“Hey.” Sebastian rocks back on his heels, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he stares back at me, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
I swear I feel like I’ve entered some alternate reality.
There’s no way Sebastian Baxter is standing on my front porch right now. And yet, here he is—right in front of me—looking so handsome in his dark jeans and gray tee, his hair pushed back haphazardly like he’s run his hands through it several times throughout the day.
He’s so good looking it should be a sin. No one should be this sexy. And yet he is. Every inch of him is perfection and I hate that with just a smile, my heart beats a little harder.
“Hey.” I don’t try to hide my confusion over his unexpected visit. “What are you doing here, Sebastian?”
“I wanted to see you.” He shrugs, a smirk playing on the corner of his mouth.
I swear if I could bottle up this moment and keep it forever I would. God, what is he doing to me right now?
“How did you even know where I lived?” The moment the question leaves my lips I know the answer.
“Courtney,” we both say in unison, his smirk turning into a full smile.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I’m suddenly painfully aware of how ridiculous I probably look.
As if he can somehow read my mind, he adds, “Cute pajamas.”
I nervously fidget with the bottom of my tank, thanking the heavens that I had enough forethought to put on a bra.
“I wasn’t expecting company,” I finally manage to squeak out.
“Well, now that you have it are you going to invite me in?”
Could he be any surer of himself? His confidence oozes from every orifice of his body, and I desperately want to soak it in—know what it’s like to feel that good in your own skin.
“I’m still trying to decide.” I eye him warily.
“Anything I can do to sway your decision?” He steps forward, his tall frame now towering over me.
I wish I could say that I’m immune to his charms, that the nearness of his body doesn’t stir something deep inside of me—a wanting I didn’t even know I could feel, but that wouldn’t be the truth.
“I-uh my mom’s not home. I don’t think she’d approve of you being here.” I regret it the moment I say it.
Stupid, Tess. Seriously. You’re mom’s not home. That’s the best you got?
“I’ll be good.” He tips my chin up with the back of his hand so that I’m looking up at him. “You can trust me,” he offers with a humored grin.
“It’s not you I’m worried about,” I mumble under my breath a little too loudly, realizing my mistake almost instantly.
His eyes sparkle with humor, but he chooses not to address the statement we both know he heard. Instead, he slides past me into the house, giving me no choice but to follow him inside.
“When does your mom get home?” he asks, looking around the small space that equates to about one sixteenth of his house.
“Not until morning,” I say, feeling like he already knew the answer to that long before he got here—especially if Courtney had anything to do with it.
I make a mental note to give her a piece of my mind later. I can’t believe she would send Sebastian here and not even give me a heads up. Some friend.
“Popcorn?” Sebastian inhales, turning in the foyer to face me.
“I was getting ready to watch a movie.”
“Perfect.” He kicks off his shoes, sliding them against the wall with his foot.
“What are you doing?” I can’t keep the smile from my voice.
“Getting comfy,” he says like it should be obvious. “What movie are we watching?”
“We?” I choke out.
“Yes, we. I’m here, aren’t I? I think that means I’m joining you.” He turns, heading into the living room without waiting for me to respond.
Unlike Sebastian’s house, he doesn’t have to go far to find the room he’s looking for. The living room sits right off the foyer and given the paused movie on the screen and the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, it’s pretty obvious where I was planning to watch said movie.
Flopping down where I was sitting just moments earlier, he stretches his arm along the back of the couch and throws me a wide grin when I stop in the doorway.
“Are you just gonna stand there checking me out all night, or are we gonna watch a movie already?” he teases, patting the cushion next to him.
“Do you always show up uninvited and just make yourself at home?” I ask as he props his feet up on the coffee table, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
He thinks on that for a moment, humor etched in his features.
“Yep.” He finally concedes, patting the couch again.
I laugh, I can’t help it. He’s so damn endearing. Shaking my head, I cross the room, taking the seat on the opposite end of the couch.
“You know,” he leans forward and snags the popcorn. “If you sit all the way over there you can’t reach this.” He shakes the bowl before setting it in his lap.
I let out a frustrated sigh and then scoot closer, secretly dying to get as close to him as I can. Not that I would ever admit it out loud.
Taking the middle cushion, I pull my legs up, tucking them underneath myself. “Happy?” I roll my eyes, leaning forward to grab the remote.
“Very.” He smiles at me, his eyes holding my gaze for a long moment before he grabs a handful of popcorn and shoves it into his mouth.
“You’re something else.” I try to keep the smile off my face but fail miserably.
“I do my best.” He smiles around a full mouth.
I don’t know what to do, what to say, how to act. I’m such a ball of nervous energy that I feel like I might bounce out of my seat at any moment.
“Are you going to hit play on that?” he questions, his eyes darting between me and the remote.
“I’m working on it,” I huff, embarrassed that he seems to know just how distracted he’s making me.
“Well work faster,” he teases, nodding in approval when I finally manage to get my fingers to work and the movie kicks on.
I wish I could say I calmed down, that eventually I settled in and lost myself in the movie, but I didn’t. Not even a little bit. I couldn’t focus on anything except Sebastian. How he laughed next to me. How about halfway into the movie, after the popcorn was pretty much gone, his hand found its way to mine and didn’t leave it for the next hour—the pad of his thumb tracing circles along the back of my hand. How I kept feeling his eyes on the side of my face instead of on the television screen where they should have been.
I’ve never watched a movie before and had no idea what actually happened by the end of it. It’s Sebastian. He’s intoxicating and distracting and demands to be the center of attention no matter what’s going on. And he doesn’t even have to try—it’s just him.
“I gotta admit, I didn’t peg you as a Kevin Hart fan.” He finally breaks the silence just as the end credits start to roll.
“Why?” I ask, stretching—my pretty obvious play off at pulling my hand away.
“You just seem, I don’t know, kind of serious.” He shrugs.
“I do?” I question, wondering what kind of impression I’m giving him here.
“A little, yeah.” He chuckles, clearly amused by my reaction to his statement.
“Well, I’m not,” I blurt defensively.
“No?” He smiles, shifting his body toward me.
“I mean, okay, I’m a little serious.” I sigh. “But not to the point that I don’t know how to laugh or have a good time. I’m just serious when I need to be.”
“And right now is one of those times?” he challenges.
“What?” I can’t keep the defensiveness out of my voice.
Is this why he came here—to make me feel worse about myself than I already do?
“See—there,” he points out, that damn grin firmly placed on his handsome face. “You’re so easy to rile up.”
“I am not,” I huff, even though I know he’s right.
“You’re adorable.” His comment isn’t patronizing the way I expect it to be; in fact, the way he says it coupled with the way he’s looking at me reads quite the opposite.
My heart beats against my ribs like a sledgehammer.
“I am?” I don’t know why the question leaves my lips. I wish I could take it back, stuff it away, but then Sebastian nods slowly, his tongue darting out to trace along his bottom lip.
I’m fascinated by the action, my eyes glued to his mouth, wondering what his lips would feel like pressed against mine.
He laughs lightly which causes a deep blush to flood my face. Something about his expression tells me he knows exactly where my mind has gone, and it’s both frustrating and sexy.
“You’re more than just adorable, Tess.” He reaches out, sliding his fingers across my jaw. “And what makes you even more beautiful is that you have no idea just how breathtaking you are.” My breath catches when his thumb crosses my bottom lip.
I swear my stomach is a mass of butterflies and something else that I’m not quite sure I’ve ever felt before. I squeeze my legs together, trying to dull the unfamiliar ache I feel.
“I-I’m not like those other girls, Sebastian,” I blurt nervously.
“And what other girls would you be referring to?” he asks, his gaze locked on mine.
“The kind that sleep with you.” It takes everything in me to force it out. “If you think you can come over here and sweet talk your way into my pants, you’re wrong. It takes a lot more than that to win me over.”
“I think that might be the point.” His comment surprises me, but I’m too far gone to respond.
I can feel him inching toward me, his hazel eyes dark. I swear everything stands still as I wait. And I wait. And I wait. He stops so close to my face I can feel the heat of his breath on my cheek.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Tess,” he whispers, not moving an inch.
It takes me a moment to realize he’s waiting for me to say yes.
“Okay.” It’s less than a whisper and then his lips are on mine. Hot and firm, pressing against me so gently I almost whimper.
This is not what I expected at all. Not from someone like Sebastian. When he opens his mouth, tracing his tongue across the seam of my lips, I immediately open to him. His tongue darts out, seeking mine and he groans deep into my mouth when he finds it.
The ache in my lower belly explodes into an inferno, my breathing ragged and less controlled the deeper the kiss goes.
I feel like I’m at a tipping point—my feet are hanging off the edge and only a very thin string is holding me in place, keeping me from tumbling over the side. But I want to jump. I want to spread my arms and dive into the unknown. And I want it with Sebastian.
“Tess.” He’s the first to break the kiss, my name a strangled groan from his lips before he pulls back completely.
Like being doused in cold water, my actions suddenly become clear, and embarrassment becomes the most prominent feeling I have.
“I’m sorry.” I hold my hand over my lips that now feel so different somehow.
“Don’t do that.” He gently pulls my hand away. “Don’t kiss me like that and then apologize afterward. I want you to mean it. God…” He pulls me back to him. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me, Tessa Wilson, but I want you to keep doing it.” He kisses me again, this time a small peck, followed by another and then another, before pulling back again.
“Fuck.” He looks at me for another long moment and then pushes to his feet. “I should probably go.”
“Wait, why?” I question, his abrupt movement catching me off guard.
“Because, Tess.” He lets out a long exhale and then turns, looking down at me. “You said it yourself—you’re not like the other girls. And I like that about you. But I’m also a guy, and right now I want nothing more than to take you to your bedroom and do really bad things to you.”
“Like what?” I push to my feet, not sure where in the hell my words are coming from.
“Things you’re not ready for, let’s leave it at that.”
I want to challenge him. Ask him how he knows I’m not ready, but deep down I know he’s right. It’s easy to get lost in the excitement and the thrill of it all, but as the rational part of me slowly returns, so does my voice of reason.
Sebastian kisses the top of my head and then takes off into the foyer, stopping to slip on his shoes. I walk him to the door, not really sure what to say or what to do.
“Thanks for tonight, Tess. I needed this.” He pulls me against his chest, my arms going around his taut frame.
I close my eyes and inhale deeply, having never smelled anyone who smells quite like Sebastian. Unlike Dylan, Sebastian is more man than boy, and his scent reflects that—musky and masculine.
“Me, too,” I admit, having not realized how much until this very moment.
“Can I call you tomorrow?” he asks, pulling back to look down at me.
“I’d like that,” I answer truthfully.
The smile I get in return nearly takes my breath away. My god, he’s even more handsome than I realized before. It’s one thing to check Sebastian out from a distance, it’s quite another to be so up close and personal with him.
It’s almost inconceivable that a guy like this would ever waste his time on a girl like me and yet, here he is. Looking at me like I’m all he sees, and here I am feeling like I’m seconds away from melting into a puddle at his feet.