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He glanced over his shoulder in confusion. “Is that where you found them?”
“Yeah, buried under half a tonne of yarn.”
Matty’s face softened. “Ah. Leo must’ve hidden them there. He…he was there that night. Kind of saved me, if I’m honest.”
I was really glad I’d loaned Leo my dagger months ago. I hadn’t known at the time what had prompted me to give him Bessie, but maybe fate had known I’d end up owing Leo big time.
“Anyway, it’s fine. It’s all in the past.” Matty wriggled, but my hands tightened on his hips.
“No. I suggest you stay right there, Matty.”
Matty squinted at me in confusion. “Why?”
“Because I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
Chapter 8
Matty
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yes,” I said quickly, shifting closer. If Sebastian wanted to hold me, I wasn’t about to stop him. Seeing the shoes had rattled me more than I would have expected, especially with what I’d found out about Colin’s fate. But sitting here with Sebastian’s arms bracketing me, that night seemed a million miles away.
Seb let out a long breath, his hand winding into my hair again. He steered my cheek back to his shoulder, and I happily let him, my body purring at the attention.
It was nice. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had just…held me.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that. But it was long enough for my dick to recover from the shock and start thinking something else was going on.
I couldn’t blame it, really. This was more action than we’d seen in months. Even if I had been getting laid regularly, I probably still would have reacted this way. How could I not? Seb’s hand was stroking up and down my spine, his muscled chest rising and falling under my own. Even his scent was intoxicating.
But we’d agreed to be friends. Friends didn’t get hard-ons while hugging one another.
I scrambled off him, hopefully before he could notice my predicament. From the heat that filled his eyes as they followed my retreat, I didn’t think I was successful.
Everything in me wanted to put myself back on Sebastian’s lap and grind my erection all over his undoubtedly perfect abs.
“That night is why I’m dating,” I blurted out, attempting to redraw the lines between us. “After what happened…I need someone safe. Normal. Predictable. Steady. Someone I can start a family with. Build a life with. They don’t need to be exciting or passionate. I don’t need someone to drive me crazy in bed, I need reliability. That’s why I was out with Jeremy. His online profile suggested he fit that criteria, but…yeah.”
Sebastian smoothed the legs of his trousers down. “So you’re, uh, going to keep going out on dates?”
“Yep. That’s the plan. I’ve been chatting with this guy called Steve. He seems to tick all my boxes.”
Sebastian’s nose wrinkled. “You thought Jeremy ticked your boxes too.”
“True, but this time, Ethan, Riley, and Lucky have helped pick him out.”
“Good. I’m glad they’re helping you out in this. They seem like great friends.”
“They are.” I smiled fondly as I thought of them.
“So…when are you and Steve going out?”
My heart skipped a beat. Was that a hint of jealousy in his tone? “We haven’t set a night yet.”
“Maybe you should do it soon,” Sebastian said before pushing to his feet. My heart sank at his closed-off expression. “If you’re determined to find your perfect man, you better get searching. He’s not going to just stumble into your path when you least expect it.”
I’d been wrong. Sebastian wasn’t jealous. Of course he wasn’t—why would he be? I tried to make a joke to lessen the sudden tension that seemed to be bubbling between us. “Not like you did, you mean?”
