Page 21 of The Chance
"So, you'll never see him again?"
I stared at my flushed face and dishevelled locks in the mirror. A blushed afterglow coloured my cheeks like the summer sun kissed warmth over the bridge of my nose, and the whites of my eyes shone brightly. On the surface my reflection looked happy, but beneath, my heart was beating slower and my belly was heavy. "He asked me to Sunday dinner at his family home."
"And... you’re not going to go, right? Not if you've got feelings for him?" Linda's voice took a strict schoolteacher tone.
"I want to see him again, Linda. He makes my heart leap out of my chest every time he smiles."
"Oh shit, you need to stop, Lexi. He just wants sex and you're tripping over your tongue to be with him."
"Maybe he feels the same way. Maybe he'll decide to stay here. Maybe he’ll..."
"Maybe, fucking maybe, Lexi?” She interrupted. “You're going to get hurt. I can see this coming like a forty-foot truck without brakes, and it’s hurtling towards your heart, girl."
I sighed. "I'll go for dinner and that'll be it. Nothing more."
"Right, like you're going to say no to the guy who's playing your heart strings like a cheap guitar."
She was right. After I hung up and stepped into the shower, I was already thinking of his strong arms and sinful lips on my neck. Why should I deny myself the indulgence of BSE? I’m an adult, with needs. I’m perfectly aware it will all come crashing down around me. Nothing lasts forever.
I spent the remaining few hours prepping myself for dessert, I mean dinner. I selected a pale pink cashmere pullover that was super soft, like a naughty little kitty. Low key, yet irresistible to the touch. He’d be desperate to stroke it, because let’s face it, who doesn't love cashmere. Then, I squeezed into my favourite skinny jeans, wiggled my ass in the mirror and grinned at how they made my ass look like a ripe peach. He told me to dress casually, so I slipped my feet into a pair of gold flats but they made me look too short, so I tried on the majority of my shoe closet, until I reverted back to the same gold flats. There was no point blaming my indecisiveness on the variety of shoes available, when I knew it was just nerves. Sebastian was about to land at my house in his clapped-out Range Rover, and I was debating which shoes looked cute but sexy, from the now messy mound.
Just as thoughts of his skillful tongue crept back into my mind, I heard an engine rumble and tyres crunching gravel. I skipped to the window like a spring lamb and peered out. Ugh! My heart dropped - a sleek black Chevrolet Camaro parked up instead of Seb’s rusty Range Rover. Suspecting one of my father’s lawyer friends was paying a visit, I began to turn away, only something caught my eye. A penny dropped. The world jerked on its journey around the sun when the driver door cracked open and Seb appeared.
Holy hot damn.
I hadn’t given his financial situation much consideration because he’d been so clear about his exit out of my life. But this… this wasn’t the dishevelled farm guy I’d meet a couple of days ago, this was the epitome of suave and authority.
My heart crashed wildly, and I actually giggled with a frenzied insane laugh. The kind of laugh that was part excitement, part freaking out. Thankful he couldn’t hear my strangled oddity, I continued to stare.
He dragged off black sunglasses that hid his eyes from the blinding sunset, quickly lifting his gaze. When our eyes met, I sucked in a shaky breath. I was perched on the windowsill like Juliette waiting on Romeo, or a weird stalker perving in a tree.
A slight smirk danced on his lips, almost hidden by the shadowed under a dark scruff. With a flick of his wrist and a twinkle of gold links wrapping his wrist, he waved at me. He wore no jacket, only a snug white shirt nestling close to the curves of his arms, tucked into a pair of navy jeans. The lowered sunlight peeked through aged trees, dappling the shiny surface of his car, lighting up the world around him. Sebastian Cooper was breathtaking.
I was sunk. Officially infatuated. Obsessed.
The guy was sex on legs and heading straight for my front door. My father must've let him in because I heard deep voices and jovial banter. Hesitating at the top of the stairs, I thought back to the conversation with Linda earlier. Jack had been her fantasy for so long, but in the darkness of night she found out that her fantasy has been a facade. They'd had a one night stand. Mind blowing sex and nothing else.
No commitment.
No emotion.
No promises.
No future.
It was all about sex, and I was falling into the same trap with one problem - I wanted it all.
"Lexi!" my father hollered from the bottom step. "Mr. Cooper is here to see you."
Taking a deep breath, I prepared to walk down the stairs to face my ruin. As soon as Seb caught my eye, everything began to spin and whirl. Clutching the handrail, I stepped down cautiously, averting his gaze for my own safety.
"Will you be home late again, Lexi?" my father asked, tapping his fingers on the balustrade.
"No, Dad, I'm just going for dinner. I'll be out for a few hours at most." I confirmed, trying my best to be calm. I dished out a wide ‘everything’s cool’ smile, so neither of them would suspect my false bravery.
"I'll drop her home by ten o’clock." Seb spoke up with such a deep huskiness that my scalp prickled.
"Okay. See you later." Dad ushered me out the door unaware that Seb wanted between my legs and nowhere near my heart.
