Page 121 of When We Ignite

“Yeah? Whose home?” Oliver asked, his tone sharper now as he looked at Sebastian, a fry halfway to his mouth.

Sebastian’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond to the bait.

“That’d be great. I have a match in a couple of hours,” I said honestly, hoping to defuse the tension.

Oliver shook his head slightly, muttering under his breath, but said nothing further.

Henry glanced at me and shrugged as I put on my shoes. Sebastian did the same, placing a firm hand on Henry’s shoulder in a quiet goodbye before heading for the door. I followed, nodding once at Oliver on my way out.

I sat beside Sebastian in the car, and he gave me a small, knowing smile as he started the engine.

His hand settled on my knee, warm and familiar. “Thanks for staying over,” he said, his tone soft.

“I told you, it was no problem.” I let my hand slide over his, lacing our fingers together.

“Do you want to come over?” he asked casually as if the answer wasn’t obvious.

“I thought you had work,” I replied, narrowing my eyes.

“I do. But I also need to shower, change...and suck you off,” he added with a wicked grin.

I crinkled my nose and looked away, though I couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped out. “I’m not lying about the match.”

“How serious are you about tennis?”

“I wouldn’t call it serious. I’ve been playing my whole life. But it’s not like a career, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“And this match, can you just blow it off?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “That’s mean, Ash. No, I can’t blow it off. Why?”

He glanced at me, a playful glint in his eye. “I could work from home, spend the day with you, and then we’d still have time before heading to Oli’s for dinner.”

Oh, fuck. “Shit, I forgot about the dinner.”

“You’re staying over, right?”

“Yeah. I’m supposed to,” I muttered, the realization sinking in and leaving me a little crestfallen.

“I have to go to DC tomorrow night,” Sebastian said, his tone dipping slightly. “There’s a ridiculously early meeting on Monday, and I’ll be stuck there for work. Then we fly out for Oli’s bachelor party early Thursday, and I’m not back until maybe next Monday.”

My heart sank. We were running out of time.

“I could call in sick,” I offered hesitantly.

Sebastian’s smile brightened instantly. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll call in sick.” I pulled out my phone and typed out the message, hitting send without overthinking it.

“Perfect. Text Ari and tell her I’m staying home today.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “You want me to send that from my phone?”

He smirked. “Trust me, Ari knows what’s going on between us.”

I shrugged, texting her too.

“And Henny—ask him to drive us to Oli’s. That way, he can swing by mine, pick us up, and we’ll all get there together. Do you want me to stop by yours to grab your things?”