Page 19

Chapter Eighteen

“Thanks for coming to get me. I could have just taken an Uber over,” I said with a quick glance towards him. I wanted to stare for longer, mesmerised by the way his arm moved as he manoeuvred the gears.

“I don’t mind. Did you get back to sleep last night?”

Stretching my legs I yawned, unintentionally answering his question. “Sadly, no. But I did watch the first season of Friends before work, which seems a brag-worthy achievement for a Thursday.”

I caught the way his gaze flickered to my thighs, my skirt inching a little higher when I moved.

“It’s more than I achieved.”

“You didn’t get back to sleep either?” I asked, curiously.

“I did not. But instead of using the time wisely like you did,” he said with a hint of humour, “I tossed and turned until my alarm went off.”

“I’m so sorry I woke you. Normal people have their phone on silent,” I joked, enjoying the way he looked when he smiled. Admiring his side-profile as he drove, I wondered how his stubble would feel under my fingertips or how he looked when he lost control. “But don’t worry, I took a preventative pill before tonight seeing as I’m allergic.”

His soft chuckle reverberated within the car, and I grinned. He was always so serious whenever anyone else was around, so making him laugh was becoming one of my favourite things to do. The softness of his eyes as his smile bloomed made my chest feel warm, sending a burst of dopamine through my bloodstream. I liked the way he made me feel confident to be myself. To say whatever I was thinking without thought to how it would be perceived. The way it was little old me who could bring a little bit of sunshine to the thunderstorm, himself.

“My stomach muscles thank you as they were braced for battle,” he said cheekily, and a laugh burst out of me.

“Oh my god,” I said around my mirth. “I can’t believe I tried to fight you, and you still asked me to have dinner with you. I am judging you right now. Unless this is an opportunity to get even.” I joked.

“I plead the fifth,” he replied, turning into the carpark of his building. I hadn’t been here since the nights I stayed a couple of months ago and I was happy to be staying in tonight and even more excited for Seb to be cooking.

Any unease I felt at a potentially awkward dinner, was forgotten as we fell into easy conversation. Sharing the comings and goings of our week and our plans for tomorrow as we arrived at his front door. Entering his apartment awoke my stomach as a rich, savoury smell wafted through the air, mixing with the alluring scent of him. God, he smelt good, and it was insanely concentrated in the confines of his house. As soon as I got into his car, I was reminded of why I wanted to rub myself against him like a cat marking her territory and it was somehow worse in here.

Only now, mixed with the aromas of dinner, every part of my body felt compelled to stay and get their fill.

“It smells unbelievable,” I said, breathing in loudly through my nose.

“I hope garlic isn’t an allergy,” he said, guiding me to the stools at his kitchen bench.

“Definitely not. The more the better. I don’t cook very often, because full disclosure, I’m terrible in the kitchen, but if a recipe ever calls for garlic, I triple the amount with no apology.”

“I think you’ll enjoy dinner then, I’ve added an entire bulb,” he offered before handing me a drink he’d obviously made earlier. “Vodka, lime and soda.”

“Thanks. Maybe we should be calling you, Mr. Thoughtful.”

“We?” Shit. I forgot that was a secret of the sisterhood and now I was going to have to explain I’d been discussing him with my friends.

Taking a sip of my drink, I nodded, deciding honesty was best. “Arna, Flick and me. Until now we referred to you as Mr. Terrifying because if looks could kill but you’re just a lychee, aren’t you?”

“A lychee?” He asked with a smirk.

“Mmmmhmmm,” my pitch unusually high, “strong but once you crack it open, unexpectedly sweet.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been called sweet before,” he said with a shake of his head, “I think maybe it’s your saccharine light reflecting off me, .” The words sounded like they swam through the air, ending with my name sprinkling from his mouth as he studied me.

“I make you less menacing?”

He nodded slowly as if he were puzzled by the notion before his look of bewilderment wiped clean, and I was the one left wondering.

“How was work today?” He asked, strategically changing the subject.

“Soooo good. I love my job, it really is a breath of fresh air. I get paid to spend time with amazing kids. Kids who just want to talk and play games and ask the most random questions. Some days I come home ready for a wine and a nap, but most days are incredible. Like today, I spent an hour playing table tennis with one of the young ones and at the end he thanked me. As if giving him my time was something he didn’t deserve. He told me he would usually fold the table and play against himself because no one really played with him. He is ten years old, Seb. It’s heartbreaking.” Shrugging the sadness away, I took a sip of my drink before I gave him another twenty minute spiel he didn’t ask for.

“Those kids sound lucky to have you. Your face lights up when you speak about them. Why did you ever leave in the first place?”

I sighed, not wanting to ruin the beginning of an amazing date but not wanting to lie. Who was I kidding, he already met the guy so this wouldn’t be a surprise given how Lucas behaved at Nexus.

“My ex preferred me to stay home. I realise how 1950s that sounds but I was never career driven, so in some ways it made sense. In theory anyway. In practice, not so much. He just wanted control. I left a job I loved for all the wrong reasons and – well – I learnt a valuable lesson. Control is something I will never again forfeit.”

He paused, placing both palms on the bench, his penetrating stare stripping me bare.

“Not all control is unhealthy. Your sack of shit ex just sounds as though his intentions were self-centred. Control can be a good thing for both parties but only when there is trust.”

My palms were sweating, his unblinking glare combining with the ferocity of his words sending my pulse into overdrive.

“How so?” I dared to whisper, desperate to know more. Suddenly curious to understand and experience the control he was alluding to.

Seb slowly walked around the island bench, his eyes never leaving my own as he came to stand behind me encasing my body with his own. My breathing became more erratic as the pads of his fingers glided down my arms, featherlight with a deliberate grace, yet heavy enough to ignite a ripple of sensation across my skin. He twirled the yellow woven bracelet I was wearing tonight – a new colour to represent the warmth and energy I’d been feeling lately – before those same fingers delicately rose and grazed the nape of my neck, bringing my hair across to one side.

“Trusting someone enough to allow them full control can be an act of pleasure,” he cuffed my wrists in his grip, his whispered words enticingly close to my ear. “When both people are willing and the goal is mutually beneficial, control can be sexy. But only if it comes with good intentions and open communication.” He grazed his nose down my neck and with the firm grasp around my wrists and his solid chest pressed to my back I felt confined in the best of ways.

“Is this okay?” He asked, one hand skimming up my arm before settling delicately around my throat as I nodded. “I can’t tell you how often I’ve thought about you like this.” My thighs squeezed tight as I began to ache.

Jesus, I was weak for this man and would give him control over my entire life if he would only soothe the throbbing between my legs.

“It’s part of being memorable,” I breathed, trying to maintain some semblance of power.

“Your unbridled honesty is magnetic. Your mind is my kryptonite. But your body - so pliant and willing - is my undoing,” he confessed, before his body suddenly vacated the space around my own.

“Dinner is almost ready,” he stated as if he hadn't just altered my universe and my unchecked desire wasn’t a third member in the room.

Finishing the rest of my drink and sliding it across the bench I shook my head, “Mr. Thoughtful needs a warning sign,” I muttered and the surreptitious grin he shot my way was enough to remind me how very dangerous he was for my heart. There was no confuting I was undeniably attracted to Sebastian. He was easy to be around, ignited a need in me with little effort and made me feel safe – all very new and exciting things and a stark reminder that I needed to be very careful. Because the man in front of me had the power to shatter my world.