“Fine,” I said decisively. “We can talk.”
His smile widened and I was momentarily fascinated by his lip ring.
“But only if you tell me who you are and why you lied to me.”
Sebastian laughed, the sound even sexier than when he spoke. He nodded his head to Chloe. “I’ll have her home in an hour. Promise.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting for her,” Chloe answered, looking somber for a moment.
Sebastian surprised the crap out of me when he took my hand and linked his fingers with mine. I nearly stumbled over my own feet as I stared down at our joined hands.
I hadn’t held anyone’s hand in… well, probably not since high school. If even then.
But the feel of Sebastian’s work-roughened fingers against mine wasn’t the only surprise of the night. I nearly swallowed my tongue when he stopped at the black-as-night sports car that I’d seen in the parking lot earlier.
“Is that a…?” For the life of me, I couldn’t even think of the name of the car.
“A Camaro. Yeah.” Sebastian chuckled as he opened the passenger side door and waited for me to climb in.
Right. A Camaro.
Oh, crap. New car smell.
After he climbed in and started the engine, I peered over at him and asked, “Is this yours?”
“Maybe.” That slow smirk tilted his lips and I wanted to reach over and touch his mouth.
With mine.
Shaking off the thought, I turned and looked out the windshield. “You mentioned ice cream,” I said blandly, hoping he couldn’t see the lust that was likely causing smoke to seep out of my ears.
“Yes, ma’am.” With that, Sebastian put the car in gear.
At that point, I held on for dear life.
Chapter Eighteen
Payton
It was a good thing Sebastian chose an ice cream shop just a few miles away. If I’d had to spend any more time in that car with him, I might have had a nervous breakdown.
I was pretty sure he didn’t even know that speed limits existed.
The only positive was that he handled the car like a professional. It was both disturbing and strangely exciting. Watching him shift gears, admiring his big hands… Yeah, needless to say, I needed a cold shower more than I needed ice cream.
Luckily, Sebastian came around to open my door because, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to open it on my own after fumbling in the dark for a moment. From that point on, I didn’t say anything until the cute girl behind the counter asked what ice cream we wanted. I was surprised that she heard me, considering she was batting her eyelashes and ogling Sebastian the entire time she was working.
Sebastian hovered close behind me while she prepared our ice cream. When she was finished, he paid and then took my hand again. I was still trying to get used to the idea of holding his hand. It was oddly settling. I felt almost… cherished. Protected.
“Let’s eat outside,” he said, carrying both paper bowls of ice cream.
I glanced around the inside, noticing there were three perfectly good tables available, but there was also a family sitting at one table with two little kids playing tag around a chair. Did he not like kids?
I didn’t ask him because we were on the move once again and I was simply trying to remember how to walk, much less talk and walk at the same time.
“I take it you’re close to Toby and Leif,” I commented once we were seated at a small metal table in front of the little shop. A worn red umbrella hovering over the table flapped in the cool night breeze.
“I’ve known Leif since I was fourteen. Met Toby in high school.”
“Do they live with you?” I didn’t even know where Sebastian lived, so it was a logical question.
“Nope. At least not yet. Leif’s looking for a place. We’ve talked about him renting a room from me.”
“Do you live in a house or apartment?” I didn’t mean to ply him with so many questions, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know everything there was to know about him. It probably would have been awkward if I’d just sat there and stared at him, too.
“House,” Sebastian answered, his tone changing. I wondered if that was a sore subject. Seemed strange that he wouldn’t want to talk about where he lived, but I took the hint.
“What about you? House or apartment?”
“Apartment. I live with Chloe.” For some reason, I didn’t want to mention that I lived with Aaron as well, which I knew wasn’t completely honest. Aaron was my roommate, my best friend, but he was still a guy. Gay or not, I wasn’t sure how Sebastian would take the fact that I did live with a guy so I kept my mouth shut.
A couple of family’s made their way into the ice cream shop and I busied myself by watching the little kids run around in circles. Sebastian seemed to be intently studying me, and I fought the urge to squirm under his penetrating gaze.
“Why’d you let me believe you were Mr. Trovato’s mechanic?” I asked bluntly, when it was clear Sebastian wasn’t going to restart the conversation.
“Why’d you assume I was?”
I stared blankly at him, my spoon halfway to my mouth. “Because you were covered in grease?”
“If I’d been covered in flour would you’ve thought I was the cook?”
“No.” My answer came just a little too quickly.
Damn it. He was right. I’d made the assumption all on my own.
“See my point yet?” Sebastian’s glowing eyes locked with mine.
“Fine.” I shoved the little pink plastic spoon in my mouth, accepting that he was right. The rich chocolate flavor burst on my tongue, but the only thing I could think about was how much better it would be if I could cover Sebastian in it and then lick it off.
“Quit picturing me naked,” he said smoothly, arrogantly.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “In your dreams.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” he mumbled almost too softly to hear before spooning vanilla ice cream into his mouth.
His ice cream caught my eye and I glanced back and forth between his and mine. Chocolate and vanilla. Total opposites. Why did I have the feeling that our choice in ice cream probably wasn’t the only thing different between us?
I didn’t know him. Other than the way he looked, that he lived in a house not an apartment, and that he went out tonight with two guys he’d known for a long time anyway. I knew he worked for Conrad Trovato. In what capacity, I wasn’t sure. I knew his last name was Trovato, which could only mean he was related to Conrad in some way. I mean seriously, Trovato wasn’t a common name, so what were the odds?
I scraped my ice cream with my spoon as I met his gaze again. “Do you work for Mr. Trovato?”
“You could say that,” he mumbled.
“What do you do for him?” I asked, curious.
“A little of this, a little of that.”
My anger reignited and I stabbed my ice cream with my spoon. “Would you mind taking me home?” I was suddenly too frustrated to sit there with him. He’d been relatively forthcoming with my questions earlier, but they’d been significantly less personal. Seemed that when I wanted to dig deeper, he just wanted to close himself off.
I didn’t want to play that game with him.
His eyes widened, the golden orbs drawing me in yet again. “Why?”
“I clearly misunderstood your reason for wanting to get ice cream. I thought we were here to talk, yet you won’t give me a straight answer to any of my questions.”
“Not true,” he countered. “I answered you.”
“Yeah,” I huffed. “You told me that you live in a house. You didn’t elaborate, didn’t share anything more than that. And now that I want to know something more personal, you just clam up.”
Sebastian didn’t say anything, he turned his attention back to his ice cream, avoiding looking at me altogether.
I sighed.
“Since I’m not interested in anything else from you, aside from maybe some friendly conver
sation, I think it’s safe to say we’re done here.”
I got to my feet, looking down at him.
He slowly rose from his seat and I kept my eyes locked with his until I had to look up at him.
“Look.” Sebastian took my hand, watching me as though he thought I was going to run.
What was it with this guy and holding my hand? It wasn’t that it didn’t feel good, I was quite fond of the way he touched me, the spark that sizzled along my skin from the connection, but it disarmed me at the same time. And I had a feeling that I needed as much armor as possible when it came to Sebastian Trovato.
His thumb brushed over my knuckles a couple of times before he spoke. The sweet touch made my knees and my anger weaken.
“You’re right,” he finally said, closing his eyes briefly. “I’ll take you home.”
Leaving the ice cream to melt on the table, Sebastian motioned toward the car and then followed me without saying another word.
The most awkward car ride ensued, the only words spoken between us were when I had to give him directions on how to get to my apartment.
I was trying to figure out what to say, if anything, when Sebastian stopped in front of my building. I peeked over at him to find him staring down at his hand on the gear shift.
“Uhh…” I knew I at least needed to say thank you. That was the polite thing to do, right?
“Where’s your boyfriend?” His words were spoken so softly, they were hard to make out.
“What?” I was confused.
He looked up, meeting my gaze in the darkness. “The guy you were with at the party. Your boyfriend. Why aren’t you with him tonight?”
Oh, crap. I’d let him believe that Aaron was my boyfriend.
I looked away quickly, choosing to stare out the windshield while I tried to gather my thoughts.
“He’s not your boyfriend, is he?” Sebastian questioned.
“No,” I admitted, hating the fact that he’d caught me in a lie. Aaron had been my excuse, the only logical excuse I had to stay far, far away from Sebastian.
“Then who is he?”
I closed my eyes, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn’t make me sound like I had lied to him or led him to believe something that wasn’t true. The way he had done to me.
Before I could get the words out, Sebastian surprised me by reaching over and sliding his hand behind my neck, pulling me to him. One minute he was sitting still, the next he was pulling me toward him, his mouth meeting mine. He wasn’t rough, but he wasn’t gentle either. And when our lips touched, all of my air escaped in a pathetic little sigh.
His tongue slid over my bottom lip before coaxing its way into my mouth. I reached for him, unable to resist the opportunity to touch him. His shoulders were hard, the muscles tense beneath the navy T-shirt he wore. The short hair on the back of his head sensually scraped against my palm as my tongue slid against his. To my utter embarrassment, I moaned. And that only spurred Sebastian on. He pulled me closer, our lips crushed together as he devoured me. That was the only description for what was happening between us.
And holy crap! It was a good thing I was sitting down because my legs had turned to jelly, my entire body quaking from the intensity of his kiss.
I slid my hands higher, pulling his hair gently, sinking my fingers into the longer locks on the top. Oh, God. What was I doing?
I knew absolutely nothing about this man other than he was a shitty conversationalist and the world’s greatest kisser and though my brain was screaming for me to pull away, to jump out of the car and run far and fast, I couldn’t do it. I was scared if he kept kissing me, I was going to figure out a way to climb his body and that would be a devastation that I’d never survive.
But then he was pulling away, nibbling at my lips briefly before his eyes met mine. His hand was still cupping my nape, his thumb rasping over my cheek. We were both breathless, and I still wasn’t trying to get away from him.
“So, no boyfriend?”
I shook my head.
“Then we’re even.”
I knew what he was referring to. He had led me to believe he was Conrad’s mechanic, and I had led him to believe Aaron was my boyfriend. So, yes, we were even.
“Let me see you again, Angel,” Sebastian whispered, resting his forehead against mine. “I…” He paused, his eyes still peering into mine. “I just need to see you again.”
“Why?” I asked, wanting to know.
It was clear he didn’t want to tell me anything about himself, and I’d been honest when I said that was what I wanted from him. I was quite capable of controlling my own hormones, although you might not be able to tell it by the way I’d kissed him as though my life depended on it.
“I can’t explain it.”
I couldn’t either. And none of it made sense.
I’d met guys like Sebastian. They were the bad boys that good girls like me stayed away from, the ones that were looking for fast and dirty sex — something I was pretty sure I couldn’t even offer, thank you very much.
With every intention of telling him that we’d be better off just moving along, I was shocked to the roots of my hair when I whispered, “Why don’t I give you my phone number and we’ll see how it goes?”
Sebastian pulled away and I immediately missed the warmth of his hand on my neck. “Let me see your phone,” he stated gently, his eyes never leaving mine.
I grabbed my phone from my purse and handed it to him as though there wasn’t anything weird about giving it to a complete stranger.
He’s not too much of a stranger, you know what his lips feel like.
I ignored that little voice in my head while I watched him dial a number. A second later, his cell phone rang. He hung up and then did the opposite, calling my phone from his number.
“Done.”
Yes, I guess we were. “Okay, then.” I twisted in my seat, ready to reach for the door handle.
Once again, Sebastian caught me off guard when he reached for me. This time his lips brushed mine ever so gently and I breathed him in. He smelled good. Something spicy and rich and I wanted to inhale him until the scent was embedded in my brain.
“I need to see you again,” he whispered against my lips, and this time, I heard the desperation in his tone. Or was that just lust?
It was strange. It didn’t sound like he was trying to push me to invite him in, but that he truly wanted to see me again in the future. And as upset as I was at him for duping me earlier in the day, I couldn’t lie and say that I didn’t want the same thing.
Rather than drag it out any longer, I leaned in and pressed my mouth to his, feeling the metal of his lip ring against my bottom lip. Unable to resist, I slid my tongue over the cool metal, but I didn’t linger past that. I nodded my head and then reached for the door handle, finding it instantly although I hadn’t even seen it earlier.
Without another word, I climbed out and closed the door, glancing back one more time as I made my way up the stairs. Sebastian’s car remained in the parking lot until I entered my apartment.
Once inside, I quickly closed and locked the door behind me. As I listened until the throaty rumble of the car’s engine disappeared into the night, I closed my eyes and leaned against the front door, wondering just what I was supposed to do now.
Chapter Nineteen
Payton
By noon the following day, I was counting down the seconds until I could go home. Conrad had taken the day off, but I still had to remain in the office to field his phone calls and work on the logistics for an upcoming trip he was taking to Las Vegas. Apparently the SEMA show was as big a deal for Trovato, Inc. as it was for my father and his little body shop. Then again, they were both in the automotive industry, so it made sense. With the trip coming up next week, I had to finalize the details. Thankfully, Jasmine had scheduled everything months ago, so I was just confirming that it was all still in order.
I was pretty sure the universe was out to get me because, from the time I arr
ived at eight, coming in later because Mr. Trovato wasn’t going to be in the office, the phone rang all of seven times. Two of those had been solicitors that I had politely asked not to call back. I had learned already that when Mr. Trovato was out of the office, no one generally came to see him, which was no different today. I was sitting on the second floor by myself, willing the phone to ring so I’d at least have someone to talk to for a few minutes.
The rest of the time I was thinking about Sebastian and the kiss we’d shared the night before. I couldn’t stop replaying his words over and over in my head. I need to see you again. It hadn’t slipped past me that he’d used the word “need” rather than “want.” And when he said it, that was exactly how it made me feel. As though it was critical that we didn’t let this end before it ever got started.
The universe must have heard me moaning and groaning because the phone on my desk rang. I eagerly reached for it, answering with “Trovato, Inc. Conrad Trovato’s office. How may I help you?”
“Payton.”
I instantly sat up straight when I heard my boss’s voice on the phone. I hadn’t expected him to call, and a million things ran through my mind. Was he upset? Did I do something wrong? Was he going to fire me on the phone?
Don’t ask me why I got so antsy, I just did.
“Yes, sir?” I replied, holding my breath.
“You’re working on the trip to Vegas next week, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I need you to plan to go with me.”
Oh, no. Please no. I did not want to travel. It just wasn’t my thing.
Not that I could tell Conrad that. My job was to assist him and, technically, if he needed me to go along on a business trip with him, I wasn’t supposed to argue. “Okay,” I answered hesitantly.
“My wife and daughter will be coming along. Book yourself a hotel room. Make sure you’re in the same hotel that we are.”
“Yes, sir.” It seemed those were the only two words that still existed in my vocabulary.
“Thanks, Payton. I’ll see you Monday morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
Unhinged (Unhinged #1) Page 11