Chapter 43

“God, you’re sexy.”

Sebastian would’ve expected the comment to come from Naomi, but instead the source of the unfiltered compliment was a tall, fiery redhead in ripped jeans and heels Naomi identified as Corinne.

“Thank you?” he said with a glance in Naomi’s direction. A shrug was her only reply.

“Really. The picture I saw doesn’t do you justice, and I only saw you that one time at yoga and it was from a distance because Naomi was being all territorial and didn’t want me near you.”

“That’s not even remotely true,” Naomi argued.

But Corinne was not to be deterred. “I should’ve made her introduce me. Then maybe I wouldn’t be standing here rambling while I picture you without a shirt. Why don’t you go to yoga anymore, by the way?”

“I have. I just found a studio that has more evening hours. Seems to be better for me if my muscles are already warmed up.”

“I’m sure your muscles are good all the time.”

This time Naomi elbowed her friend, forcing her to unclasp her hand from Sebastian’s. “That’s enough hitting on him for one night.”

Corinne looked genuinely upset. “How will I occupy myself for the next few hours?”

“Bowling?” Naomi said, gesturing to the nearby lanes.

“But I hate bowling.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have come,” Sabrina interjected.

Corinne looked as if even the mention of her missing out on the evening was appalling.

Sabrina took advantage of Corinne’s gobsmacked silence to say hello to Sebastian.

“It’s good to see you,” Sebastian replied. “Enjoying your break?”

“Yeah, it’s been nice to relax a bit and unwind. How about you? Done any…frolicking over break?”

Sebastian felt his eyes narrow in confusion. These women were…strange. Yet he had to admit, there were also amusing as hell. “I can’t say that I have.”

“That’s a shame,” Sabrina said as if she were truly grieving this fact.

“Come on,” Addison said, grabbing Corinne and Sabrina by the biceps and pulling them away. “Let’s go get some balls before Sebastian files a sexual harassment suit against you two.”

“You’re the one talking about finding balls. Besides, you’re a lawyer,” Corinne said.

“Right,” Addison said. “But I’m not your lawyer.”

“Not yet,” Corinne corrected her.

“We’ll be back,” Addison told Sebastian, Mark, and Naomi.

Once they’d left, Naomi leaned up on the toes of the bowling shoes she’d just put on so she could give him a quick kiss. “Sorry about…them,” she said once she was down on flat ground again.

“It’s fine,” Sebastian said with a smile. “They’re funny.”

“That’s one way to describe them.” When Sebastian began to set up the computer for their game, Naomi’s attention shifted to Mark.

“It’s great to finally meet you. Sebastian’s told me a lot about you,” she said.

Had he? If he did, he had no recollection of it. He’d mentioned Mark was coming to visit for a few days, and Mark was a friend from college, and maybe that his wife and kids were staying home. But beyond that, he didn’t remember speaking about him.

Mark laughed before telling her she should only believe about 20 percent of whatever Sebastian had told her.

Soon after, Addison and Sabrina returned with two of the lightest balls the place probably made available to adults. “Where’s yours?” Naomi asked Corinne.

“I’ve decided I’d make a better cheerleader than participant.”

“She got one look at the shoes and backed out,” Sabrina called over her shoulder as she set her bowling ball down.

“I have no interest in contracting a foot disease this evening, thank you very much.”

Naomi rolled her eyes at her friend as Mark and Sebastian excused themselves to go get some balls for themselves. He asked Naomi if she wanted to come with them, but she decided just to use one of the balls that Sabrina and Addison had gotten. When they returned, Naomi excitedly announced that they’d decided they should do “girls versus boys.”

“Seriously?” Sebastian asked.

Naomi scoffed. “Yup. We already changed the computer.”

Sebastian looked up at the screen and then back to Naomi, raising an eyebrow. This could be fun. “Mark and I used to play all the time in college. We were in a league for a little while.”

“We can handle you,” she said with a nod over her shoulder at Addison and Sabrina.

Sebastian squared himself to Naomi and crossed his arms. “You and your eight-pound balls?” he asked, immediately realizing his poor choice in words. He spit out a “Let’s just play” over the sound of Naomi’s laughter.

The guys went easy on them for the first few frames, but by the fifth, Sebastian and Mark were up by over thirty points. “Do you want me to ask them to put the bumper guards down?” Sebastian said once Naomi was lined up for her shot.

“Stop trying to distract me. I’m warming up.” She brought her arm back and then forward, releasing the ball smoothly but with no clear direction. Like she’d done with her other shots, she tried to wave the ball toward the center of the lane. It struck the farthest two pins on the right before falling to the side to be scooped up by the machine.

“It’s okay, Naomi. You got the next one,” Addison called.

“I think your talents begin and end at poetry,” Sebastian said.

Naomi took the other ball and positioned it on her hand before turning around to face him. She bit her lip and said, “You know damn well I have other talents.” Then she spun around, her hair flipping over her shoulder as she strutted up to the lane.

His dick twitched in his pants at the whole display. He’d have to make her pay for that one later.

Naomi managed to knock down three more pins for a total of five, and Sebastian couldn’t help but smile as he watched her celebrate with her friends: high-fiving, clapping, jumping up and down, and woohooing. She genuinely seemed to be having a good time. Which was a relief, since she hadn’t seemed so sure when Sebastian had suggested they meet up to go bowling after he had dinner on his own with Mark.

When Mark stood to take his turn, Sebastian grabbed Naomi by the hand and pulled her onto his lap to give her a quick kiss. It was innocent and goofy and spontaneous, and he was immediately happy he’d done it. Normally, he wasn’t one for public displays of affection, but tonight he felt almost giddy. He had his best friend here, and Naomi was having a great time. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this content. Not with his current life anyway.

Mark took one look at the two of them when he returned to the bench and made a sound of disgust, though his smile betrayed his true thoughts. “You don’t expect me to sit next to this, do you?”

Sebastian shrugged. “You can sit wherever you want.”

“We’re cute,” Naomi said. “Who wouldn’t want to sit next to us?”

Mark’s hand shot up (as did Sabrina’s, Corrine’s, and Addison’s) before he took a seat at the end of the row of connecting orange plastic chairs.

Naomi didn’t move from Sebastian’s lap until it was his turn. But as the next few frames passed, he realized he cared less about winning and more about putting his arm around Naomi or touching her thigh or gently rubbing her arm as she snuggled into him. It was the first time they’d been in public and behaved like a besotted couple. The realization both thrilled and terrified him.

The group decided to skip a second game, and the girls mentioned going to a bar up the street for a drink before heading home.

“You going, Seb?” Mark asked.

“Seb?” Naomi said, more amused than he expected her to be at the nickname.

“He knows I can’t stand it,” Sebastian explained.

“It’s cute.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes good-naturedly and then told Mark he was up for whatever. Then he looked to Naomi to see what she wanted to do.

“Sure, let’s go.” She finished putting on her own shoes and grabbed the bowling shoes to return with Sabrina and Addison.

“We’ll meet you guys up there,” Sebastian said, nodding toward the main doors. “Mark and I will put the balls back.”

“Okay,” Naomi said before walking off with her friends.

The guys returned their shoes and then went back to their lane to get the bowling balls. “You like her, don’t you?”

“Obviously,” Sebastian said, thinking that the question was a pretty dumb one. “You wouldn’t even sit near us because we were all over each other.”

“It wasn’t just that. It’s in your eyes…the way you look at her or something.”

“That’s deep,” Sebastian joked.

“Shut up. I’m trying to be serious for a minute. I mean it. I haven’t seen you like this since…” Mark let the sentence remain unfinished, the end not only unnecessary but also unwanted. And Sebastian was sure Mark knew that. His friend looked at him as he lifted the last ball onto the rack. “It’s just good to see you happy again,” he said. “You deserve it.”

Sebastian agreed. At least with part of it. It was good to feel happy again. He just wasn’t sure he deserved it.