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“Why would you think that?”
“Because you sent me a message saying, ‘I need help urgently.’”
“And I do,” I said lightly, strolling over to the bottle of wine on the counter. “I’m in a bit of a pickle trying to get this cork out. Can you help me?”
Sebastian’s shrewd eyes swept over the space, no doubt taking in the cosy date-like setup. “That’s why you messaged me?”
“Yes.” I held out the bottle and corkscrew, widening my eyes in an attempt to look as innocent as possible. “Think you can help a guy out?”
Sebastian grumbled but did as I asked.
“Bit early for wine, isn’t it?”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” I said breezily, grabbing the two glasses from the table and holding them out for him to fill. “Besides, Leo will be home later. It’s hard to unwind with him around.”
Sebastian didn’t seem to hear me, instead frowning at the glasses he was in the process of filling. “Wait, why do you have two?”
He looked again at the table and a thunderous look darkened his face. “Are you waiting on a date, Matty?”
I imagined Sebastian was used to towering over people like this and having them flee in terror. Instead, I just pushed one of the glasses into his hand before sipping from my own. “I am.”
I didn’t wait for his reaction. Just took my glass over to the table and sat down, crossing one leg neatly over the other.
I glanced up to see Sebastian hadn’t moved an inch. His usually pale skin was flushed red, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The wine glass in his hand was trembling, the liquid sloshing up the sides.
Poor man. I should put him out of his misery.
I took another sip of wine first though. It was a little mean, but maybe he needed a reminder of what he stood to lose. If he did really want me, if he was just pushing me away out of fear, perhaps this would be the wake up call he needed.
Okay, I wasn’t going to date anyone else. At this point I couldn’t fathom even looking twice at someone who wasn’t Sebastian.
He wasn’t ready to hear that yet. And until he was, I’d keep that information close to my chest.
Putting the glass on the table, I smiled at Sebastian. “Well, are you going to join me? Or are you taking up a new vocation as a living statue? You would make a beautiful gargoyle, but if I’m being honest, I’d rather you stayed a vampire.”
The only shock Sebastian betrayed was a tiny jolt. His eyes flickered from me to the door. “Umm…”
“Sit with me,” I whispered, my smile falling as my desperation snuck through. “Please, Seb.”
Sebastian pursed his lips, taking the seat I’d indicated. “Why do I feel like I’ve been played?”
I had him here, but that was the easy part of my plan. The next was going to take a boat load of confidence I wasn’t quite sure I possessed.
I was going to try though. It might end with Sebastian laughing in my face or rejecting me again, but I could survive that.
What I couldn’t survive was not trying. Living with the thoughts of what if.
Fighting against my nerves, I picked up my fork and chased a piece of lettuce around my plate. “Maybe I just don’t like to eat alone.”
“I hate to point this out, but technically you are eating alone.”
I shrugged, not looking up from my salad. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted normal food. Or if you’d be hungry after…you know.”
There was a long pause, during which I could feel Sebastian scrutinising me. “Why are you upset?”
“I’m not.” It was no good. I wasn’t going to manage even a bite of this salad. I plastered a smile on my face. “It’s okay, I have a plate ready for you if you’re hungry. I just didn’t want to put you in an awkward position where you felt obliged to eat something you didn’t want.”
This had been a stupid idea. I couldn’t stop picturing it. Had he fed from a male or a female? Had he found them attractive? Was he still thinking of them now?
