Page 56

“Then tell me.”

“I want you. I want to be with you. But if being Sparrow’s daddy is all you’ll let me have, I’ll take it. I’m not going anywhere.”

I looked down at my hands. I’d wanted him to say it, and hearing it still frightened me. “You didn’t look like a man who wanted me last night.”

“Wren. I could barely sit still.”

He let go of the counter and flexed his fingers. I’d seen that tension in him last night, even from the stage. I’d thought he was holding himself back from beating the shit out of every man who looked at me. I hadn’t realized he was holding back everything.

“I smiled at you from the stage. I’ve never done that for anyone else.” I looked up. “You raised your glass.”

I’d waited through the next turn for him to smile back. By the time I looked his way again, I felt foolish for trying.

“I thought you were checking whether I was all right.”

“I was flirting with you.”

“Fuck.” He rubbed a hand over his face.

“I wanted to see that you were enjoying yourself. Instead you looked like you were at a business meeting.”

“I was trying not to make your night about me.”

He stayed by the kettle. I wanted him to come over and take the chair opposite me. I wanted him to decide that for himself.

“You made rules, didn’t you?”

He glanced at the kettle. “A few.”

“How many?”

“Six. Seven if you count the one about not counting.”

I couldn’t help laughing. Then I thought about him spending all afternoon making seven rules because I’d invited him to watch me dance, and the laugh died.

“That man said my name, and you turned toward him and gave him the Venom stare.”

“He said more than your name.”

“I didn’t hear him over the music but I saw your face.”

Seb’s jaw tightened.

“You understood why him saying my name mattered. Then you got into Dion’s car and apologized to me for it.”

“I didn’t want to bring trouble to your work.”

“You didn’t. That’s the point.” I leaned forward. “I wanted you to watch me, Seb. I didn’t ask you to stop noticing the rest of the room.”

The kettle clicked off. Neither of us moved.

“I don’t want you to change who you are,” I said.

He gave me a look. “You sure about that?”

“I didn’t like the Seb who was cruel to me that night. I liked the man I was with for two and a half years.”

“Cruel to you.” He let out a breath. “That’s what we’re calling it?”