Page 84 of Bastian

Rolling my eyes. “You’re disgusting.”

“Yet… you love me.”

“If that’s what you tell yourself to feed into your delusion, so be it, Sebastian.” I try to calm my racing heart and avoid the way his stare makes me hot all over. I convince myself it is from anger and nothing more.

I hate how hyper-aware all my senses are of him. Not even the salty smell of the sea in the air can get rid of Sebastian’s cologne.

He still smells the same.

“Did you eat?” He asks out of nowhere.

“I have lost my appetite.” I level him with a pointed glare, but he doesn’t get the hint and leaves. No, he makes it worse. He leans back in his seat and gets comfortable. “Who was that man?” His eyes change from soft to hard in a second. “I’ve seen him before.”

Narrowing my eyes on him, I let my displeasure emanate from me. “Not your business,” I mumble, taking in everyone around us. I don’t miss the not-so-clever men dressed as locals seated at most of the tables surrounding us.

His security team, of course.

Sebastian is known everywhere in the globe now that he’s the president, so his team goes above and beyond to keep him safe with measures, like shutting down a restaurant and occupying all the tables so he has a little bit of privacy.

How I did not notice is beyond me.

I blame it on being distracted by Wizz and all his nonsense.

But I am noticing now.

I glower at him and the bastard grins harder.

“I disagree. You are my business, so who you choose to spend time with is my business.” He leans his elbows on the tiny table. His grin is wickedly boyish and sexy as hell.

I clench my teeth in suppressed annoyance. Not only for the boldness of this man but because just the sight of him makes something deep in my chest—the hollow part, the part he broke—ache but at the same time, it burns for him. And it makes me feel weak, and I loathe feeling weak around him because that’s when he’s able to sneak in and make me feel things I don’t want to feel.

I can’t afford to feel for him.

“Let’s agree to disagree then because I’m in no mood to entertain you tonight, or any night for that matter, Sebastian.” Grabbing my small purse, I rise from my seat. “Now, if you excuse me—”

He doesn’t let me finish my sentence. Looking up at me without a trace of the cocky smile he was sporting a minute ago, he tells me. “S'il te plaît.” He whispers while he leans forward and grabs my hand in his. The contact sends a shock of electricity through my body instead of the feeling of repulsiveness I should feel at his touch, but no. I feel the same sensation I felt the first time he ever touched me. As if all I was missing in life to be happy was his touch. “S'il vous plaît, ma chérie. Ne partez pas.” He whispers, and I detect sadness in his tone. Sadness and regret.

I tell myself I don’t care.

His pain does not matter.

But then my traitorous heart thuds, “Liar. Liar. Liar…”

Because I am human.

Human and weak for him.

And it did.

I should shake off his hand, tell him to fuck off, and never touch me again. I should cuss him seven ways to hell. A sane woman who’s been broken by the man she loved, would do exactly that.

But I don’t.

I look into those beautiful wolffish eyes of his, and I’m left breathless and wondering if I’ve lost my goddamn mind. Because that’s exactly how I feel when I am around Sebastian.

I shake his hands off, at least I do that, but then instead of turning around and leaving him there to deal with his pity and regrets alone… I sit back down, and when I do, the most brilliant smile takes over his face.

So brilliant it rivals the starry night tonight.

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