Page 96 of Just a Heartbeat Away

“Fuh-uck.” She dropped her forehead to his chest and was utterly delighted when he burst out laughing. She lifted her face to his. “I guess I’m not gonna argue with that.”

He slid his hands to hers, their palms meeting for the first time. She gave a deep sigh. She tugged herself away from him and yanked his hand. He loomed over her, barely budging.

“Well, let’s go do the Electric Slide,” she said, making him laugh and follow after her.

They held hands until they made it down the stairs and then she turned to him.

“You don’t have to explain, baby,” he said, reading her mind and making her pulse skitter at the endearment. There was just really something about that word in his deep voice that made her feel like she was lifting off from Earth. He took her fingers and rubbed them over the stubble on his face. “You’re not quite ready for holding hands in front of everybody.”

He kissed her fingers and let them drop.

She was both wildly disappointed and intensely relieved. Tonight, they didn’t have to make public declarations. They could just dance the night away, laughing and shouting with their friends. And that’s exactly what they did.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THENEXTMORNING,Sebastian lay in bed and stared at his ceiling. He could swear the helium in his heart lifted him straight off the bed, covers and all. He scraped hands over his face and stretched, cracking nearly every joint in his body.

Lord, the woman could kiss.

He let himself drift in memory, eyes half closed, body heating as he remembered the feel of her in that hallway. Slight and hot, she’d been like a slim, electric feather in his arms. He’d wanted to lay her down right there.

She didn’t care about the age difference. Seb still had to get over it. But he wasn’t going to let it keep him from kissing her. It didn’t bother her and that was just about all he needed to know. For now.

He rolled and picked up his phone off the nightstand. 8:00 a.m. He’d only slept for five hours after walking Via home and kissing the lights out in her front lobby. He hadn’t dared follow her upstairs. He stood by his dark chocolate theory.

Seb could hear Matty talking to himself in the living room, playing some imagination game with his toys. Used to be, the second Matty woke up, he was feetfirst into Seb’s bed. But these days, he often occupied himself for an hour or two. It made Seb both sad and happy that that was true. Kid was growing up.

He unlocked his cell phone and sent a text without thinking too hard on it.

Come over for breakfast.

He stared at it for a second. And then sent another.

Or invite me and Matty over for breakfast at your place.

He didn’t care if he sounded bossy or overanxious. He needed to see her. In her normal clothes, no makeup. Just plain Via. He needed to kiss plain Via. The person he’d been crushing on for so long.

Right now, she was an emerald-golden-peacock-princess in his memory. That green dress. The glinting of her tan skin in the dark hallway. Shit. It was like a dream. Might as well not have even happened. He needed some good old-fashioned Sunday morning kisses. Messy hair and T-shirts.

When she didn’t text back right away, he wondered if he’d texted too early. Hell, they’d been out all night, maybe she wasn’t even awake yet.

But when he came back to his phone a minute later, toothbrush in his mouth, he saw a text waiting for him. Like a little present from the gods of crushes.

I’ll be over in twenty. Should I bring anything?

He thought for a second.I’ve got pancake stuff and orange juice. And if picking anything up is going to delay you, then skip it. I just want you.

He rinsed off in the shower, slid some sweatpants on along with a soft gray T-shirt, slathered on a little deodorant and called it a good job. Another text.

You’re making me blush, Mr. Dorner.

He opened his bedroom door and lingered in the doorway for a second.Gimme proof.

A minute later he got a picture of her. A selfie.

God. She was young.

And so fucking pretty.

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