CHAPTER SIX
The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. – Oscar Wilde
This was ridiculous.
Being in a place of worship and peace was supposed to be all about putting your own needs and wants aside and seeking words of wisdom to enlighten you, a sense of well-being to help you move forward, and an inner joy to help you see the positivity of everything. It was all about finding yourself, which was what her uncle had told her she needed more than anything before she returned to the city.
Instead of doing that, here she was, unable to take her eyes off a certain pastor.
She was trying, she really was. The truth was, Lily was a bit reluctant to attend the session today, but her uncle had invited her, telling her he would check in with her after since he had been too busy the past few days to do so. She didn’t want to say no to him, which was why she was early and had managed to chat with some people before they all went inside to start.
Sebastian greeted everyone in his deep voice and politely told everyone that he hoped they were having a good day so far. He was wearing glasses along with khaki pants and a plaid shirt, which should have made him look unattractive; instead, it only accentuated his long, lean body and those green eyes. She may have heard some women sigh dreamily as he started, and would have laughed if not for the even deeper reaction inside her.
He began discussing the importance of respect and equality, and she listened. Then he began walking, and she found herself getting distracted by the smallest things. There was the sweep of his hair when he moved, which he absently tried to sweep back with his free hand. There was also the way his pants shifted when he walked, but she did her best not to let her eyes stray there, because hello—that was perversion zone.
Then there were his hands. He used them often when he gestured or wanted to make a point, and she couldn’t help but notice how long his fingers were and how large his palms looked in general. She also couldn’t help but think how those big hands would sweep all over her skin, singeing her with his touch before she could stop herself. Or him.
A drop of sweat trickled down her neck, and she absently wiped it with a handkerchief. The heat was unbearable today, but it couldn’t compare to the heat building up inside her body, as slow as simmering water.
Sebastian passed by her aisle, and she looked down.
“Respect begets respect. It is the most beautiful form of praise for someone, and it is quite sexy, if I do say so myself.”
She looked up, and their eyes met. Lily held in a breath until he kept walking and the contact was broken, and she shifted in her seat as the heat inside her spread down below her stomach in unmentionable places. His words felt intimate, and while she told herself it didn’t make any sense, it felt like a promise.
When the session ended, instead of mingling, Lily did her best to say goodbye, but not before finding time to speak with her uncle.
Then she flew out the door and didn’t look back, afraid her feelings would show.
*****
This was beyond ridiculous.
She could have sworn she had gotten the hang of car maintenance, or at least the basics of it. Hadn’t she spent an entire day just reading up on that and finishing two books in a row? She did the recommended daily check, finding nothing wrong and confident that she would be able to keep using her car for a few more weeks without investing in a professional mechanic to fix things up permanently.
Of all the things she had been so religiously checking, she never thought to check her gasoline.
And she didn’t keep any extra in her trunk.
Lily cursed inside her car, then promptly shut her mouth when she realized how her uncle would lecture her for doing so, and for not keeping a cool head. With a sigh, she thought things over for a few minutes inside before finally deciding to go outside and walk a bit, hoping she would spot a Good Samaritan. She was halfway crossing the fields when the clouds gathered swiftly and blocked out the sun. Then the rain started to fall, and it was suddenly too late to run for the car as it poured like mad.
No wonder it was so hot lately; the rain was just biding its time.
Drenched and miserable, Lily glared at the sky and shivered in her clothes, trudging back to her car with the intention of calling her uncle. It was a good thing she had finally taken his number. She really didn’t want to ask for help and wanted to keep up her independence thing, but there were just some situations that couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t like she could do a marathon towards her house, which was still a few kilometres away.
Just as she was reaching her car, headlights caught her attention. Lily squinted her eyes at the vehicle headed her direction, celebrating her good luck.
Then she recognized the black vehicle’s form and plate number, and realized bad luck was trying to tempt her today.
*****
Sebastian was prepared, as always, and he didn’t hesitate to climb out of the car and pour some of his spare gas into her tank. Then he insisted on following her home as usual, just to make sure she arrived there safe and sound. She felt guilty as hell for he was as drenched as she was, though she doubted the term drowned rat was appropriate for him. She invited him again for dinner inside, this time insisting because she felt she owed him for all the things he had done for her without asking for anything in return.
Because it was a full-on dinner this time, she expected him to refuse now—but like he did all those other times, he surprised her again by accepting.
They ran for the front porch and she hurried to get inside, the cold now penetrating her bones and making her tremble. Sebastian took notice.
“You’re chilled, Lily. You should get changed.”
She gave his clothes a pointed look, to which he eyed her in amusement. The plaid shirt he was wearing was now molded against him, and his brown hair fell flat on his face. He tried to sweep it back, but all that did was drip water all over her floor, to which he looked sheepish and she waved with laughter.
“Stay there. I’ll go get changed and I’ll get you some towels and extra clothes. I’m so wet.”
Green eyes drifted down to her feet, focusing for a few minutes on her knees and carefully skipping her aroused parts before reaching her face. It only served to arouse her further, and her mouth went dry as their eyes met.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Go get dressed.”
There was nothing wrong with what he said, but her mind suddenly supplied her with images of him ordering her to do the exact opposite of getting dressed. Flushing, she dashed for her room and took the quickest shower of her life before putting on loose clothes and frantically looking around for anything men-related for him. She found her uncle’s old shirt and sweatpants, got some towels, and went back to hand it over to him, already worried that he might catch pneumonia or semething from taking too long to get re-dressed. As Lily reached the door to the living room, she opened her mouth to begin a joke about how her uncle’s wrinkled clothes were the only ones she could find that fit him—and hey, at least they would look loose on him.
The words halted in her throat, didn’t bother coming out as her eyes took in the sight.
Sebastian—Pastor Seb—had already removed his shirt—or rather, was in the process of doing so when she stepped out, his back turned to her. It was a fast movement, but it might as well have been in slow motion with how her brain was processing it. He shook his head, and droplets slid down his back. He reached behind, as if to wipe them off, and the movement caused the muscles on his back to tense and his biceps to appear. Erotic images entered her mind, and she froze altogether.
She must have made a sound—a squeak or a groan or something—because he suddenly turned around and eyed her. A charged moment linked them, lasting seconds that felt like forever.
Then his gaze went to the items she had in hand, and the spell was broken.
Inwardly shaking her head, Lily continued stepping forward and offered the clothes and towel, smiling and pretending the moment didn’t happen.
“Here. Hope they fit you,” she said lightly. “The bathroom’s that way. Feel free to roam around. You might find some hidden closets or secret passages.”
“Sounds lovely,” he replied with a straight face. A hint of a smile threatened, but he didn’t let it out.
The sound of the rain surrounded them, hard and unrelenting. It would be awful to ask him to go, and the only polite choice was to ask him to stay and wait until the rain let up.
It looked like they were stuck together, whether they liked it or not.
Lily winked. Then she headed to the kitchen and didn’t let him see her shaking hands as she got started on her cooking.