Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Sebastian treated me like a sister.
When he returned, he flashed me a weary smile before closing the bedroom door. “God, the tiredness just hit me.”
Did it?
Because I was tired until this scenario.
I gestured to the bed and Sebastian got in. Not overthinking it, I slipped in beside him, keeping my distance as I pulled the duvet over us. Then I switched off the bedside lamp. Moonlight shafted through the too-thin curtains over the window.
Sebastian lightly plumped the pillow behind his head, and he closed his eyes with a smile. “This is cozy, Sawyer.”
He was completely unbothered by the fact that he was in bed with me.
I stared at the ceiling, trying to stave off the ache in my chest. Maybe Mum and Aunt Jo were wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have pursued this friendship when my feelings were too friendly.
“Lily?”
“Oh, good night, Thorne. Sleep well.” I turned on my side, giving him my back.
“Night, Sawyer. Thanks for sharing your bed.”
His rumbly voice wrapped around those particular words caused a tingling between my legs. I shifted restlessly for a moment and then started counting to a hundred in my head.
By the time I was done, Sebastian’s breathing had evened out into sleep.
Turning around to face him, I rested my cheek on my hands. Because of the light spilling in from outside, I could make out his features clearly in the dark of the room. He looked younger in sleep. And so bloody handsome, I could cry at the absurdity of my current situation.
I’d met my unicorn.
The guy who made me feel so comfortable I could talk to him about anything.
And yet whom I was so attracted to, I felt like every fiber of my being came alive in a way it never had until him.
A bloody unicorn.
Yet he didn’t feel the same way.
Of course not.
I should have known when I finally found him, he’d only want to be friends.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SEBASTIAN
At first, when I awoke staring at curtains I didn’t recognize, my immediate panicked thought was: Bugger. Who did I sleep with last night?
It was as I gingerly turned around in the unfamiliar bed and saw the posters and photographs on the wall that last night came back to me on a wave of relief.
I was with Lily.
Curiosity had my head whipping right.
There she was.
Long hair sprawled across her pillow, and mine, in fact. I rested my head near it and inhaled the scent of that delicious shampoo she used. My gaze trailed across her face. Her dark lashes were incredibly thick. And she had a freckle on her right cheekbone I’d never noticed before, which seemed impossible since I was pretty sure I’d studied her face until it was imprinted on my brain. Perfect little button nose. And her mouth … my attention snagged on her lips, lips meant for kissing. They were parted in sleep, her light breathing filling the bedroom. The urge to press my mouth to hers forced me to drag my eyes off her.
Unfortunately, my attention was ensnared by the rise of her right breast. Her loose pajama top had slipped during the night. It dipped low over one side and pulled taut on the other. Lily was generously endowed. Her large chest was what made her narrow waist look even tinier. I drew in a shuddering breath as need tightened in my gut. She was all smooth olive skin, elegant limbs, and then lush curves.
I squeezed my eyes closed.
I would pick the most stunning woman to be my best friend.
It was true, then. I was a masochist.
My eyes flew open at the sound of her mumbling in her sleep and shifting.
This is Lily, I reminded myself sharply. Lovely, kind, smart, funny Lily who was the only person I felt truly myself around.
Something as animal and basic as physical attraction was not going to drive a wedge between us.
I needed her too damn much.
No, I still didn’t understand why I’d attached myself to her like a fucking barnacle, but it was what it was, and I wouldn’t ruin our friendship.
Even if the urge to nuzzle my face in her neck and cuddle her was almost as strong as the urge to bury my body inside hers. God, I hoped this want for her dimmed over time. It would get damned exhausting denying it.
Not wanting Lily to wake only to find me with the hard-on I was currently sporting, I drew off the duvet on my side and then tried to ninja my way over her. My breath caught as I hovered over her for a second. Cursing inwardly, I practically jumped off the bed and hurried from the room.
As soon as I was behind the bathroom door, I sighed in relief.
Then looked down at my cock straining against my jeans.
Bloody Nora.
Thankfully, a few minutes of thinking about the Queen of England (who was literally my great-aunt) solved my situation. Lily was oblivious about my reaction to waking up next to her. She had a quick shower without washing her hair and while I waited, I started reading one of the romantasy novels on her shelves. The fae romance sucked me right in. When she came out, I asked if I could borrow it, and she smiled in delight and said yes. Then I washed up as best as I could. I had extra clothes at my studio, so I’d change there. We grabbed a quick bowl of cereal and left before Maddie woke.