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‘I mean it. It was nothing.’ My voice was stern as I eyed him.
‘I’d do anything for you, bloody anything.’ He let out a breath of frustration and folded his arms. His eyes were now the ones fixed on the shaggy, grey rug.
I leant in closer, unable to think straight over the buzz of my drunken brain, but something in my gut had always cautioned me to take things slow with Seb.
‘Seb. Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.’
He softly tapped his finger on the side of my head. ‘I honestly wish I could work out that mind of yours.’
I sucked in a deep breath and contemplated whether I should tell him why our kiss felt ‘lifeless’.Might as well.
‘Seb, the reason our kiss was so pathetic just then is because I was reminded of my ex tonight.’ I glimpsed at his low but broad cheekbones.
His eyes widened as his forehead creased. ‘Has he been messaging you?’ A large vein I never noticed before emerged on his forehead.
I shook my head. ‘No, we haven’t spoken in months, and I plan to never speak to him again. I was reminded of him tonight when I saw his old whiskey glass sitting on the kitchen sink. Deb had used it for an ashtray, so don’t worry – he hasn’t been here or anything.’
‘And you still love him?’ His eyes widened with curiosity, a flicker of jealousy crossing his expression.
‘No, I don’t, but he hurt me bad.’ I sighed.
‘Oh, I get it now. You think I’m going to hurt you, don’t you? That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? This is why you won’t sleep with me.’
I gave a pained face. ‘Partly. But there is no rush, Seb. We’re still getting to know each other. Let’s save that for a night when we’re both ready.’
‘Naomi, are you a virgin?’ He eyed me curiously.
I shot up a defensive brow and folded my arms. ‘No, I’m not.’
Seb exhaled. ‘Man. I can’t figure you out, no matter how hard I try. I always seem to miss the mark.’
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his statement. ‘We’ve only known each other a few months, Seb. It’s not a big deal. Let’s just be patient and see what comes of us.’
‘My fly-in, fly-out situation makes me impatient. Not seeing you for two weeks is hard, and all I want to do is make love to you. But I know that’s not what you want, and I’m happy to take it slow, for you. If it were anyone else, I would’ve lost interest by now – just know that.’
I nodded and placed my hands on his cheeks, and we kissed once more.
After our kiss, I said, ‘I’ve got work tomorrow. I should probably hit the hay. I think I’ve done enough damage to my body for the evening.’
‘Can I come with you to your room, or do you want me to stay out here?’
I reached my arms out for a stretch. ‘You can come to my bedroom.’
I switched off the lights and navigated the way into my room with my phone light. Anxiety struck me as I thought about the possibility of Seb hurting me.What if when we do have sex, he stops talking to me, like Scott did?I walked around to the left side of the bed, reached for my charger, plugged my phone in, and switched on my bedside lamp.
Seb climbed onto the other side, slipped under my lilac bedsheets, and grinned at me.
‘What time do you have to be up tomorrow?’ he asked as the amber glow of my lamp shone on his face.
‘Ten-ish.’
‘That’s a sexy little sleep-in. I’ll be long gone before then. Billy and I are going for a surf early morning.’ He stretched his arms as he looked up at the ceiling.
‘Cool. Sounds fun.’ I stared at his smooth skin and thought about the sun browning it an even darker olive.
‘I’m hoping we can cuddle lots before I go.’ He moved in closer to me and let his arms fall back into place.
I nodded and smiled.That sounds nice.
