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“Think I might still be feeling the whiskey,” I lie, just needing an excuse to cover my blunder.
“Well, considering you drank a third of the bottle last night, that doesn’t surprise me,” he teases, draping an arm over my shoulder and tucking me into his side.
“I think I can manage to walk now,” I reply dryly, making no attempt to step out his embrace.
“Well, I think I’ll keep you close just in case.” He winks down at me, the action causing heat to spread from my face all the way to my toes.
I’m quickly learning why Sebastian Baxter has the reputation he does. You have to have skin made of steel not to feel the effects of him everywhere. There’s something so consuming about him—so raw and sexy. In just one night he’s made my body feels things it never has before, and he’s barely even touched me.
I remain tucked against him as we make the walk through the woods and back toward the house. The proof that a party took place here last night is everywhere. Just in the pool area alone there are enough bottles, cups, and trash to account for most of the student body, and that’s before we even make it inside.
Sebastian releases his hold on me just feet before we reach the back door. I feel the loss of him instantly, but at the same time, I’m thankful for the opportunity to compose my thoughts. It’s hard to breathe, let alone think, with his hard body next to mine and his faint cologne intoxicating my senses.
Just when I reach for the door, I feel Sebastian’s hand on my backside, my phone emerging between his fingers seconds later.
“What are you doing?” I spin in his direction, reaching for my phone.
“Hang on.” He smiles, holding the device out of my reach as his fingers quickly move across the screen. “There,” he adds just seconds later, reaching around me to slide the phone back into my pocket.
I don’t miss the way his fingers linger there for a moment or the tight knot that forms in my lower belly when they do.
For a moment, I almost swear he’s going to kiss me—his eyes locked on mine, his lips in a firm, hard line like he’s trying to fight against himself—but then a sound in the distance breaks the moment, and we both turn toward the disruption.
“Davis, what the fuck, man?” Sebastian starts just seconds before the tall, brawny guy leans over into the bushes and loses his stomach.
“On that note,” he quickly adds, pulling the door open, and ushering me inside. The incident with my phone long forgotten.
If I thought outside was bad, it’s nothing compared to the mess that litters the beautiful interior of the home. Like the pool area, there are bottles, cups, and trash across every surface. A lot of the décor looks misplaced, and most of the couch pillows and cushions are strewn across the floor.
Two girls are fast asleep on one couch, a guy I don’t recognize on the opposite one, and then a handful of people scattered across the floor—all passed out cold.
Sebastian pays no attention to the mess, like it’s an everyday occurrence, and casually leads me around the chaos and into the kitchen. He doesn’t say a word as he crosses toward the refrigerator, retrieving two bottles of water before appearing from behind the massive stainless-steel door.
“Your house. Um, do you want me to stick around and help you clean up?” I ask, taking the bottle of water he extends to me.
“Nah. Sonya will be here in a little bit.” He shrugs, draining over half the contents of his water bottle in one swift pull.
“Sonya?” I question, twisting the cap off my own bottle and taking a sip, the cool liquid instantly soothing my dry throat.
“Housekeeper,” he replies, quickly finishing off the remainder of his water.
“Of course.” I shake my head, suddenly reminded of how very far apart our lives actually are.
It’s fun to pretend that Sebastian would ever be the kind of guy to settle down with a girl like me, but if I’m being honest, that’s all I’ve been doing all night—pretending.
He’s the star quarterback—rich and handsome and well, a bit of a man whore. I’m just me. Plain old Tessa Wilson. I have nothing to offer a guy like Sebastian.
“You okay?” He must sense the shift in the air between us, but I do my best to brush it off.
“Yeah, fine. I should probably find Courtney, though. Her parents think she’s at my house, and my mom will be home from work soon,” I lie, knowing my mom got off work two hours ago and is likely at home fast asleep.
She thinks I’m at Courtney’s and since I don’t typically lie, she would never expect me to be anywhere other than exactly where I said I would be. And in my defense, Courtney’s house is where I planned to be right now; clearly the night worked out differently than I expected it to.
“Ant usually sleeps up in one of the guest rooms.” He tosses his empty bottle of water onto the island and snags my hand. “I’ll take you up there. Hopefully, he’s decent. I’ve seen his bare ass more times than I care to admit.” He’s joking, I’m sure, but I can’t help but wonder how many of those times he was with a girl that wasn’t Courtney.
It just solidifies that I am way out of my league with guys like this.
I try to let myself enjoy the feeling of Sebastian’s warm hand wrapped around mine as he leads me up the stairs, knowing that it’s going to be short-lived. I don’t belong in Sebastian’s world any more than he belongs in mine. We couldn’t be more different. Hell, we practically exist on entirely different planets.
