“Hey, Seb.” Clover offered him a sweet smile, and he returned it to the younger girl.
“How’s school, kiddo?”
“Ugh, I can’t wait for school break.”
“I bet.” He said and then turned to Sunny. “Come with me for a minute.”
“Why?”
He didn’t respond; he hauled her up, holding her hand as they went outside. He didn’t expect Sunny to pull away, glare at him, and point a finger at his chest.
“Shouldn’t you be back in there with miss ample tits?”
It was the wrong thing to burst out laughing because Sunny’s scowl deepened.
“I already warned her what would happen if she spoke to you like that again.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t do me any favors with your girlfriend.”
Seb’s eyebrows shot high. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
Sunny waved a dismissive hand. “Bed warmer then. I don’t care what that woman says. She’s nothing to me. I’m Teflon.”
She was the least Teflon person he knew, with her sweet little heart. Seb cupped the side of Sunny’s face.
“Of all the women to spend time with, you chose one with a viper’s tongue and a nasty heart. She’s pretty, Seb, but her soul is like a swamp. I expected better from you,” she accused. Her pointed little chin was held high; only the wobble of her lower lip gave away her true thoughts. As usual, being around her made his heart grow softer.
“Don’t know who you’ve been listening to, but I’ve never touched Sinner,” he shared. He held nothing back from Sunny. It just wasn’t their way. He watched her eyes widen.
“For real?”
“Yeah.”
“Ha. Good. I hope it’s chapped her pert ass that she can’t get you so easily. If I were you, I wouldn’t sleep with her.”
Seb chuckled and rubbed a thumb on her smooth cheek.
“Fine, I won’t.” he’d never planned on it, not with Sinner or any other woman. He could tell her it had been years since he’d last touched anyone intimately or wanted to. And even then, it had been so infrequent that he couldn’t be classed as a player like his club brothers were. It had felt so wrong, like he was cheating on an invisible wifesomewhere. His libido worked fine, but his sex life hadn’t been at the forefront of Seb’s mind.
And last year, the truth had punched him in the face all because of the scowling girl in front of him.
With a sliver of decency left in him, Seb had vowed to wait until Sunny was twenty-one to act on his new feelings.
But the brat never made things easy, and with every flirtatious bat of her lashes, she tested his resolve to the fucking limits.
“Celibate is the new pink.” She said like she thought he understood her sayings. “We can be celibate together, Seb.” She offered with a bright smile, and he turned granite hard in his jeans, so much so he had to set her away from his body, or she would have felt what her words had done to him.
Mashing his back teeth, he tried to remain calm with the sheer will of his ancestors. It was cold out, but he felt sweat dot his forehead.
He’d eliminate anyone getting close to Sunny. Had he found out she was interested in another man, he would have handled it personally. Seb already figured out she wasn’t interested in any guys from around here, and when she talked about celibacy, he started getting some dirty thoughts on how to change her mind.
When she turned her smiling face up at him, his thoughts descended into madness, guessing how much of an earthquake it would be to kiss those full lips. It was then, when she shifted closer, that he caught the hint of alcohol on her breath, and it was Seb’s turn to scowl.
“Have you been drinking?”
She held up a finger and thumb an inch apart. “I had one little sip of Tanner’s beer. I’m a big girl now, if you haven’t noticed.”
He’d noticed too much.
