“Can’t we just keep going?” Her brow puckered, thinking of the agony of spending more time with Sebastian within four walls. “I can take over driving if you’re tired.”
“You are not driving.” He said it like she’d offered to fillet a dog.
Her eyebrows jumped up. “Why the hell not?”
“Sunny, I don’t want to end up with fifty speeding tickets through the mail. You have a lead foot.”
Offended, she stuck her nose in the air and huffed. “It’s called economic driving. Look it up, old man.”
She heard his rough-sounding laughing behind her, and the sound felt like a punishment, but she refused to turn around. After exiting the restroom, she proceeded to the counter to settle her bill, at which point a younger man smiled at her.
“I saw you coming in,” he flashed his white teeth with a flirty glint, “Is that your boyfriend?”
“No, he’s like a brother.” She nearly choked on the words, but wasn’t it the truth? Sunny couldn’t think about that day a year ago, or she’d die another thousand humiliated deaths all over again.
“Does that mean I can get your number?” the bold guy asked.
He was cute, but she only smiled politely. “I don’t live here. We’re traveling through.”
“Ah, that’s a pity. You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
She knew she should react to the compliment, but she felt nothing, not a flicker of interest from a cute boy trying to flirt in a non-pushy way.
Before she could gently refuse him, she heard a growl from behind. “Let’s go, Sunshine.” Stormy eyes locked on hers, daring her to ignore his demand. He wasn’t touching her, but he might as well have had a hand closed around her throat for the quickness with which she obeyed.
“Bye,” she told the cashier, and he winked at her. Sebastian glared at the boy as Sunny hurried out of the diner.
“Did you give him your number?” he rasped, and she couldn’t look at him. She didn’t think her feelings for Sebastian would ever fade.
“Yes, we’re going to have phone sex later tonight.” She snapped, heading toward the neon motel, and she wanted to cut her tongue out for her impulsive response.
“It’s number eight.” He gruffed and handed her a key. “I’ll grab our bags.” His fingertips grazed her palm when she opened it for the key, and she swore her vision dimmed a little. Hoping she’d had no outward reaction, she turned her back on Sebastian and heard his heavy footsteps walking away.
Only then did she glance over her shoulder to watch his long leanness as his masculine strides carried him toward his parked truck.
Her heart ached with how much she’d missed him.
It wasn’t only surface level, like how you’d miss a friend if you hadn’t spoken to them in a few weeks. It went deeper than that. To that place, that was solely Sunny and Sebastian’s. That place that had been created the day she was born was somewhere near the soul. She missed him there so much that it was a physical ache she couldn’t outrun.
It hadn’t stopped her from thinking about him.
Or reaching for her phone to share stupid, funny jokes or ask for his advice.
Losing her best friend was awful. However, she needed to move on from Sebastian quickly; otherwise, seeing him with another woman would devastate her. That day was inevitable and could happen at any time.
But if she could get over it, she’d congratulate Sebastian without wanting to shoot the faceless woman through the heart for having someone Sunny considered hers.
Blinking out of the violent thought, she shuddered and realized Seb had stopped at the truck and was looking back at her, almost as if he could sense the direction of her thoughts, with his brows drawn down in a pensive look. She spun to the door, shoving the key card into the electronic lock to open it.
It was a nondescript room, something you’d expect for the pay-by-the-hour type of place. It had two twin beds and a small TV on top of a dresser. The bathroom was clean-smelling, so when Sebastian appeared, she grabbed her bag and went there to catch her breath alone.
She heard the TV switch on, filling the room with blessed noise so she could pee peacefully.
The sight of Sebastian sprawled on the bed arrested Sunny’s heart like she’d been zapped with a cattle prod.
Goodness, he was stunning in only his jeans, a white t-shirt, and an arm slung over his eyes. His chest was rising and falling slowly with each breath.
She smacked herself for overreacting and dumped her bag and coat on the chair.
