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He smiles lopsidedly at me. “That’s what she said.”
I laugh softly at his childish joke. It is good to see him laughing; it means today was a success. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
“I don’t need to tell myself anything. You know better than anyone that if there’s a will, there’s a way,” he reminds me with a smug look, and I feel my face grow warm.
“Bash?”
“Yeah?” he asks, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he sits on the edge of the bed.
“If there’s a will, then youwillabsolutely find awayto fit your happy ass on that couch by the time I’m done showering.” I wink at him playfully as Bash grins beautifully at me.
We stopped at a surf shop next door to grab clothes tonight. I should have thought before tossing all my clothes in the sand earlier, but I was so excited to get in the water. The anticipation of the three-hour drive almost drove me crazy. Almost exactly like the anticipation of spending a night in a hotel with Sebastian could kill me.
Showering will help me clear my head.
I probably shouldn’t have kissed him, but I couldn’t help it. It’s a miracle I didn’t kiss him earlier in the day. Hearing Sebastian say that I was the one he loved unconditionally simply took away all my self-control.
Stepping under the warm spray of water, I cringe at the thought of using hotel shampoo and conditioner, but it’s better than leaving the saltwater in my hair. I lather the shampoo in my hands as memories of Sebastian replay in my mind.
I never had a shot in hell of forgetting him; he’s as much a part of me as my camera is.
We’re playing with fire. I’m shocked we made it through the day with no one recognizing Sebastian until we were at the food truck tonight. I’m afraid of what could happen when I step outside the bathroom because I have little faith in my self-control to keep me away from Bash.
I shut the water off, drying my body quickly with the towels, cringing at how dry my face feels without moisturizer, but this is what I get for planning a trip to the beach without planning to stay the night. Hanging my swimsuit in the shower, I pull my new very oversized shirt on as it hits mid-thigh. In a little bit, I’ll grab the bottoms once they’re more dry since I don’t have underwear.
My cheeks are red from being in the sun all day, and my hair is a wet mess, tickling my shoulders. The thing that immediately draws my attention as I look in the mirror is that the happiness has returned to my eyes.
I was happy without Sebastian, but there’s something to be said about unconditional love.
I shake my head, pushing the thoughts to the back of my head. It doesn’t matter tonight. Bash is on the couch, I’m in the bed, and we’re leaving in the morning.
You can do this.
Inhaling deeply, I open the door, stepping into the area. Sebastian’s pacing immediately ceases as his dark eyes meet mine. The room is immediately charged with electricity sparking between us, and I stuff my dirty clothes into the plastic bag my new shirt came in. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” I say, unable to look at Sebastian. If I look at him, I’m not sure I’ll be able to look away. “We can always split thedrive; we’re both night owls. We can be back in Charlotte before we know it.”
“Did you see a snake in the bathroom?” he teases, and I immediately frown.
“Don’t even joke about snakes.” I have a fear of them after Owen brought a black rat snake in the house when we were kids, and I woke up to it curled up in my bed.
He raises an eyebrow, brushing past me to look inside the bathroom as my heart jumps to my throat. “No snake, Lia. It’s almost eleven. Do you have a reason for wanting to leave now when we can go back in the morning?”
I tug at the hem of my shirt as his eyes track the movement, his jaw tensing. No, there’s too much sexual tension. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.
“Forget it,” I grumble, moving toward the bed.
Sebastian catches my wrist, pulling me to him. My breath catches as he gently brushes a knuckle over my cheek as the other slides to settle on my lower back. “No thinking, remember?”
His lips tilt upward into a smile, and I need to put space between us. My restraint is hanging by a thread, and I think Sebastian has thrown caution to the wind. One of us has to remain reasonable.
I swallow, choosing my words carefully. “Thinking might be a good thing right now.”
All my senses are flooded with Sebastian fucking Walker. He moves us backward, bracing an arm over my head. “Thalia, please tell me why you want to go?”
It’s overpowering. Everything about him is overpowering my stupid common sense. I close my eyes because I can’t look anywhere that isn’t him. “Because Idon’t trust myself around you.There. I said it. Are you happy now?”
I can’t see the look on his face, and I’m not sure I want to. Now, Sebastian tilts my chin up, but I refuse to open my eyes. If I really wanted to, I could slip away and hide in the bed.
My heart explodes in my chest when his lips graze against mine for the second time tonight.