Page 37 of Reckless Hearts

My chest tightens, and all of a sudden, I can’t breathe.

Louis’s eyes narrow as he stares at me. A flash of irritation crosses his face before it settles into a mask of indifference.

“Look, Marcus, I came here for a good time, not to be caught in some drama. Au revoir.”

He turns his back on me.

Fuck. I don’t bother to watch him walk away. Instead, I stagger back to the booth, my mind reeling.

Seb is waiting there. Seb, with his carefully styled hair, with the tuft at the back that refuses to stay tamed.

“I’m going to go home.” Seb stands abruptly. “If you want a ride home, this is your chance.”

A heartbeat passes. Then another.

This is where I should plaster on a roguish smile and tell Seb I want to stay and find someone else to play with.

But I can’t do it. I just can’t.

“I’ll come home now,” I say woodenly.

Seb’s Adam’s apple bobs. “I’ll just go and see if Neets and John want a ride.”

I nod.

Thankfully, Neets and John are ready to head home, so it’s not just Seb and me alone in the car.

Neets and John laugh quietly together in the back seat while I sit wordlessly in the front. Seb takes driving us home very seriously, carefully slowing down before every red light.

It’s a starry night, and with the full moon, you can see the jagged peaks of the Remarkable Mountains, sharp edges and deep shadows against the night sky.

Seb parks carefully in the driveway.

I get out of the car as soon as it stops, heading straight to my bedroom.

Inside, I sit on my bed, my head in my hands.

Fuck. What a fucking mess.

A few minutes later, there’s a knock on my door.

Fuckity fuck. Fuck.

I close my eyes.

This isn’t a good thing.

Yet I can’t help standing and opening the door.

Sure enough, Seb is there, a determined look on his face.

9

Seb

“You didn’t even bother to ask me if I wanted a threesome,” are words I never thought would come out of my mouth, but it appears that’s exactly what I’ve just said.

Because tonight I’ve had to watch Marcus flirt with and kiss someone else, then I watched him speak on my behalf, like I can’t speak for myself.