Page 57 of Piece By Piece

He doesn’t reply for a second, too busy ogling me in the black dress to speak. I watch him in the mirror, shifting on my feet when I feel myself getting turned on under hisheated gaze. Shit, he’s on the other side of the room and my skin is burning up. If I didn’t already plan on finally giving in tonight, I sure would be considering it now.

“Sebastian,” I prod slightly, unable to hide my satisfied smirk. His eyes snap to mine, letting me see all his lust before blinking it away.

“Sorry.” He clears his throat. “Yeah, it was good. Though, the others gave me shit when I told them I was busy tonight.”

I set down my mascara and turn to face him. “If you want to see them or ask them to tag along, that’s fine. I totally understand.” I hate to think that I’m the reason he can’t spend his birthday with his best friends. I know he’s been seeing them a lot less than usual since I moved in and while I feel guilty, I don’t know what to do about it. I never asked him to stop throwing parties or inviting his friends over.

Sebastian smiles softly and steps closer, shaking his head. “We have a reservation for a table for two and I have no intention of changing that. I told you, I’m not a fan of my birthday. Besides, I’m throwing a party this Saturday, they can stop being up my ass then.”

I chuckle at his assessment and nod my agreement. It’s his day. If he wants to spend a quiet evening with me, that’s more than fine.

“All right, then, I see you have a head start when it comes to getting ready. I have to take a shower, do you mind?” he asks.

I shake my head, smiling wider. “Please, go ahead. I do remember the offer of a show if I’m not mistaken,” I tell him.

The second he realizes what I’m referring to and that I’m proposing to stay right here while he takes a showerbehind that glass door, he blushes. “Right.” He chuckles, getting over the shock. Then, I have the pleasure of watching him strip, revealing more and more of his fair golden skin peppered with ink and those carved muscles of his.

Yeah, that’s a sight for sore eyes. I don’t even try to conceal my ogling when he pulls down his boxers and discards them. Without looking at me, he walks to the shower and turns on the water, giving me a great view of his defined backside.

I’m tempted to discard my plan for tonight and just join him right now. I just barely manage to restrain myself.

Sebastian groans and my eyes flick to his, realizing he’s staring at me now as he steps under the steaming water. “Fuck, stop looking at me like that. Especially now that I know exactly what that look means.” he tells me, seeming almost anguished. I smile innocently.

“How?”

“Like you damn well want me to get a boner without even touching me. Wicked troublemaker.”

My eyes flick to the apex of his legs, and I nearly laugh when I spot his semi. It’s good to know that my attention has the same effect on him as his has on me.

“It’s a shame we don’t have time to take care of that now, I guess. Well, better hurry up or we’ll be late for dinner,” I tell him, my voice sickly sweet. He has the heart to laugh with me, shaking his head as he turns around to get clean.

Chapter 25

Sebastian

Dinner at a restaurant with Aliena alone is surprisingly easy. I was worried it might be forced and uncomfortable, coming across as a date when I invited her but it’s not. I should have known Aliena wouldn’t mistake this for anything it’s not.

As the waiter takes away our finished dishes, asking how we liked our appetizers, Aliena picks up her phone, smiling to herself at whatever she finds there. I try to quell my curiosity but the question as to who texted her is on the tip of my tongue, something close to jealousy turning my stomach.

Forcing my gaze from her face, I thank the waiter and tell him the food was great. By the time I’m done saying as much, Aliena has put her phone down again. “Sorry for that,” she tells me, a soft smile still playing on her lips.

“Don’t worry about it,” I assure her right as my phone chimes in my pocket. She smiles more widely and gives me a pointed look.

“Check it. It’s only fair,” she insists and while I usually wouldn’t, the way she’s looking at me is enough to convince me otherwise. Her eyes hold something Mischievous. Like she’s in on something funny but won’t tell me.

I check my phone, cocking a brow at Aliena when I see the message I’ve received is from her. She sent me a picture.

Wordlessly, I click on it, nearly choking on thin air when it is done loading. Because there she is, the girl currently sitting opposite me, wearing nothing more than a matching lingerie set in my favorite color.

I swallow thickly, having trouble taking my eyes off the photo to look at Aliena. “What is this?” I ask hoarsely.

She shrugs elegantly, throwing me a feline smile. “Consider it your birthday present. Do you like it?” she asks.

My eyes flick back to the picture almost without my permission. I turn my phone off after a few long seconds, chuckling to myself as I try to pull myself together. “Yeah. Fuck, Aliena, yes, I like it. I hate that you showed me this now, though, when we’re still a course away from the privacy of our home.”

“Two courses,” she corrects me. “Don’t forget about dessert.”

“Oh, Sweetheart, I just looked at my dessert. Don’t worry, I won’t forget,” I tell her, satisfied when a blush creeps over her cheeks.

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