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He breaks the kiss to rest his forehead against mine. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

I laugh breathlessly. “The feeling is mutual.”

“I’m sorry. I got carried away.” His eyes darken with desire, his hold on my leg tightening. “How about we continue this later in my room?”

My breath catches. His room. Alone with Sebastian. No interruptions, no prying eyes. Reality crashes back in like a bucket of ice water. I tug my skirt back down with shaky hands, avoiding his gaze.

I don’t think I’m ready for sex. And…

Gemma. Our friendship. The risk of losing her, of hurting her. What would she think? That I only became friends with her to meet her brother?

“I can’t do this. Gemma… she’s my friend. Your sister.” My eyes dart around. “This is wrong.”

Sebastian cups my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Is it? Because it feels pretty damn right to me.”

“But Gemma—”

“Doesn’t have to know.” His jaw clenches. “This is between us. It has nothing to do with her.”

“I can’t sneak around behind her back like this. It’s not right.”

“So what, then? We just pretend this never happened. Act like there’s nothing between us?”

I wrap my arms around myself, cold without his warmth. “I don’t know. But I do know that I can’t risk losing Gemma. I’m sorry, Sebastian.”

His eyes darken, leaning in closer. “Is it really because of Gemma, or is it because of Jason?”

I become rigid. Is he seriously bringing up Jason right now?

“What? No, this has nothing to do with Jason.” I shake my head vehemently. “He’s just a friend.”

Sebastian scoffs. “Right. A ‘friend’ who’s always hanging around you, giving me death glares whenever I so much as look at you.”

I bristle at his tone. Where is this even coming from? “Jason is protective, sure, but that’s because he cares about me. As a friend.”

“You sure about that, princess? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like he wants a hell of a lot more than friendship.”

Is that what people think when they see me with Jason? That we’re… together?

“Well, you’re wrong.” I lift my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. “Jason and I are just friends. Period.”

Sebastian studies me, his jaw ticking.

“Time for the after-party!” Someone shouts, the rest of the team echoing the cry.

I peek around the wall of muscle in front of me. “Please let me go.”

Sebastian’s hands grip my waist, his thumbs rubbing in soothing circles. “Relax, princess. No one will see us here.”

But the fear won’t subside. What if Gemma finds out? Or worse, Jason? Guilt gnaws at my insides.

“I can’t do this. It’s not right.” I try to push him away, but he holds firm.

“Lil, look at me.” His fingers tilt my chin up, forcing my gaze to meet his intense and unwavering one. “Stop overthinking this for once in your life. Fuck. I thought we made progress, but it seems like every time we take one step, you retreat two more.”

He’s… right. I do. But…

My voice wavers. “I can’t just turn off my brain and ignore the consequences.”

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