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“You’re not at all what I expected you to be.” I find the words leaving my mouth without actually meaning to say them.
“How so?”
“I don’t know, I just always thought you were some conceited asshole,” I admit on a shrug. “I never expected you to be so—nice,” I admit, a little embarrassed.
“So you’ve thought about me before last weekend?” he questions, throwing a knowing glance my way.
“I didn’t say that,” I object, laughter in my voice.
“Oh, but you did. When you said you expected me to be a certain way- which means you’ve at least thought about what I’d be like. So tell me, Tess, how long has this obsession of yours been going on?” He chuckles, tightening his grip on my hand.
“Obsession?” I blurt. “Can I take back that thing I said about you not being conceded?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “No take backs.”
“And to answer your question, since freshman year,” I admit, loving the way his eyes widen at my statement. “Well, your sophomore year,” I correct.
“So you…” He lets the beginning of the question hang there.
“Have had a huge crush on you since the first time I saw you two years ago,” I admit, looking out the window instead of at him.
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” he asks like it should be that simple.
“Um, because you’re Sebastian Baxter,” I retort.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I didn’t believe I had a snail’s chance in hell with you,” I say dryly, surprised when Sebastian laughs, the action vibrating from deep within his chest.
“Why are you laughing at me?” I ask dramatically, pretending to be offended.
“A snail’s chance in hell?” He gives me a sideways glance, fighting off his laughter.
“What?”
“Who says shit like that?” He tries to hide his amusement, but it’s written all over his face.
“Well, I do apparently,” I huff, crinkling my nose at him as he pulls into the spot in front of my house, managing to put the Jeep into park without letting go of my hand.
He shifts toward me, his demeanor changing so rapidly it takes me a moment to catch up.
“God, you’re so damn beautiful,” he breathes, the dynamic between us shifting so dramatically I feel like I’m suffering from a case of whiplash.
Heat creeps up my neck and into my cheeks.
There’s no way this is real.It’s all I can think as those gorgeous hazel eyes hold my gaze. I’m transfixed, mesmerized, and for the life of me, I can’t look away.
I find myself uttering my next words without a second thought.
“Do you want to come inside?”
The look that flashes across his face is like a kid on Christmas morning, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
“Okay, but only if you promise to keep your hands to yourself,” he warns.
“Why?” I ask innocently, loving this little game we suddenly seem to be playing.
“Because I can’t be held responsible for my actions if you touch me, Tess,” he says, his voice almost strained.
“I promise to be gentle.” I wink, quickly exiting the Jeep before he can even get a response out.
I have no idea where any of that came from, and a nervous knot instantly forms in the pit of my stomach. A part of me is very aware that I’m playing with fire, and yet the other part of me wants to test out the heat—see how close I can get without getting burned. Or maybe I want to just give up and let the flames engulf me altogether.
Lord knows when Sebastian steps up next to me on the porch and looks at me like he’s seconds away from devouring me right here on the spot, that’s exactly what I want to do. Hell, I’m already holding the match in my hand, ready to set us ablaze.
