Page 19 of The Chance
Seb sat up and brought himself to the edge of the bed, dropping his feet down on the floor. Pushing up, he strode to the bathroom with his tight ass on show. A perfect prize for my greedy eyes. Looking back over his shoulder, he said, "I didn't enjoy it, Lexi."
My heart paused, and I almost swallowed my tongue.
His head lowered. "I fucking loved it."
The door to the bathroom closed, and he left me alone to wonder what was happening between us.
Eight
We didn't make it to round eleven. After the fourth seductive slow session, my eyelids became heavy and my used body was covered in a cotton sheet. There wasn't an actual expectation that we'd carry on into the early hours of the morning, but I knew Sebastian would've kept going if I'd had the energy. Every touch was like his last and the affinity between us was super charged.
For a guy who was clear about 'just sex', he certainly made sure I was content and happy every time I hit the clouds. "Your skin is so soft." He traced the curve of my spine with his nails, initiating a shiver. "Do you want me to call room service and order food?"
"Sebastian..." I was starving and exhausted, happy and sad. This was my first ever one-night stand, and I had no idea it could be this intimate. "When are you going back to Dublin?" I eyed him closely, waiting for his answer.
The long silence that followed felt like we'd fallen down the rabbit hole together, holding hands, and he’d just let go. With a nudge of his hip, he brought me close enough to feel the thrum of his heartbeat. The quickened pace held secrets, or it was just my cruel imagination hoping he was considering the option of staying up north.
"A week or so, maybe a bit longer."
"And you have to leave?" I put it out there, on a plate, with garnish and all the trimmings.
"My business is everything to me. I've worked really hard, Lexi." His tone dropped, the words trailing like he was debating them. After a brief pause, he said, "I'm sure you love being a designer. It's your passion. The thing that drives you."
I studied his broad chest, with hills of muscles like the perfect visual landscape. I couldn't fault a thing about this man, other than his plans to leave. "Yes, I love designing.” I admitted. “ And I hate my job. I can't use my creativity or even reach my potential."
"If you're not happy in your job, why don't you leave?" he asked, raking his fingers through my tousled lengths.
I sighed. "I need experience, and the only way to that is to stay in the same job for at least a year. It's a learning curve. My father pulled a few strings to get me the position. I owe it to him to stick it out." The job was bullshit and I loathed every second of it, but my father knew best. "Do you enjoy your job?"
I felt his head nod. "Yeah. I work with some really talented people who make the bad day’s worth it."
"Bad days?" I tilted my head back to face his prickled chin. “Are cows moody?”
"I own a business. It’s a partnership with my best friend. I don’t work on a farm. So, I’m responsible for other people’s wages and it’s a fucking huge weight on my shoulders, otherwise business is booming."
"What line of work is it?"
"We do consultancy for start-up businesses. My dad had plans for me to take over the farm, but I wanted to do my own thing. He told me to either start up my own business and make it a success, or take on the farm. The business went live a few years ago, when I was twenty-one, and Monica took over the farm when our dad died." A puff of air left his lungs ruffling my hair.
"I'm sorry to hear about your dad." A lump lingered in my throat. I couldn’t imagine not having my father as my guidance and mentor. He’d been with me through all the teenage drama to funding my uni fees and offering advice.
"He saw the business take off. I even gave him a payout to buy new machinery when we reached a mill in profit. He made me promise to always help my sister, Monica. That’s a no brainer.” Seb sighed. “So, when her husband was fixing the barn roof, without a fucking safety harness on, and fell through it, I had to drop everything and come home. Monica has been taking my calls and helping out, while I do the manual labour on the farm. It's not ideal, but we're managing."
"And your business is in Dublin?" I mumbled savouring his breath on my face.
"It is. I live there, Lexi. And I have to go back."
"Damn," I whispered.
* * *
Seb ordered a taxi the second his eyes pinged open. If I didn't know farming life, I would've been insulted at his hurried exit. Rather than slipping off without a word, he was adamant that we shared the ride home, so he knew I got back safely.
The journey was filled with silence - whether it was regretful, contemplative or just pure exhaustion was unknown. I sat up straight, recalling every heated kiss, every teasing nibble and every leisurely lick. I also remembered the exact moment he touched my heart.
“You okay?” His sonorous timbre pulled me out of a maelstrom of thoughts, rounding up all my crazy feelings like he was the shepherd of my emotions.
I just nodded quietly when the car rolled to a stop in front of my house. I’d become needy and uncertain. Was it wrong that I wanted to invite him in for coffee and sex, or that I wanted to introduce him to my mother, not as the ‘best sex ever’, but as Sebastian Cooper, the guy who lights up my life. I didn't believe in love at first sight, that’s all down to lust, but there was a familiarity with Seb like we already knew each other. I shook off the over dramatic thoughts and cursed all the vampire movies that made me believe in such nonsense.
