Page 80 of Mr. Aster
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jake said. “I’m calling you both out on this line of bullshit right now.”
I looked at Sebastian, knowing we were both blowing it. We were about to fuck everything up.
“It’s not bullshit,” Sebastian said. “You all should know by now that I don’t like to talk about my personal life. I am quite private.”
“Well, you’re in love with our girl,” Natalia said. “So, we want to know how it happened because, I swear to God, if you hurt her, we’ll hurt you worse than your parents will once you face them again.”
Natalia was serious as hell, and I knew why. She could tell this was getting a little too romantic between us and knew I was on a dangerous course if she didn’t intervene.
“Very well, then,” Sebastian said, looking at me. “I’ve never met anyone like you, and I’ve never been as happy as I am in your presence. Even when you’re irritated with me and bring out your combative nature, or when you constantly go against everything I do or say, and even your outlandish idea of trying to throw my ass up on an auction block to conceal the fact that we fell in love.”
“You know something?” I interjected, slowing down the love confession train. “I never told you this, but it hurt my feelings when you wanted to announce our relationship instead of doing my fun idea.”
Sebastian looked at me like I’d grown two heads, but it was time to switch things up. I think he might have had one too many grasshoppers today because something was off and evolving within him. It made me uncomfortable because if he were developing feelings for me, he would never follow through with them. I knew it, and he knew it. I couldn’t get caught in this trap.
It was time for me to become unattractive to him. Operation Save My Own Ass was now underway. I needed to turn this man off fast, and the only way I knew to do that was by acting like a needy, emotional, and clingy mess.
“Your feelings were hurt because I didn’t want to do ityourway?” he asked.
“Yes, and I was afraid to tell you that,” I said, knowing that being suddenly codependent should push him back into the corner where he belonged.
“If there’s one thing I know about you, gorgeous,” he said with a knowing grin, “you are not afraid of anything, much less speaking your mind to me.” He looked back at everyone studyingus, rightfully confused by what was happening, “It’s what I fell in love with about her, always putting my ass in its place.”
“Andyoutolerated that?” Jake questioned with a laugh.
“Tolerated? No. I blindly fell in love with her because of it.”
He pulled me close to his sturdy side, kissed my forehead, and proceeded to cloud my brain even more than my buzz was doing at the moment. I knew all this was coming, but I didn’t like any of my responses—or Sebastian’s responses—to it. This was a shit show of explanations, and I wasthis closeto telling everyone it was fake, it was a joke. That would piss off Sebastian and protect me from the way I was starting to want him, which was the same way I knew he wanted me.
I didn’t know what to do. I wanted the man, but I knew better. I was increasingly aware that what we did or said tonight wouldn’t affect anyone here, whether or not they believed our lie.
The real problem was what would happen when they left, and Sebastian and I were alone again. I didn’t trust myself or my judgment right now because I was battling the fact that I wanted this man, and I couldn’t figure out why.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sebastian
The whole night was like a blur. While conversing with everyone, I couldn’t focus on anything to save my life. I had no idea if Darcy and I had given ourselves away. Hell, I didn’t even remember what I ate for dinner at this point.
I only remember tasting Darcy’s kiss, feeling her hands on my back while wanting more, and then everyone arriving. I had no idea what to do with everything I was feeling. I was a man who always got what he desired, no questions asked. My personality was that of a predator hunting its prey, and now my focus was on this beautiful woman and what I wanted to do to and with her for the remainder of the night. My rational mind had been replaced with desperate need since I had come so close to fulfilling my desire.
“I’m heading to bed,” Darcy said as I walked back into the room after saying goodnight to our friends and excusing the staff. “I’m exhausted.”
“You did well not blowing our cover tonight,” I said, amused that she’d barely kept it together.
“You did, too,” she said dismissively.
I could tell that she was trying to escape from me. I closed the gap between where she and I stood. She seemingly considered whether she should flee and hide in her bedroom or stay here and allow me to do what I wanted all night: pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted by our friends.
I watched the battle she was mentally fighting play out in her eyes and her balled-up fists. I knew why she was terrified, and I also knew why she wanted to stay.
“I know I did well,” I said, voice lower, approaching her slowly so I wouldn’t scare her off and have her locking her door behind me after one wrong move. I felt like I was trying to catch a fish with my bare hands. “Because everything I said tonight was true.”
Her eyes seemed to go into a trance after I said those words, and I kept my eyes solely focused on hers. I reached up, aching to feel the softness of her perfect face again.
“Seb…” she paused, breathlessly saying the nickname I preferred for the first time, turning me on in a major way.
“Finally, you say my name,” I said, my hand caressing her face while my thumb traced her bottom lip.
