Page 15 of Little Do You Know

I shimmy playfully. “If you got it, flaunt it.”

“Go change,” Owen says, shaking his head at me. “You are not wearing that.”

“You’re not Dad, and it’s my body, my choice.”

He peers closely, and his eyes widen. “You have a tattoo?”

I look down at the beautiful French words written on my ribs, relieved to find that my shorts hide the second one. Finding out I have two might be too much for his brain to comprehend. “I do. So does Sebastian before you say anything about how dumb they are. If you’re coming with us to the beach, you might want to shave your beard, or you’ll end up with a weird facial tan.”

He shakes his head immediately. “The beard is staying, but I am going. Coach gave us the afternoon off and told us to relax.” Owen turns to look at Sebastian, who has remained silent since they walked in. “I hope you’re planning on coming. You look tense.” I smother a giggle at his same choice of words as me.

“I plan on sleeping. I didn’t get much of it last night,” Sebastian replies tightly, and I bite my lip to hide my smile.

“Whatever you decide, Landon and Stacey will be here soon to pick us up,” I say, motioning to Blake to follow me to my room.

I braid my hair messily to keep it off my shoulders. “I have a feeling that if Owen and I hadn’t come in at that exact moment, something might have happened between you,” Blake says, taking a seat on the bed.

“Like what?” I ask, grabbing my phone and double-checking my bag for my disposable camera. I learned long ago that you should always have a camera on you. Memories can be forgotten, but photographs live forever.

“Dude, Sebastian was looking at you like he was going to kill you or screw you then and there. I’m going to guess it was the second one.” Blake’s bluntness catches me off guard.

“It was the first one.” Except it totally could have been the second. I never got to hear what he was going to say because Owen and Blake walked in.

My phone vibrates with a call from Vera. “Hey, we’re here. Who all is coming with?”

“Owen came home early and wants to come too. My friend Blake can come. I’m not sure if Bash is coming or not. He’s got a giant stick up his ass.” I shoulder my bag, winking at Blake.

“Well, Stacey has room for seven,” she says. I do the mental math, but with Owen and Bash, that’s eight.“Hurry up! It’s a long drive.”

“Be out in a few. You won’t leave without us.” I hang up without another word. “C’mon, let’s go.”

We leave the living room to find only Owen waiting, and my heart falls. I want Sebastian to come with us. It’s probably a bad idea, but I don’t love the idea of leaving him here alone. “Ready?” Owen asks, standing up.

“Yep. Is Sebastian not coming?” I rock back on my heels, and Owen shakes his head.

“Nope. He said he would go for a run instead, which is the exact opposite of sleeping, but whatever.”

He needs this afternoon more than I do. The glimpse of him last night revealed how much stress he carries. It’s more than he lets on, that’s for sure.

“Give me a minute; I’ll talk to him. Stacey’s car is out front,” I instruct, and Owen looks shocked that I would attempt to get him to come. Blake pats me on the shoulder and smiles at Owen.

“You have to go with me because I don’t know any of these people. I barely know you guys, but I really don’t know them.”

He shakes his head at me, stepping toward the door with Blake. “Good luck to you. Try not to piss him off anymore than you already did.”

I flash him a quick smile and disappear down the hall. I have to make this fast, or they’ll probably leave without both of us. I love them, but they aren’t always the best friends.

I knock once before entering anyway because I know Sebastian won’t give permission for me to come in. Don’t get distracted by anything in the room. You have a job, Lia.

He’s just finished tying his shoes when he looks up at me, annoyed. “What? Come to taunt me more?”

“You should come with us.”

Sebastian steps closer to me, reminding me of how significant our height difference is. “Why do you want me there?”

I inhale a shaky breath, struggling more in his proximity than I expected. “You love the ocean, so you’re not going because of me. I want you there because I think it will help you relax. You seriously need to before that vein in your forehead pops.”

His brown eyes narrow. “And I’m supposed to relax around you? Give me a break, Thalia. Just cut me a fucking break for once.” Sebastian’s words come out in a low rumble, sending shivers through me.

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