with his firm, tight, pert ass if he’d chickened out.

Okay, I don’t know why I decided to add so many adjectives to the description of Sebastian’s butt, but that’s an issue for another day …

I know Sebastian did go to see Bryce, but I don’t know how it went.

It’s hardly as if we’re texting each other about our lives or anything. Sure, maybe he took care of me when I was sick, maybe I looked out for him when he was melting down over Bryce’s accident, but it’s not like we’re friends.

I mean, we’re probably still enemies. We still can’t stand each other. Right?

Out of nowhere, something strikes me, every bit as sudden as a bolt of lightning and every bit as powerful.

Sensation bursts on my lips, from the memory of the kiss Sebastian planted on them.

The kiss lasted no more than two seconds, but since it happened, I’ve thought more about it than any other kiss I’ve ever had, except for maybe my first.

I can still recall every sensation with perfect clarity. The firm pressure of his lips. The strength of his hands as they framed my face. His nose brushing against mine. The rim of his glasses pressing against my forehead.

It’s not hard to explain why I’m thinking about it so much.

Sebastian Lawrence, of all people, kissed me.

Something I would have bet my life would never happen in a million years.

Out of nowhere, with no warning, right in the middle of an airport.

It was the last thing I ever expected. It’s no surprise I can’t get it out of my head.

I flop onto my back, expelling a sigh as I gaze up at the ceiling.

For all his faults, at least he doesn’t talk about fishing …

It’s early October, and the weather today is amazing.

When I took off for Paris, Cedar Shade was still in the last grasp of summer, the days still sultry. But by the time I got back, a chill had seeped into the air.

Today, it’s absolutely perfect weather to be right under the sun. It’s the kind of weather where it can be chilly in the shade, but feels so good under the sun’s warm light. I’ve got on a flannel button-up over a white t-shirt, and khaki shorts.

Before too long, it’ll be truly cold. I’ll have to bundle up and stay indoors. I’m taking advantage of this temperature while I can, sitting at a table outside a café in downtown Cedar Shade, doing some reading for my classes.

Maybe it’s not quite on the level of Parisian outdoor café sitting, but it’s still nice.

I’m right in the middle of reading an assigned essay for my Russian Literature class, when the chair across from me scrapes across the sidewalk and someone drops into it.

“So, you and Sebastian.”

A cringe dances up my back at my cousin Mackenzie’s voice.

She’s only seen us together twice, and I haven’t mentioned the hockey player I definitely still can’t stand at all to her other than that. It would be the easiest thing in the world to just tell her that we’re not seeing each other anymore.

But then I know exactly what kind of face she’d make. A haughty, taunting one. I know just how good she’d feel to hear that I no longer have a superior trophy boyfriend compared to her.

The thought of that look has my brow lowering in challenge.

“Yep, me and Sebastian.”

I kick myself as soon as the words are out of my mouth. What am I thinking?

Jealousy glimmers in her eyes as she fakes a smile. “Think it’ll last all the way to Sophia’s wedding?”

My mouth curls. I know exactly what’s going through her head. If I show up to that wedding with a guy like Sebastian on my arm, looking like a male model in a suit and with a fat NHL contract waiting for him in just a few short months, Mackenzie will feel upstaged.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure,” I say, a fake smile on my face. “I already mentioned the date to him, and he said he’s looking forward to it.”

Her eyebrows leap. “Wow. Things are moving that fast between you two?”

I shrug. “With Sebastian, things just feel right, you know?”

Words I’d never be able to stomach saying, if they weren’t in the service of knocking my cousin down the several pegs she deserves, at least temporarily. The disbelieving expression on her face is easy to read: why is he going out with her ?

As much of a guilty pleasure as basking in Mackenzie’s envy is, I don’t want to contend with any detailed questions from her about this relationship that doesn’t—and never will—exist. I gather up my things and shove them into my bookbag before standing up.

One brief hit of Mackenzie’s jealousy is enough.

“Well, I’d better get going. I have class at?—”

But another voice interrupts me. It’s a voice that’s interrupted a conversation between me and Mackenzie before, not too long ago …

“Babe.” Sebastian is suddenly standing by my side, towering over me, a grin on his lips that makes my stomach feel like it’s upside down. “I’ve missed you.”

Suddenly, his left hand is on the curve of my waist, his right hand is on the side of my neck, and his lips are on my mouth.

This kiss lasts a lot longer than two seconds.

His lips are firm on my own, and this time, they’re not just pressing against mine with thoughtless abandon. His lips caress me in unhurried strokes, lighting up my nerves from head to toe and making my skin prickle with heat all over.

His scent floods my nose, woody and mellow with a sharp masculine edge. Heat rolls off him, like all those muscles he carries make his body a furnace.

His grip tightens on the back of my neck. The big pad of his thumb brushes over the pulse point underneath my jaw, sending a shiver dancing through my body just as he slants his mouth to pull me deeper into our kiss.

Adrenaline hits my bloodstream, my heart hammering. I feel myself melting into the kiss, letting Sebastian’s lips take the lead and do whatever they want with my own.

I shift closer to his body, my hand touching his front and feeling the hard ridge where the plane of his chest meets the curve of his topmost ab. The muscles at the peak of my thighs tighten.

He pulls back, and my eyes flutter open. My lips are still parted, but there’s no chance of forming speech. His eyes are hooded and sated as he looks down at me.

If it were up to me to recover my senses, there’s no telling how long we’d be standing here for. The kiss in the airport was enough of a shock, but it feels like this one rearranged the molecules in my brain.

Luckily, it’s not up to me to regain my senses. Sebastian turns toward my cousin, wrapping his arm around my shoulders in the process.

“Oh, hey, Mack. Didn’t know we had company.”

Mackenzie glowers at that nickname. Maybe I’ll have to start using it, too.

“Well, clearly the honeymoon isn’t over.” The scornful sarcasm in her words is barely disguised.

Sebastian tucks me closer to his side, beaming a grin. “That’s for sure.” He cranes his head to me. “Anyway, babe, I was walking by and overheard you saying you were heading to class. Me, too. Walk me?”

My lips still hang open dumbly, sensation pulsing through them like an electric current. I nod.

“Sweet,” Sebastian enthuses. “Catch you around, Mack.”

Petty satisfaction hits me as Mackenzie scowls once again at that name, before Sebastian leads me down the street in the direction of campus. Once we’ve turned a corner, I glance over my shoulder to make sure that my cousin isn’t behind us.

“You’re welcome,” Sebastian says with a grin.

When I realize we’ve gone several steps out of Mackenzie’s sight without me shrugging myself out from underneath Sebastian’s arm, I quickly rectify that.

Away from his touch, I regain my senses. “Sebastian, what the hell was that about?”

He casually lifts a shoulder. “I overheard your little conversation. If things just feel right like you said,” he grins, throwing my words back in my face, and I cringe, “I figure your cousin would be awfully suspicious if I walked by without making a demonstration.”

I purse my lips, which are still thrumming. He has a point, as embarrassed as I am that he overheard me trying to sell this ridiculous lie to Mackenzie.

“I know I shouldn’t have used your name like that, but?—”

“Your cousin sucks, and it’s fun to see her jealous and bent out of shape. I get it.”

“The fact that I’m now apparently so immature that you can sympathize with my mindset isn’t exactly comforting, you know.”

Sebastian only answers with a wide, satisfied grin.

I push out a sigh. “The thing is, now it’ll be even harder to explain why you’re not with me at the wedding.”

“But what if I am?”

My brows knit. “Excuse me?”

“What if I am with you at the wedding?”

“Sebastian … there’s no way you’re talking about actually being my date for my cousin’s wedding and pretending we’re a couple all day long.”

His eyebrows bob provocatively. “I am.”

“But … why?”

He shrugs. “It’ll be fun.”

“A day with my family, fun?”

“The wedding’s going to be near our hometown, right?”

“Yeah …”

“Well, it’ll be an excuse to visit Bryce. That, plus getting to see Mackenzie green with envy all day long. Win-win.”

Excitement leaps in my chest. “Your visit with Bryce went well?”

Sebastian’s cheeks color, his smile growing less wry and warmer. “Yeah. Really well.”

“I’m glad,” I say, and it’s the truth.

“So, it’s a date?”

Indecision swirls through me. Showing up with a date like Sebastian would get my family off my back about my love life for once. But this proposal just seems too nutty to say yes to.

Sebastian can sense my uncertainty. “Come on. Just imagine showing up to that wedding with a trophy boyfriend like me on your arm. You used my name with your cousin back there. Surely you’ve considered using my body, too.”

I flatten my lips at him. “Trust me, Sebastian, using your body is one thing that has never crossed my mind.”

His smirk mocks me. “Try saying that again, Harper. This time, at least try to make it sound like you believe it.”

Something about the taunting look in his eyes has the memory of our kiss burning on my lips again.

No, this is too ridiculous. Spend an entire day, around my whole family, pretending I actually like Sebastian Lawrence?

How are we going to deal with all the questions that assume we’ve been dating for months?

How are we going to avoid seeming awkward with all those eyes on us?

There’s no way we can spend an entire day under those conditions without the truth that we can’t stand each other shining through.

I shake my head. “There’s no way we’d be able to pull it off. Don’t worry, I’ll find another date in time.”

His expression sinks in disappointment. He’s about to protest, but when my eyes tick to his lips, those lips that just moments ago robbed me of breath like nothing ever has, and sparks skitter over my skin, pebbling my nipples under my shirt, I know it’s time to end this conversation.

“I really do have to get going,” I say with haste. “Thanks for helping with Mackenzie, but don’t worry, I’ve got the wedding date situation under control.”

But for the rest of the day, what I really don’t have under control is the way my body reacts every time I remember that damn kiss.