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Ryder.
Bass had never flaunted his tastes, but his best friend knew of them. Knew the kind of man he was and the kind of women he’d been involved with. Knew of his short-term status.
He started his car, needing time and space to think this through.
Chapter Twelve
Penny’s third shot was kicking in as she pounded on Sebastian’s front door. It was late and had been a crappy day, but it was officially midnight, which meant it was the last day of their secret affair. And here in several hours, the rehearsal dinner would start.
This was still her time. She had the whole day left with Sebastian, and she intended on using it. It was her last chance to show him how great they were together. If there was one thing she’d learned these past weeks—and there was a lot—it was that there was no point in being a sex goddess if she ended up with a lukewarm guy she didn’t love.
The whole point to this wasn’t coming out the other side to find a man that was comparable to stale bathwater. The man she wanted was on the other side of the door she was staring down. And he was beyond hot in every way.
She knocked again, and he opened the door in nothing b
ut his boxer-briefs and a sleepy expression.
“What can I do for you?”
“It’s our last twenty-four hours,” she said and stepped inside. “And I want all of them.”
“Have you been drinking?” he asked, shutting and locking the door.
“Yes. But I know what I want, and I’m going for it. I’m fighting for you.” She might have slurred just a little that time. But damn it, she was running out of time.
Watching his brain work through his thoughts tore something in her chest. She’d hoped her coming out and saying how much she wanted him would be what convinced him to make his own declaration, but she could see it in his face now. He was pulling away from her. And she couldn’t take it.
She whispered his name, and then she went in for the one thing she needed—him. She didn’t wait for his approval. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
His skin was warm, and she buried her face in his neck. Then, finally, his strong arms hugged her back, and it was the best feeling she’d ever had.
“It’s been a long day,” she said against his chest, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“I know, darlin’,” he said against her hair.
“Don’t send me away.” All she wanted was to stay, right there in his arms, because for a brief moment, the world, their situation, and everything she’d been fighting seemed so small. She felt safe. Protected. Loved.
He picked her up and carried her to his room. Laying her in his bed, he pulled the covers around them, and her eyes went instantly heavy. It was then she realized that she was reaching out for him for more than just sex. She was reaching out for comfort. Because she trusted him. A fact that made her eyes heavy and sleep take over.
…
He’d asked her to keep her distance, but she’d come anyway. Funny thing, he wasn’t totally upset about that. About the idea that someone like her ran toward him.
He’d been staring at the ceiling for hours. He’d known as soon as she’d declared that she was going to fight to keep him that this had to end. Not after the rehearsal. It had to end today.
His goal had been to put distance between them today. Prepare her for when they had to go back to being friends. But knowing this was the last time he’d see her like this, he couldn’t send her away. Even if it made him a bigger asshole, he needed these final hours with her.
He closed his eyes and rested his face against her hair. The smell of strawberries engulfed him. He’d reason with her as soon as they woke up in the morning. But just as his eyes slid shut, he felt the smallest rustling of the petite woman in his arms.
“Bass?” she said.
“I’m here,” he whispered.
She turned in his arms, her face against his bare chest. They hadn’t done anything sexual, and that somehow made her sleeping next to him more intimate.
“My Sebastian,” she murmured in a sleep-soaked voice. The feel of her lips moving against his skin made his cock instantly hard and his chest hurt.
My Sebastian?
