Page 107 of Closer

“Sebastian,” I warn, but it comes out breathy and weak.

“Hmm?” He feigns innocence, but I can hear the smirk in his voice. “You’re doing great.”

And I actually am. Even without his hands on mine, the stitches are straight.

Margo stops by to check our progress, nodding approvingly. “You two make quite the team! Your stitches are looking great.”

After 2 hours, we finish our first project, a simple pillowcase, and move on to the next. A tote bag. Sebastian lets me take the lead the whole time, keeping one hand on my thigh and one arm around my waist as I work.

It’s distracting.

The heat of his touch seeping through my jeans. The flex of his thigh muscles under my ass every time he shifts. The rumble of his chest when he laughs or makes small talk with me.

How am I supposed to focus like this?

I’m hyper-aware of every place we connect. Every shared breath. By the time class ends, I’m wound tighter than a spring, and my focus is shot to hell.

But it worked. I wasn’t scared and that’s the scary part.

“Thank you so much for coming!” Margo appears at our side, startling me. “I hope you had fun! You’re both welcome back anytime.”

“We had a blast,” Sebastian says. “Lil especially. She’s a pro.”

“Hardly,” I say. “But thank you, Margo. The class was great.”

“I’m so glad.” She clasps her hands to her chest. “You two really are the sweetest couple. I can tell how much you love each other.”

My stomach swoops. “Ah, we’re not—”

“Have a good night!” He cuts me off smoothly, steering me toward the door with a wave.

The night air slaps me as we step outside, cooling my overheated skin. I suck in a greedy breath, trying to clear my head.

“You okay?” Sebastian’s hand slides up my spine to squeeze the nape of my neck. Grounding. Possessive.

I shrug him off, wrapping my arms around myself. “I’m fine.” I don’t like being so dependent on him.

He hums, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Why did you do this? The class.” I fling my hand in the air, gesturing around us. “Bringing me here. What are you trying to prove?”

He meets my gaze steadily. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I want to help you. In whatever way I can.”

“Helping?”

“Yes.”

“Touching me like that? Using my weakness to get close?”

He clenches his jaw. “That’s not what I was doing.”

“Really? Then what was it?”

“I was trying to distract you. To make you feel good. I thought…” He lowers his head. “Never mind. Clearly, I was wrong.”

“Distract me?” I pull away. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. It feels like you’re pushing me, using my vulnerability to get closer.”

His eyes flash with a mixture of anger and hurt. “Lil, I would never take advantage of you. Not now, not ever. You have to believe me.”

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