Page 9 of This Violent Light
I swallow and try to shake off my insecurity. It doesn’t matter. It’s taken root now, even as Sebastian’s disgusted expression melts back into the smooth one from before. I can tell he’s faking it now. If I look hard enough, I can spot the grimace lurking behind his handsome smirk.
I’m so distracted, I don’t realize my heel is caught on my chair until I’m reeling forward. My hand slips from Sebastian’s and I pitch straight into his chest. I instinctively reachfor him, only for him to lurch out of the way, as if my touch is poisonous.
I fall to the sticky floor, knees striking hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. I remain on my hands and knees for a strained moment. A scorching blush stains my cheeks, until all I can feel is that unpleasant heat.
I force myself to look up, and Sebastian is still a foot away. He looks as surprised as I feel, and yet, he doesn’t move to help me. It’s as if I’ve transformed into a vile rat.
Maybe you are, I decide.Maybe he’s realized you’re ugly up close and?—
“Move, asshole,” Tessa says. She shoves Sebastian out of the way, shooting him a scathing glare. Her expression remains hard, irritated, as she peels me off the floor.
“Grace, are you?—”
“Uh-uh,” Tessa interrupts. She steps sideways, as if to block me from his view. She’s too short though, maybe five-two where I’m five-nine. “Nothing from you,Sebastian.”
She says his name like it’s a foul curse.
“I’m fine, Tessa,” I say. Still, I can’t keep the heat from lingering on my cheeks. “I just tripped. It’s really okay. It’s not like he tripped me.”
“No, he just let you fall on your face,” she says. Her nose scrunches, and she casts another glare his way.
“That’s a bit dramatic,” Sebastian says. He steps closer, towering over Tessa. He’s only a few inches taller than I am, maybe five-eleven. And yet, he holds himself as if he’s a giant, as if he could destroy both of us with his bare fists. “She said she’s all right.”
He extends his hand toward me again, and I start to reach for it, only for Tessa to slap his wrist.
“She’s not interested,” she says.
My mouth gapes in shock, but I’m too stunned to sayanything. Libby wouldneverchase off a hot guy. She’d know my pride isn’t all that important to me. Who cares if Sebastian dropped me on my face? He’s hot. He probably didn’t mean to lurch away from me like I was a nasty insect. And if there’s a chance he still wants me…
“Grace,” he starts. His deep green eyes search mine. “Just give me one dance, and I’ll?—”
“She’s not interested in assholes,” Tessa repeats, firmer this time. “Go find another girl to fumble.”
With that, Tessa tightens her grip on me. She leads the way out of the bar and onto the moonlit street, where she orders a car. I do my best to stay steady on my feet. The three shots have caught up to me, all at once, and I realize I never even got my fourth.
“Sorry,” she says after a long pause. “I didn’t mean to cockblock you or anything. I just…you deserve better than that.”
I’m not sure I do, but I don’t say that. Instead, I link my elbow through hers and force a smile.
“I knew you liked me.”
“Maybe a little.”
When our car arrives, I risk a glance over my shoulder. I’m not surprised to spot Sebastian still in the bar, but Iamsurprised to find his eyes on me. He stands near the window, frowning as I get into the car.
Tessa was right to pull me away, and yet, I feel an inexplicable urge to return.
3
THE SWEETEST BLOOD
SEBASTIAN
Isit with my back to the ivy-covered wall and my elbows propped on the stone table. The sun shines into the courtyard, and despite the chilled air, I feel overheated. I’m suffocating, I think, surrounded by the memories of Grace and her smell and the glide of her skin against mine.
Wrong.It was all wrong, and I still can’t make sense of it. If she had been what I’d expected, what sheshouldbe, last night wouldn’t have been a problem.
Instead, I’d let her—quite literally—slip through my fingers.
