Page 11 of When We Ignite
I bit my lip, stifling a smile. It felt like cheating—I already knew that about him. During my time gossiping with Maya, we had undergone some cyberstalking. There were a bunch of pictures of him on boats. It wasn’t a lie, though. I did actually like it.
Unknown Number
we could sail sometime
we have a boat in the Hamptons
Me
for the wedding?
Unknown Number
hopefully before that
I exhaled loudly. He wasn’t exactly subtle, but it was almost as if he was just trying to be friendly too.
Unknown Number
I have to get back to work darling but I’ll see you soon
thanks for the company
Scratch that, he was definitely flirting. My face was hot, and my heart was hammering in my chest. I saved his number in my phone before replying. Now the screen readAsh Langley.
Me
anytime
* * *
I didn’t expect it to be quite so soon.
The next morning, I hit their home gym with Oliver and his trainer. While doing bench presses with my headphones on—trying to think about anything other than Sebastian Langley and our brief conversation yesterday—he suddenly appeared above me. He smiled down at me, holding the bar to keep it from crushing me. He said something, and I sat up, pulling off my headphones.
“Sorry, what?” I was still catching my breath.
He leaned on the bar, looking entirely out of place in his crisp, white button-down and black trousers. “I said I can spot you if you’d like,” he repeated.
Grateful that my flushed face could be blamed on the workout, I replied, “I’m good, thanks. What are you doing here?” I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a towel.
“Enjoying the view,” he said smoothly.
He smirked, and I suddenly felt exposed in my gym clothes. My sleeveless, thin shirt and shorts that weren’t quite long enough made me self-conscious. Even if his attention was thrilling.
“Funny,” I muttered, not knowing what else to say. I stood up, and he handed me my water bottle. Taking a long sip, I welcomed the distraction.
“Oli and Charlie invited me yesterday. Thought I’d show up for breakfast,” he said with a casual shrug.
He looked even better than I remembered with his neatly styled hair—slightly tousled but definitely intentional. His groomed stubble, pressed sleeves, expensive wristwatch, and that belt accentuating his narrow hips—all of it screamed effortless sophistication. He made me feel incredibly inadequate.
“Don’t you live in DC?”
He nodded. “Drove over this morning. Charlie mentioned you were here.”
I glanced around and realized Oliver was no longer in the room. It was just us.
“I didn’t notice they’d left,” I said, gesturing around the empty gym.
