Page 119 of Closer

The door swings open, and my heart lodges in my throat. Sebastian strides in with Connor close behind. His eyes sweep the restaurant before settling on our table. On me.

A muscle twitches in his temple.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Chapter 35

Lilian

“Blue.” Connor places a kiss on Mary’s hair, sitting down beside her.

“Connor. Why—I told you we have a girls’ night out.” Mary asks.

Connor points to Brandon. “Bran’s here.”

“Bran doesn’t count,” Mary says.

“Elli—” Connor starts, but Mary presses a finger to his lips.

“Lil.” My eyes snap back to Sebastian.

Without warning, he grabs my face, crushing his lips against mine. The kiss is fierce, almost bruising, and I gasp into his mouth.

Is he angry? Is he trying to brand himself on my lips? Emotions swirl through me as his kiss shifts—slow, then harder, then softer and deeper.

When he breaks away, I blink up at him. Dumbfounded.

As if he didn’t just kiss me in front of everyone, Sebastian eases down beside me, draping an arm over my shoulders. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

What?!

Everyone at the table gawks at us, me including.

“Well, well, well.” Brandon whistles. “Look who finally got their shit together.”

Naomi elbows him in the ribs, but he chuckles.

“Looks like we need a couple more menus over here.” Mary clears her throat, flagging down our waiter.

Under the table, Sebastian’s hand finds my thigh, squeezing possessively, and I nearly jump out of my skin.

I hiss under my breath. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” His lips brush my ear.

I should be pissed. I should tell him off for this stupid behavior. But as always, my body is not on the same page as me, melting under his touch.

“So, Lil,” Elliot says. “How long has this been going on?”

I open my mouth, then close it again. I don’t even know the answer. Up until seconds ago, I thought he was mad at me.

“Some time.” Sebastian squeezes my thigh. “But we didn’t want to make it official right away.”

“Good to hear. Happy for you two.” Elliot smirks tapping away on his phone, already leaving the table. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Happy. The word feels foreign, ill-fitting. Am I happy? Can I ever truly be happy with Sebastian, given our past? Scared that with one misstep, he hates me?

The waiter arrives, providing a much-needed distraction. Sebastian and Connor place their orders, and I try to ignore the weight of Mary’s concerned gaze, and the knowing glint in Brandon’s eyes.

---