Page 56 of The Life We Wanted

“Andwhy do you think that?”

“Well,for starters, your name is witchy as fuck, okay. Don’t deny that.”

Whenwas the last time I’d laughed this much after just waking up? “It kind of is,yeah.”

Iglanced at him to find his face twisted with thought. “Actually, you know what?You and your sisterbothhave witchy names. Were your parents, by anychance, Merlin and Sabrina? Because that would make a shitload of sense rightnow.”

“No.”I was bubbling with little bursts of giggles, twisting my fingers into hischest hair and closing my eyes. “Their names were Charles and Josephine.”

“O-kay.So, your parents were British royalty and they had witches for daughters. Gotit.” He kissed my forehead. “Anyway, aside from your name, there’s the factthat I have never in my life slept quite like that, and I sleep pretty well evenon a bad day. I mean, I sleep like a fucking log, but last night was …” Heshook his head, sending an exhale out with a gust. “Last night was crazy. Ifeel like I’ve slept for a week.”

“Ifeel pretty good too,” I told him, acknowledging how foreign it was to feel sorefreshed.

“Well,yeah, I would think so,” he snickered. “I mean, you came, how many times?Fourteen, fifteen?” I snorted and clapped a hand over my face as he chuckled.“You’re so welcome, by the way. And that’s another thing too, actually.”

“Whatis?” My voice traveled with my laughter, as I moved my hand lower over thetight and tattooed skin of his stomach.

“Thesex.” He was nodding again, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

“Pleasedo not tell me it was the best sex of your life,” I groaned, tracing my fingerover the strip of dark blonde hair, a pathway from navel to groin. “You don’tneed to lie to me like that.”

“Iwon’t lie,” he promised. “I won’t lay here and tell you I’ve never been with womenwho knew what they were doing. Because let me tell you, Thumbelina, I’ve had someincrediblesex in my time.”

“Uh-huh,”I grumbled, rolling my eyes. “So, if you’ve already had the best of the best,then what was so special about me?” I might’ve been fishing for a compliment,but what girl didn’t do that from time to time?

“Itwas memorable.”

Theseverity of his voice brought me to lift my head and look directly at him. Hisface was sincere and straight, without any sign of laughter or joking evidenton his lips or in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Imean, I’ve been with so many women, that I don’t remember any of them. Like, aftera while, you stop remembering every cup of coffee you drink when you drink itevery day, you know? That’s how sex is for me. It’s nothing, it’s … it’s coffee.”He shrugged, playing at nonchalance while his arm tightened around myshoulders, pulling me closer and squeezing my arm. “But last night wasn’t likethat.”

Hisheart was pounding like thunder against my ear. “What made it different?”

“Iwanna do it again,” he stated so plainly, and I tipped my head back to catchhis eyes.

“Whathappened to no strings?”

“Ididn’t say anything about strings,” he pointed out, winking. “I’m saying, youand I are going to know each other, we’re going toseeeach other, and Ifigure, as long as I’m not on tour, and you’re available, why the fuck not?”

Whythe fuck not, indeed. “So, you’re saying you want us to be …”

“Fuckbuddies, friends with benefits, whatever you wanna call it. Or we can just, youknow, not call it anything and just let it be what it is.” His voice was socasual, like he was talking about what he ate for breakfast or what his planswere for the day.

“Ifigured it was a one-and-done type of thing,” I confessed.

“Yeah,well …” He let the words linger in the air. They hung there and made mequestion what it was that should follow. There were so many possible options,so many things that could’ve slipped in place of the silence, until he finally added,“Neither of us said when.”

***

Thethree of us drove in Sebastian’s Range Rover to his parents’ place in Tarrytown.Greyson was excited, passing by the Sleepy Hollow town sign and askingSebastian what it was like to grow up so close to the legendary town.

“Lame,”he laughed. “I didn’t get into it the way other people did. But Halloween was alwaysfun.”

Greysonmade him promise they could do something together for Halloween. I glanced atSebastian, hoping he wouldn’t make a promise he couldn’t keep. I didn’t knowwhat his schedule looked like months from now. I only knew he was off for thesummer months, and after that, well, who knew.

Hecaught my questioning glare, and reading my mind, told me, “Even if I’m nothere, I’ll fly him out to wherever I am.”

“Really?”Greyson gripped the backs of our seats, pulling himself forward. “You’reserious?”

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