Page 36 of Worth the Heat
Me: Your opinion doesn’t count.
Sebastian: Why?
Me: Because it’s different from mine, and now I’m mad about it.
Sebastian: You just made me laugh so hard I scared the bartender working for me right now.
Me: Why are you asking me about movies anyway?
Sebastian: Acouple of reasons.
Sebastian: I told the jerks at the Clubhouse that we were dating. Even if it’s fake, I figure it’s a good idea to know a little more about you.
Sebastian: I also just really enjoy talking to you and seeing what you like. You’ve never been open to dialogue before, and I’m liking this side of you. But most importantly …
Me: What?
Me: Well aren’t you a tease.
Me: Sebastian, this is just mean.
Me: Fine. I don’t need to know your last reason.
Sebastian: Teasing is excellent foreplay, baby.
Sebastian: And you just teased yourself right into my hands.
Sebastian: Bet you’re wondering what I can do with my hands now, aren’t you?
Dammit. He’s absolutely correct.
SEBASTIAN
Wasn’t even a little surprised when Isabella went radio silent. Honestly, that conversation lasted a good ten minutes longer than I thought it would. We’ve texted a little here and there since I found her with that man at the bakery, but her responses were monosyllabic and mostly vague. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I think I’m making real progress in breaking down the walls Isabella erected years ago.
“When you asked me to meet you for lunch, I didn’t think you’d be texting my sister the whole fucking time,” Luca drawls, his arm slung over the back of the booth as he studies me with a smirk. The entire Santo family knows I’ve had a thing for Isabella, and other than Mr. Santo growling at me from time to time, no one has given me any shit about it. In fact, they all seem to have embraced it.
Nonna, the Santo matriarch, whispered in my ear that she hoped I could “loosen the stick” by “giving it to” Isabella. And she did this as she pinched my ass.
Nonnais as scrappy as my grandmother, and I wasn’t surprised to find that they have a monthly book club together, and regularly meet for lunch.
Small towns, man.
Even living well outside Eternity Springs town limits, we’re here enough that we’re considered to be residents. My mom and Mrs. Santo get together from time to time, swapping recipes, and my father helped out at Everlasting a few years ago when part of the hotel flooded after heavy rains.
Our two families have become a little intertwined, and I can only pray that things don’t go south with Isabella. I don’t know what might happen in that case.
“Sorry,” I tell Luca sheepishly, turning off my phone and pushing it to the edge of the booth. “She was actually talking to me. I had to take advantage.”
“She doesn’t talk to you?” he asks, a surprised look on his face. “I mean, I get it. Belle isn’t the chattiest person out there. Too many extroverted assholes in my family. Belle was content to quietly hang in the background.”
“Did you really just call your family a bunch of assholes?”
“Yeah, but I meant it with love,” he jokes. “You know how it is with siblings. You can say whatever you want about your sister, but if I were to say the same things —”
I cut him off. “I’d slice you off at your knees.”
“Exactly. That still stands for my sister, man. I’m in full support of you trying to be with her, but if you fuck with her, it won’t just be me coming after you. It’ll be all of us,” Luca says lowly, the smile dropping from his face.
