Page 78 of Reckless Hearts

“You shouldn’t leave your patio door open. You’ll be invaded by bugs. If you want fresh air, you need to use the screens.” His father instructs Seb, his voice sounding even closer.

I look around for where I can hide, but the small patio contains nothing but a sun lounger.

In a panic, I grab the nearest thing to cover myself—a large flimsy leaf from a nearby plant. It barely covers the essentials.

Seb’s father is at the door now. For a second, he’s too busy fiddling with the screen to notice me.

Then he looks up and freezes, his eyes widening, mouth going slack.

There’s a moment of excruciating silence as we stare at each other, me clutching my pathetic leaf shield, him with his mouth agape.

Finally, he closes his mouth and clears his throat. “Ah, Marcus. I see you’re…embracing the local flora.”

I try for a casual smile, which probably looks more like a grimace. “I always like to get in touch with nature.”

Seb appears behind his dad, his expression one of complete horror.

His dad glances at him, then back at me. “Well,” he says dryly, “Don’t forget to use plenty of sunscreen. Some areas are particularly susceptible to burning.”

My face flames hotter than any sunburn.

“I’ll just…leave you to your…nature appreciation,” he says, turning to go. Then he pauses, looking back with a twinkle in his eye. “But you might want to find a bigger leaf.”

“Here’s the paracetamol for Mum,” Seb blurts, thrusting the packet at him.

“Thanks.” His father takes the packet and disappears out of sight.

I stagger into the villa just in time to hear him call back, “Seb, for everyone’s sake, put aDo Not Disturbsign on your door next time.”

The door clicks shut, leaving Seb and me in stunned silence.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe that just happened.” Seb stumbles back to the bed and flops face down like he’s attempting to suffocate himself with the pillows.

“Hey, you weren’t the one with your junk hanging out,” I say, and Seb starts a laugh that sounds on the verge of hysteria.

He rolls over so he’s facing the ceiling, rubbing vigorously at his temples. “I’m just going to pretend that didn’t happen. I’m trying to summon the TARDIS so I can undo the last five minutes.”

I can’t help chuckling. But then my voice turns serious. “You don’t think he’s going to tell Saskia, do you?”

“No. I’m fairly sure my father is so traumatized that he’ll never want to relive this particular moment,” Seb says. He glances up and sees the look on my face. “But I’ll tell him we need to keep this on the down-low if you think that’s for the best.”

I feel bad forcing Seb to have an excruciatingly awkward conversation with his father. But equally, I don’t want to deal with the fallout of Saskia finding out I’ve hooked up with her brother against her express order.

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Seb has a vulnerable expression, and I find the words falling out of my mouth. “Not that I’m ashamed of…this. We can tell her if you want.”

“No. I don’t want Saskia to know,” he says definitively.

We just stare at each other for a long moment.

Then, Seb starts shimmering out of his boardshorts. “Given we’ve already been caught for the crime, do you think we could actually commit it?”

I can’t help laughing, even as I raise an eyebrow. “Is that the smoothest line you have to seduce me?”

“If you haven’t figured out by now that I’m not exactly the Casanova of smooth lines, then you really haven’t been paying attention,” he replies.

I move closer to the bed, drawn by the gorgeous man now sprawled out naked, waiting for me.