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I jerk back—andfind myself looking into Sebastian’s gem-green eyes.
He glances down, his lip curling with disgust as he takes in the position of the dude’s hand. He moves between us, picks up his hand, removes it from my thigh, and pats his arm consolingly. “Thanks for keeping my girl company, man.”
I scowl, hoping he hears the venom in every single syllable as I talk. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The guy puts up his hands, unsure whether to focus on me or Sebastian. He wets his lips—then throws me an accusing look.
Sebastian has a stony expression on his face, as if he actually just discovered some guy two seconds away from feeling up his girl. I wish I could kick him. From this angle, if I tried, I’d just fall off the bar stool. Indignation rushes through me like wildfire. Howdarehe get in the middle of this.
“I didn’t know she belonged to someone. I swear.”
Sebastian tilts his head to the side. “Interesting. Does that make women property?”
“What? No, I just—”
“She’s her own person.” He shrugs, still casual, although something dark simmers in his gaze, like he wishes he could slam the guy’s head against the bar top. “So maybe consider that the next time you open your miserable fucking mouth.”
“I swear I didn’t know. She’s the one who came on to me.” He gestures to me, any lingering interest in his expression drying up in favor of a snarl. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about your slut of a—”
Sebastian tosses a twenty on the bar top. “Get out.”
“I’m not—”
“Goodbye.” He jerks his head in the direction of the door. “Go get your pathetic dick sucked somewhere else.”
The guy looks around, but everyone is studiously ignoring us. Even the bartender is letting the situation roll, at least for the time being.
“You can’t just kick me out,” he protests. “This is bullshit.”
“Sure I can.” Sebastian leans in, close enough I can smell his cologne. He flexes slightly, showing off that tightly corded strength that’s easy to forget about, when it comes to him. “You can leave on your own or I can make it hurt first, your pick.”
The guy scrambles off the stool and out of the bar.
As soon as he’s gone, I whirl on Sebastian. “What the fuck was that?”
“What the fuck wasthat?” He laughs incredulously. “What were you doing, Mia?”
“It’s none of your business.”
His mouth twists. “I can’t believe this was your big solution.”
I take a step closer. In these heels, we’re nearly the same height, but he still has an inch on me. And enough muscle to throw me around, a fact my body remembers all too eagerly. “What solution, Sebastian? Be specific.”
“Let’s see,” he says, holding out his hand, ticking off the reasons with his fingers as he talks. His voice is quiet enough no one can hear but me, but the force of it comes through loud and clear. “The university emailed two hours ago to say on-campus housing is scrambling to rearrange things after a flood in one of the dorms open for summer students. If you had somewhere to stay, you’d be moving in your things, not here. You’re drinking a beer, but you prefer bourbon. You’re wearing a pink dress, and you hate pink. You were flirting with a total loser, letting him touch you when you don’t like being touched by strangers.” He cocks his head to the side. “Want me to keep going?”
I can feel the blush coloring my cheeks, but I keep my head high. “That’s not what that was.”
“You don’t want to crash with me, fine, but call Penny’s dad, then. Don’t fuck a stranger for the privilege of a bed.”
“Maybe I just liked him.”
He laughs shortly. “I know what you like, sweetheart, and that’s not it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. I’m not a crier, but I can feel emotion winding through me, the result of a day full of stress, and need to swallow. “You havenoidea what I like anymore.”
He throws another twenty onto the bar. Another reminder of that special privilege that comes from being a Callahan: wealth. The family is loaded, and Sebastian and his siblings all have trust funds. I, meanwhile, have a careful amount of money stashed away, and I’m planning to touch it as little as possible this summer.
“Come on,” he says. “We’re going home.”
