“I’m sorry, Sebastian. I know better.” She admitted and watched his steps come to a halt, and then they carried them over to her, where he bent his head until their eyes were level.
“I should have just thrown you into a gym bag and taken you home like that. It would be less of a hassle.” He rasped.
Of all the nerve. Sunny had been feeling bad about her carelessness and how he must have panicked when he found her gone. But now, she jerked her chin up and stared at him.
“No one forced you to be the one to drive here,” she said. “No one said it had to be you.”
“Yes, it did.” He gritted through his teeth, then parked himself on the edge of the bed to put on his boots.
She kept going over his response, and it just made her steam.
“I’m sure someone else would have come. But I’m sorry I’m such a burden,” emotion made those last words warble, and Seb shot his head up to look at her.
“You’re not a burden. Grab your stuff, we’re out of here.”
With his jacket on, he shouldered their bags and checked them out. She followed at his side, silent. She unwrapped the sandwich packages on the road, passing Seb his roast beef and mustard. They ate in silence for a while.
“Don’t do that again,” he said, balling up the napkin. He tossed it into the trash bag, which she placed at her feet when they’d finished eating. The beauty of his serious face was almost unbearable to her at such close range. The sooner they reached home, the better she could surround herself with buffers.
“Don’t buy shit for me,” he clarified, and her eyes widened. She thought he meant her going outside without him. Oh. Well. “I buy whatever you want, Sunshine.”
“It’s just food.” She croaked, resenting how his kindness melted her heart. But would he be saying the same to Harper, Lily, or Valentina?
“Don’t do it again. Take my card if you want to buy shit.”
“Fine,” she said finally, breathless. Remembering all the times he’d paid without question.
A long line of events connected Sunny to Sebastian. The small and the big threaded their lives together intricately.
The miles went by.
Sunny slept through most of it, but was acutely aware of Sebastian and his evocative scent wafting to her nose. It was like she was being tortured with each inhalation.
Answering texts to keep herself busy, she switched to Harper’s thread.
SUNNY: Does your husband know any age-appropriate men?
HARPER: He might, but they’re all in California or criminals. Are you willing to travel for a date?
SUNNY: At this point, yes. The moon isn’t out of the realm.
HARPER: LOL. Are you not coping, then?
SUNNY: He yelled at me, and I liked it.
SUNNY: REALLY LIKED IT.
SUNNY: I need professional help. If we were dating, it totally would have made me maul him.
SUNNY: That’s sick, right?
HARPER: No, that’s lust.
SUNNY: Do me a solid and share a mortifying secret I’m unaware of to lessen my self-pity.
HARPER: LOL. Okay.
HARPER: The biker rally last year. Cain was stalking me, and I gave him a blowjob. Before he left, he beat up several guys for flirting with me.
