“Now you’re splitting hairs.”
I shrug. “What? How is that splitting hairs? He didn’t kill anyone, Maya. He may have been in the room when someone died, but that… never mind. It doesn’t matter. I saw the light and kicked him out.”
“You didn’t see the light, Tilly.” She takes a sip of her iced water. “Sebastian saved the day. You told me he walked in just in the nick of time.”
I swear my sister has selective hearing when it comes to me.
When I met her at this restaurant thirty minutes ago, the first words out of her mouth were about Sebastian. She wanted to know everything that’s happened between the two of us since I got back from San Francisco.
I skipped right past seeing him naked to the night he walked in to find Donald sitting on the sofa waiting to take me out to dinner.
“The details don’t matter.” I run my hand through my hair. “What matters is that I can cross another man off my list.”
Her gaze drops to her phone yet again. It’s the third time in the past ten minutes. I know as a real estate broker she doesn’t clock out at five o’clock the way that I do. She’s on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for her clients.
“Do you have any fun work stories to share?” I shift the subject from men to her. I love hearing about Maya’s work. It’s one of her true passions.
“Since we’re celebrating your belated birthday tonight, I asked Julian to come for dinner too.” Her lips curve into a smile.
I’m not disappointed. I’ve never been close to Grant, Frannie’s husband, and since I’ve never had a brother of my own, I’ve hoped that Julian and I could build a bond that would fill that void in my life.
“Is he on his way?” I glance at the screen of her phone.
“He’s walking in now.” She gestures to the glass door at the entrance of the restaurant.
I look over expecting to see my future brother-in-law. I do, and as Julian lifts his hand to wave in our direction, I spot the handsome man on his heel.
Dressed as he was this morning, but with a late day shadow covering his jaw, Sebastian Wolf smiles at me and my heart skips a solid beat.
***
“Is business always this brisk?” Sebastian asks after Julian orders a bottle of red wine for the table.
This restaurant just happens to be inside of a Bishop Hotel. That means we’ll get extra special service. The staff straightened up the moment they noticed Julian walking toward our table.
“It’s been a steady increase since we opened.” He reaches for Maya’s hand. “Did you ask Tilly yet?”
Ask me what?
Before I get a chance to blurt that question out, Maya pipes up. “Not yet. I thought we could do it together. You ask Sebastian and I’ll ask Tilly.”
Sebastian clears his throat.
I haven’t glanced in his direction since he sat next to me. He’s been on my mind all day and after my little self-love fest this morning before work, I feel a tinge of guilt. I used my imagination to picture Sebastian naked again. It’s becoming a habit that I doubt I’ll be breaking anytime soon.
“I already asked Sebastian,” Julian says as he runs the pad of his thumb in a circle over my sister’s palm.
Maya’s gaze darts from his face to Sebastian’s. “You said yes, didn’t you? Tell me you said yes.”
“Of course I did.”
I finally look at him, wondering exactly what the question was.
I’m greeted with a sinfully sexy smile and a cock of his left brow. “Matilda will say yes too.”
Yes. Whatever it is, yes.
“Tilly.” Maya taps me on the shoulder and I hesitantly turn to look at her.
My sister’s eyes are welling with tears. She rarely cries so I know that whatever she’s about to say is tugging at her heartstrings.
“What is it, Maya?” I ask softly. “What do you want to ask me?”
“I love you,” she starts with a hiccup. “You’re my best friend. You know that, right?”
I don’t. I always thought Falon Shaw was my sister’s best friend mainly because Maya introduced her that way when I first moved to New York.
I nod. “I love you too.”
“We’re getting married soon.” She looks to Julian with a smile before her gaze settles back on my face. “I want you to be my maid-of-honor. I want you to stand next to me when I marry the love of my life.”
I feel my bottom lip tremble. “Me?”
“You.” She reaches to cup her hand over my cheek. “I talked to Frannie about it this morning. I wanted her to know that I picked you.”
“I thought…” I begin before I glance over at Julian. He’s smiling. His hands are folded together on the table in front of him. When I look back at Maya, her tears have dried. “I thought you’d ask both of us. Frannie asked us both to stand up for her at her wedding.”
“I thought about it, but I want it to be you.” She sighs. “We’ve become so close since you moved here and Frannie totally gets it. Besides, Becca and Jolie are going to be flower girls.”
Frannie’s daughters will make perfect flower girls.
“Tell me you’ll do it.” Maya laughs. “You want to do it, right?”
“Of course I’ll do it.” I throw my arms around her shoulders. “Thank you, Maya. Thank you for picking me.”
Chapter 19
Sebastian
I don’t know how I made it through that dinner without touching Matilda. She was sitting so close to me and looked so fucking beautiful in that navy blue shift dress she was wearing.
She wore her hair down again. This time it was straightened and the light coating of pale lipstick she put on after we’d finished dessert was a beacon that was luring me to her perfect mouth.
Jesus, I wanted to kiss her when she leaned over and whispered that the chocolate cake was the best thing she’d ever tasted.
I wanted to taste her. Her lips, her skin, her pussy, all of her.
I try to shake off the thought as I sit in our living room now.
We’d shared a taxi with Maya and Julian, which meant I was stuck in the front seat while the three of them piled into the back.
They dropped us at our apartment first with a round of hugs and a promise to meet for dinner again in a couple of weeks to go over wedding plans.
I don’t know the first thing about planning a celebration of that magnitude, but I’ll do it. I’ll sit through any discussion about flowers, caterers and photographers if I can do it with Matilda.
“When did Julian ask you to be his best man?” Matilda’s voice comes at me from behind.
I sat down on the sofa as soon as we got home. She took off toward her bedroom muttering something about needing to get out of her dress.
The offer to unzip the back of her dress danced on my lips, but I held back because I know I’d want to touch more of her skin and I can’t read if she’s feeling the same pull to me as I am to her.
“Right before we got to the restaurant.” I glance back to see her approaching.
She’s changed into cut-off denim shorts and a pink T-shirt. Her toned legs are on display, her nipples have furled into tight points beneath the fabric of the shirt.
“I was surprised that Maya asked me tonight.” She sits in the oversized armchair that faces the sofa. “I thought it would be just another birthday dinner, but it turned into a really special night.”
I run my palms over my thighs trying to curb my arousal. “I had a great time.”
“Me too,” she says softly. “Julian and Maya are so in love, aren’t they? You can feel it when you’re near them. At least I can.”
I don’t know what love feels like.
“Have you ever been in love?” I ask before I realize that I don’t want to know the answer. I don’t want to hear about her feeling anything substantial for another man even though I don’t know what the fuck it is that I’m feeling for her.
It feels like lust, a pure carnal need to fuck her.
I close my eye
s against the swell of my cock in my jeans.
“Once,” she whispers. “It was forever ago.”
I glance over at her. She’s shifted slightly in her seat, so her legs are now crossed at the knee.
“How long is forever ago?” I lean forward, resting my forearms on my thighs.
“High school.” She laughs. “Is it love if you’re not even eighteen-years-old?”
I watch her face as I answer. “I think it’s love if your heart says it is.”
“Mine did.” She bows her head. “I thought he would be my forever, but it didn’t work out.”
I’ve never felt that with a woman.
“I saw him when I was in San Francisco.” She glances over at me. “He dropped by my sister’s house when we were having birthday cake.”
“You invited him?”
My question surprises her. I see it in the slight perk of her brows. “Frannie’s husband, Grant, did. They’re friends.”
“What’s his name?” My throat tightens. None of this is my fucking business, but I can’t help myself. I crave the knowledge of who this guy is.
She glances at the window and the lights of the city beyond. “Boyd.”
Boyd. I hate the name now.
“What was it like seeing Boyd?” His name snaps off my tongue.
“Strange.” She frowns. “I hadn’t seen him since Frannie’s wedding.”
Good. I remember Julian telling me that Frannie has been married for years.
“We talked briefly at the birthday party.” She looks down at her fingernails. “It was mostly about his job, my job, the weather here versus there. It was just a lot of random shit.”
I laugh. “Sounds exciting.”
Her lips curl into a smile. “It was boring and it made me wonder what I saw in him all those years ago. There wasn’t a spark there anymore.”
I feel my body relax. “So Boyd is a bore?”
She catches the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth. “A big bore. He’s not my type at all anymore.”
I ask because it’s right there, dangling like a hook in front of me. “What’s your type, Matilda?”
She starts to blush, her hand jumping to her chest. “What’s your type?” she counters just as her phone starts ringing next to her.
I toss my head back into the sofa and close my eyes.
Fuck. Just fuck.
“It’s Frannie,” she says softly. “She wants to video chat. I’ll take it in my room.”
I don’t respond because I was about to tell her that she’s my type and then her damn phone rang. Matilda Baker is exactly the type of woman I want in my bed.
She’s the only woman I want in my bed.
Chapter 20
Tilly
“Why the frown, you clown?” Frannie laughs at her joke.
I shake my head at the camera on my phone. “That’s about as funny now as it was when you first said it. We were eight-years-old then, Fran.”
“Maya just asked you to be her maid-of-honor.” She tilts her head. “I thought you’d be crying.”
“I’m happy.” I nod. “I’m excited too.”
“You’ll do a great job.” She tugs the strap of her sundress up until it’s sitting on her shoulder. It slips down almost instantly. “It’s important to Maya that you stand beside her when she marries Julian. I’m going to be the flower girl wrangler.”
I laugh. “I heard. Are the girls excited?”
“Jolie is. Becca is too young to understand.” She sighs. “I got my period today.”
When I was in San Francisco, Fran made a point of telling me on a daily basis about her desire to have another baby. She loves children. It’s obvious whenever I see her with her daughters.
“I’m sorry.” I look directly into the camera. “I know today must be hard for you.”
A soft smile touches her lips. “It is, but it’s not meant to be yet.”
Both of her pregnancies were surprises. Now that she’s focused and actively trying, it’s not happening. This is the third month in a row she’s called me with the news that a new baby isn’t on its way.
I pause when I hear the unmistakable squeak of the loose floorboard in the foyer followed by the sound of the apartment door closing. That means Sebastian left. I look up at the top of my phone’s screen at the time. It’s almost midnight.
“I should get to bed soon, Frannie,” I lie. I won’t be able to sleep. I’m still thinking about the conversation I was having with Sebastian before this call interrupted me.
He was about to tell me what type of woman he’s attracted to. I had braced myself for him to say redheads since I know he fucked Wendy, but I imagine his type varies depending on what he’s in the mood for.
When his leg brushed mine during dinner, I felt a shiver run through me. I glanced at him, but his gaze was locked on a woman sitting at the bar near the restaurant’s entrance.
She was blonde with long legs and shoes that cost more than I make in a year.
Maybe he’s on his way back there now.
“Tilly?” Frannie’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You’ve got something on your mind. What is it?”
“Sleep.” I manage a small laugh. “I have to be at the clinic bright and early.”
She eyes me with skepticism. “You’re lying, but I’m going to let you off the hook because I can see that you’re tired.”
I’ll take the insult if it means I can end the call.
“Good night, Frannie.” I smile into the camera. “Sweet dreams.”
She blows me a kiss. “’Night, Tilly.”
***
“I always knew you were trouble,” Dr. Hunt says from where he’s standing in the doorway of the break room.
I’m just finishing my lunch which consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made in a rush this morning before work.
I pressed the snooze button twice before I rolled out of bed and into a warm shower.
Once I was dressed in my scrubs and I’d finished braiding my hair, I went into the kitchen with the hope that I’d see Sebastian.
He wasn’t there and his bedroom door was wide open. He either didn’t make it home last night or he left before the crack of dawn.
Either way, I felt a stab of disappointment as I poured my morning coffee into a travel mug to take with me.
“What did I do now?” I smile at my boss.
Donovan Hunt has been good to me. He gave me this job right after I landed in New York City. Sometimes I have to work long hours, but the pay is excellent and the benefit is that I get to spend all day with one of the most respected veterinarians in the city. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a handsome and kind man.
“You tell me.” He jerks his thumb toward the waiting room. “There’s a police detective here to see you.”
“Sebastian Wolf?” My heartbeat quickens when I say his name.
“That’s the one.” Donovan nods. “I take it you didn’t rob a bank. This is a personal visit?”
“It is,” I say quietly.
“I thought so.” He laughs. “The guy had a smile as wide as the ocean on his face when he asked for you.”
I bow my head to hide the blush I feel blooming on my cheeks. “I’ll be right out.”
He turns to leave. “It’s good to see you happy, Matilda.”
It’s good to feel happy. I brush my hands over the front of my scrubs and follow Donovan out the door.
Chapter 21
Tilly
I see Sebastian immediately when I walk into the waiting room. He’s standing next to the reception desk. He’s still wearing the same clothes he was last night. His jaw is now covered with day-old stubble. He looks amazing.
“Matilda,” he says my name as he sees me approaching. “I’m sorry for bothering you at work.”
“No.” I shake my head slightly. “It’s not a bother at all.”
It’s more of a thrill actually; at least my nipples and other parts of me feel that way.
“I�
��m on my way home.” He exhales. “I got caught up in a case last night.”
I drifted off to sleep thinking he’d gone back to Axel Tribeca to bed the blonde with the killer shoes. I feel a sense of relief knowing that he was at work.
He looks around the packed waiting room. “You’re actually one of the reasons for the new lead I was working overnight.”
“Me?” My hand darts to the center of my chest.
“I’ve been trying to track down a witness to a case for weeks.” He rakes his hand through his hair. “She got spooked and went into hiding. Apparently, she came out because I spotted her sitting at the bar at Axel Tribeca last night.”
He has to be talking about the blonde I thought he was checking out.
“I’m happy to help,” I say jokingly. “Did you come down here to tell me that?”
“No. I brought you something.”
My gaze drops to his hands and the small white paper bag he’s holding. “What is it?”
“Cake.” He pushes it toward me. “Chocolate cake. It’s from Axel Tribeca. Maya ate most of the piece you ordered last night so I thought I’d pick up a slice just for you. You don’t have to share this with anyone.”
My hands tremble as I take the bag from him. He can’t know how much his words mean to me. How much this gesture means.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I was passing the hotel and thought of you.” He leans his hip against the reception counter. “Promise me you won’t share it. You’ll savor every bite yourself.”
My eyes lock with his and I feel a rush of energy I’ve never felt before. “I promise.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’ll see you then,” I manage in a small voice. “Thank you again.”
His eyes linger on my lips. “It was my pleasure, Matilda.”
My heart pounds in my chest as I watch him walk out of the clinic, wishing that I were going home to bed with him.
***
“I need an umbrella,” I mutter as I race across the wet sidewalk toward my apartment building.
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