‘Bingo.’
‘I bloody love Harry.’
Jess laughed and fiddled with her ring, a soft, wistful expression floating over her perfect features for a moment. ‘Me too.’ And then they cleared. ‘Now we just have to get you sorted.’
‘Excuse me, I do not need “sorting”!’
‘Oh, honey, I think we both know you’re in need of a damn good sorting!’ she said, letting out her filthiest laugh.
‘OK. I’m hanging up now.’
19
My flat suddenly seemed a lot smaller with Seb Marshall stood in it. I’d always known it was kind of tiny, but it was all I could afford at the time after the split with my ex, and it had been fine, even when I had Jess round. But Seb was a lot bigger than Jess and he definitely filled the space a lot more. Or maybe it was just that there suddenly seemed a little less room to breathe…
‘You look nice,’ groaning to myself at the lameness of my comment, I took his coat and hung it on the peg in my tiny hallway.
‘Thanks.’ He gave a little self-deprecating glance and then paused. I could practically see the cogs in his head going round as he searched for the right thing to say.
‘It’s a new look I’m trying out,’ I said.
‘Oh! Right,’ he smiled, nodding at the same time as his eyes quickly scanned the rats’ nest of pigtails currently kirby gripped to my skull. ‘Cool!’ he added, crooked smile fixed in place. This was the real giveaway. I’m not sure I had ever heard Seb say ‘Cool’ before and the look of awkwardness that flashed briefly on his face showed it sounded as odd to his own ears as it had to mine.
‘Cool?’ I couldn’t resist.
The grin widened. He knew he was caught.
‘Don’t worry,’ I said, waving him through to the living room. ‘I’m taking them out in a minute. You were just a little earlier than I expected so you got the full effect of my pre-presentable self. Sorry about that.’
‘You always look presentable. More than presentable.’
‘I spend half my life in pyjamas!’ I laughed, as I watched Humphrey stretch and jump down from the sofa, before toddling over to investigate the new human in our midst.
‘Yes, true. But they’re nice pyjamas. From what I’ve seen.’ Seb laughed, bending over to fuss with Humphrey, who, in his excitement, stood on his back legs and placed his front paws against Seb’s leg.
‘Oh, Humphrey, no. Get down!’ I made to crouch and scoot my pup away, but Seb caught my arm.
‘He’s fine. Two tiny little paws leaning against me aren’t going to do any damage.’
I flicked my gaze up hesitantly before glancing away again. ‘I know. I mean, I don’t, but I just didn’t want him damaging anything accidentally and…’ I stopped as Seb’s hand gently tucked under my chin, encouraging me to turn back and face him.
He waited, letting me adjust my position myself, not forcing, just following, his finger resting beneath my chin, the touch itself soft, but the skin having the slightest hint of roughness. And then I was looking directly into those chocolatey brown eyes, long-lashed with a frown line set between them.
‘Stop overthinking.’
Right now, that definitely wasn’t a problem. Thinking in any capacity was actually proving to be a bit of a job, if I was honest.
‘OK?’ he prompted.
‘Ummhmm.’
He let his hand drop but didn’t step back. ‘You won’t break me, Lottie. I’m big enough to look after myself.’
I felt my chest rise as I tried to suck in more air and push out the thought that had just zipped its way in while I was momentarily distracted by Seb’s touch, and his closeness. A thought that sent heat in some directions, and panic in others.
‘I know.’
‘Then you know you don’t need to fuss over me.’
