by Hazel Parker
“You have a library?” she asked in delight. “An official community library?”
“I wouldn’t know about official,” he murmured, “But yes, it’s a huge library and all that.”
“That is splendid,” she replied. “Maybe you could take me sometime?”
The warmth in her voice was doing something to him, and he wasn’t sure if he liked his reaction. Sebastian cleared his throat, which was suddenly dry. “I would love to. And I’m sure your uncle would love it, too.”
He expected disappointment at the option he gave out. Instead, she just nodded her head. “Well. That was a lovely tour Pastor Seb. Thank you for taking the time to do this for me.”
“It is my pleasure,” he replied. He glanced at his watch. “Reverend John will be here in a bit, so why don’t you wait here so you could meet up with him?”
“That’s the plan.”
And that was his cue to exit. Sebastian held out his hand. “It was nice meeting you, Lily.”
Lily looked down at his hand, stray hair falling off her forehead. Her hair color was somewhere between golden and brown and it glinted in the sun when she shifted her head. Finally her hand came up to accept his and it was so small that he ended up enveloping it completely.
But that wasn’t the most surprising of all.
The moment their hands touched a spark crackled—the kind that hadn’t happened to him in a long while. Or, if he was honest with himself, the kind that never really happened to him at all. While heat took place inside him there was a certain connection between them, something other than desire. Their eyes met and he saw awareness flare in hers and a flush spread across her cheeks before she tamped down her reaction and quickly removed her hand from his.
A different smile appeared on her face, almost formal. She felt that spark too and didn’t want to, as much as he was reluctant to acknowledge that. Lily nodded her head.
“It was nice meeting you too, Pastor Seb. See you around.”
“Yes, of course. Ask for me if you need anything. I can help you out.”
It was the wrong thing to say, especially with where his thoughts were headed. Sebastian could have cursed himself, but he fisted his hand instead and tried to remain calm. As if sensing what he meant her mouth opened before snapping shut and she nodded shortly.
“Thank you.”
Silence.
“I…think I’ll wait by the front pew. I’m sure he’ll be here shortly.”
The reverend. Right.
Like a douse of cold water they both stepped back and she turned around. Lily didn’t look back, merely kept walking up the aisle until she reached the front. Sebastian watched the graceful sway of her hips and the dip at the back of her neck before he shook his head and closed his eyes.
Who was he kidding? He felt an attraction to her.
And it was the dangerous kind.
In the span of a short tour Lily Ray Jameson had managed to snag his attention like no other woman had in the past few years. Because of this dilemma, Sebastian responded the best way he could. He ignored it and turned to walk to the back, intent on leaving her be.
Sebastian arrived home to a quiet house, and the first thing he did was take a shower again before getting changed for the night. He loved lounging around in his light sweatpants, especially during hot nights like this. Summer was coming in strong, and it was obvious it was just the beginning.
He heated some of Dorotha’s cooking then sat in the kitchen for a meal, savoring each bite before doing the dishes in quick, efficient movements. He took some time reading his notes for tomorrow’s class, remembering that a few of the elementary school kids were planning to stop by and visit. As he loved kids, he knew for sure that it was going to be tomorrow’s highlight. Deciding he had to get to know them first before discussing anything too serious, Sebastian arranged his notes and set them aside, wandering into the living room for a cold apple drink then out to his front yard to check on his neighborhood.
It had gone quiet with everyone already inside and only the street lamps illuminating the roads. Even so, no town had felt safer with a sense of community that was strong and resilient. He knew no kind of trouble would shake its foundation, and that was all thanks to the oldies who had taught good values to the younger generation—things like patience, respect and loyalty to one another.
He didn’t think even a beautiful sultry woman, who was unaware of her own sexuality, could shake it.
Lily might stir up interest, maybe some trouble; or she might not. That depended on her and how she handled the attention—which, he supposed, she was definitely going to get, with knockout looks like that. For his part, Sebastian had already made a vow to be as polite to her as he could and to stay as far away from her as was possible.
He was just going to have to do his best to keep that vow.
Blue eyes flashed in his mind, and he frowned at the sadness in them. Sebastian finished his drink fast then went back inside and turned in for the night, intent on forgetting all about the delectable Lily Ray.
Chapter Four
She had been meaning to get her car serviced while living in Los Angeles, but had put it off too many times until she eventually forgot. Having a wealthy boyfriend with wealthy friends meant always having a ride and Lowell had never been very pleased with her vehicle to begin with. It wasn’t fancy enough. He had offered to buy her one numerous times, and she had refused each time, not wanting to accept such an expensive gift that likely came with her owing him something. When they’d broken up and she’d left town it was the first time, in a long while, that she’d gotten around using her car.
She really should have had it checked before leaving.
But she’d been in a hurry, thoughts of her ex-boss on top of her ex-boyfriend on their bed still fresh in her mind and making her crazy. And it had been working fine on her way here, even when she got here. In fact it had been humming like a reliable bird the past few weeks when she used it to drive around town and get to know people, including attending her uncle’s religious service.
Apparently, it had just been biding its time.
The old Camaro started sputtering on her way home on a Thursday—slowly at first, barely noticeable in her thought-filled mind as she cruised along the empty road and appreciated the view of fields on both sides. This was often her favorite part of the drive, when no houses could be seen and the grass was almost yellow-green. She did pass by a lone car going in the town’s direction, glimpsed her widowed neighbor in the driver’s seat and gave a friendly wave, which was returned. After the fields were cottonwood trees, leaning down the middle and forming a shade that was practically picture-perfect.
That was when the sputtering got louder.
Lily frowned, not entirely sure if that meant it was going to give up on her now. The car was still running, albeit a bit slowly this time.
The sputtering got even louder.
Lily muttered under her breath, keeping up with her driving and repeatedly encouraging her car not to mess with her. Then, when the sputtering got so constant that it became the sound that dominated her surroundings, she began threatening her car by telling it how she was so gonna replace it if it failed her now and then she started begging.
“Please, please car. I’ll give you a supreme cleaning and really, really awesome oil if you get me home safely.”
God, she didn’t even have her uncle’s number—or anyone in town’s either for that matter. How could she be so completely clueless?
The car sputtered one last time, almost as if in response. Then it stopped completely, making no sound other than a hiss before it completely halted.
Lily glared at her steering wheel. “So much for bribery.”
Then she sighed and leaned back against her seat, wondering what she was going to do.
Forty-five minutes later, just when she had discovered a romance pocketbook in her backseat and delved into reading its cheesy scenes to avoid boredom, the sound of an oncoming car reached
her ears. Lily perked up, shutting the book and putting it down as she craned her neck to peek at her side mirror. She didn’t realize the sun had started setting down, and she could only see headlights and a lone driver’s figure.
Her excitement plummeted. What if Sunnydale wasn’t as safe as it seemed and she was going to be the first victim of a serial killer?
The car, a black Volkswagen, finally stopped behind her and a man got out. She still couldn’t see enough at this point so Lily decided to give herself a chance by locking her doors and taking out the heaviest object in her bag—her hardbound copy of Pride and Prejudice, which she had taken from her old work and never bothered returning.
Footsteps approached and she saw a torso encased in a black jacket stand beside her door and slowly lean down. Lily rolled the window down and gripped the book harder, prepared to smack it right across his face in case he did anything funny—
“Are you okay?”
Her hand froze, and so did her whole body.
She would have recognized that low, warm tone anywhere.
Lily looked up—and sure enough, green eyes looked down at her with a mixture of worry and curiosity, eyeing the book she still had in her hand. She dropped it immediately and nodded at him, calling out an I’m okay before getting out of her car.
The sun had turned pink and orange in the western sky and Lily found she wasn’t prepared for the sight of her town pastor silhouetted against it and looking too handsome for his own good. He was wearing simple black jeans and a white shirt beneath the jacket, but the way it molded against his body in just the right places had her mouth going dry.
Pastors weren’t supposed to look this hot. It should be illegal.
Realizing she was starting to sound like the women who sighed over him repeatedly, Lily inwardly scolded herself. Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. She focused on the situation and smiled as she stood in front of him.
“What happened?” he asked, looking at her car.
“It stopped…just stopped. I’ve been meaning to get it looked at. It’s been acting up lately.”
Sebastian took a look at the hood, and Lily answered the question on his mind that he wasn’t voicing.
“Even if I look at it, it wouldn’t matter because I wouldn’t know what to fix, anyway,” she said. Now she felt lame and ignorant. Another thing she had been meaning to do was learn some basic car maintenance—something she should have gotten to at an earlier time.
“Can I take a look, then?” he asked. “If you don’t mind, that is.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” she said, clicking the button to pop the hood. She went to the hood to pry it open and was unable to, since it seemed to be stuck.
Great.
Hands pried beside her, and Lily became aware of his heat as he managed to open it with ease. She peeked to the side and found him too focused on the car engine to pay any attention to their closeness.
Sebastian leaned forward, his arm brushing hers and sending a rush of tingles down her spine. Drawing in a breath, Lily deliberately took a step backward.
She cleared her throat. “Anything wrong?”
“Just some minor things,” Sebastian murmured. “Want to see how to fix this?”
Carefully, she stepped forward again without getting closer to him, staying on the other side. Lily watched in fascination as he tinkered, explaining in simple terms what he had done. He then asked her to try to start up the car, and she quickly put the key in the ignition and twisted. It worked—her car sputtered twice before humming back to life.
Lily grinned. “That was awesome, Pastor Seb.”
Sebastian finally removed his head out of the hood, returning her grin with a heart-stopping one. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek, and she indicated so. He wiped his cheek with his hand, but it was the wrong cheek. With a chuckle, Lily stepped forward and wiped it.
Something passed in his eyes, quickly gone before she could decipher it. She deduced it must have something to do with her touching him. Perhaps pastors weren’t allowed to be touched? Suddenly shy, Lily snatched her hand back and tried to act casual.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
In response, he merely smiled. “You really ought to invest in a good car.”
“Watch me get a job and save up for that,” she said brightly. Lily got into the car. “Thank you so much for your help. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”
Intense eyes gazed at her, and she tried not to squirm. Finally, he responded.
“Of course not. Anytime. Let me tail you.”
She blinked. “Tail?”
“In case your car gets messed up again on the way. Let me tail you home.”
The last thing she needed was to be near him again, but Sebastian looked like he was going to argue the point. With a shrug, Lily finally agreed and waited for him to get to his car.
The tailing was slow, considering how slow her car was running at this point. They got to her house just as the moon came out, and she tried to be polite and invited him to come up for a meal, since she owed him at least that. He surprised her by accepting, and the walk to the house was silent as she tried to get the lights started. A quick rummage in the fridge determined that she had nothing instant to feed, considering her uncle mostly stocked her up with canned goods and jam. No chips.
Lily groaned.
“Something wrong?”
There was that voice again, floating from the living room. Lily whipped out the only thing instantly edible.
“I only have iced tea,” she said apologetically.
“I’m good with anything, Lily.”
So she took two glasses to the living room and poured them drinks. The coldness of the drink made her sigh, considering how warm the day had been. She closed her eyes, savoring the sweetness as it hit her tongue. When she opened her eyes again, she found his gaze focused on her.
“Lovely tea,” he murmured.
She began to grow nervous, just with him being there—and when Lily was nervous, she often either shut up or talked too much. Since shutting up at this point would be incredibly rude, she ended up doing to latter.
“I really am a klutz when it comes to cars,” she began. “I never really had to drive one where I was from, so…yeah. It’s been a long time.”
Curiosity filled his green gaze. “You’re from Los Angeles, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. I was a manager for a book shop. But things happened, and I had to leave.”
He didn’t pry, which she appreciated. They went on to discuss other things, and she found herself growing comfortable again as he told her tales of the town’s highlights. She made them sandwiches of jam and peanut butter, which he ate without complaint. The guy really was a charmer without having to flirt, and that was another thing she appreciated about him. In turn, she told him a bit about her life in the city, and what she loved and hated about it.
“So you just used public transportation in Los Angeles?”
“Not necessarily. My ex drove me everywhere, which is basically what he’s good at other than lying and sex—” Lily paused as she realized what she had just said. She stared at Sebastian, who seemed to take it calmly as he took one last sip of his tea.
“And that’s my cue. I think I’d better go.”
Sebastian stood up, and Lily followed, wincing. “Sorry. I tend to blurt out stuff like that.”
A twinkle came into his eye. “No need to be sorry. It’s not like I haven’t heard the word before. But I really do need to go. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she murmured.
She watched him leave and drive off then glanced at her watch. Shock filled her when she realized they’d been talking for hours now and hadn’t even noticed. Had he not been a pastor, it would have more or less been like a date.
Except it wasn’t, and she really needed to get that thought out of her head.
As Lily cleaned things up and got ready for bed, she repeated a mantra in her head.
She was
absolutely not getting the hots for the town pastor.
Chapter Five
Sebastian was having quite the day, and it wasn’t even noon yet.
Mrs. Burns, one of the residents in town and wife of the owner of the only barber shop there, believed her only son was being possessed by the devil itself—and apparently, it had been going on for a while now, but they had been too afraid to report it. William was supposedly the one to handle it, but there was another incident on the opposite side of town that needed his attention, too—and so they flipped a coin and wished each other the best of luck before departing to their destinations.
When Sebastian got there, Mrs. Burns was beside herself, practically dragging him to the living room to serve him with a huge plateful of her famous cookies and milk. She chatted to him about her big concern for her son, telling him how absolutely sad she was that her precious little child was turning away from the Lord and succumbing to life’s evil ways.
“What has your son been doing to make you think that, Mrs. Burns?” Sebastian asked politely while chewing over a cookie, which was still warm.
The middle-aged woman turned teary eyes at him. “He has not been himself. He is distracted and sullen, and lately he has resorted to talking back to us whenever we try to reason with him! I’m just about all out of my wits trying to get him back in the world and the Lord. It’s the devil, I tell you!”
Mrs. Burns launched on with more descriptions of her sullen son, and after a while, decided to introduce Sebastian to the said boy, named Adam. She made a stomp for upstairs and dragged the boy down, who was protesting at the indecency of being dragged down by the ears. Sebastian saw a tall, lanky boy of about fifteen, who looked like he might still fill out his body if he ate right.
Mrs. Burns kept on with her nagging, and the boy only turned redder, avoiding his eyes. Sebastian didn’t say anything, merely kept eating his cookies and finishing his milk as he waited for the mother to finish.
Once she did, she turned to Sebastian expectantly, pleading for his help as she told him even her husband couldn’t control the boy’s rebellious ways anymore. Sebastian took one look at the boy. Then he nodded his head.