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)
Our workload didn’t disappear overnight, so we were both extremely busy. However, we studied together whenever we could, slept together most nights, and we’d socialized with our friend group who were enjoying mocking us for our movie-worthy romantic saga over the last few months.
Everything was great between us. Sebastian was talking about pursuing his art for real after graduation. He’d even shared his secret social media profile with Harry, who told him in his very Harry-like way that Sebastian was a moron if he didn’t commit to his art. Whatever my boyfriend planned to do, he was staying in Edinburgh. Not only for me, he promised, but because he loved the city and it’s where he wanted to live.
Thankful that I didn’t have to worry about our impending separation (I was already dreading saying goodbye to Sierra and Maddie), I was enjoying the heady, passionate beginning of our new relationship. I’d had more sex in the last two weeks than I had my entire life. Fantastic sex. Mind-blowing, utterly addictive, phenomenal sex.
I wasn’t ready for our bubble to burst under the weighty reality of overprotective parents and aunts and uncles.
Sebastian squeezed my hand again. “Are we going in or are we just admiring the architecture?”
My smile trembled, but I nodded. “We’re going in.”
Mum, to my everlasting gratitude, was as lovely as ever to Sebastian, the incident in the study room completely forgotten. I was pretty certain she hadn’t told Dad about it. Nevertheless, he and my uncles surrounded Sebastian like a pack of velociraptors.
When Uncle Adam demanded to know when Sebastian’s last sexual health check was and Dad’s face turned purple at the implications, I intervened.
“Okay, we’re done here.” I glowered at each of my uncles and pinned my dad with a pleading look before I yanked Sebastian free from the circling predators.
Sebastian appeared a wee bit dazed as I guided him across the kitchen to my mum, sister, and female relatives. “I don’t understand.” My boyfriend shook his head. “Your father liked me before.”
My sister snorted and offered way too loudly, “Well, that was before he knew you were boffing his daughter.”
“Jan!” I protested.
She cocked her head in mock innocence. “No? Boinking? Banging?”
“Stop!”
“Plowing? Violat—” Mum clamped a hand over her youngest daughter’s mouth.
“Thank you.” Sebastian nodded gratefully at Mum. “A gentleman never plows.”
Aunt Joss and Beth burst into laughter while Mum grimaced.
My sister freed herself from Mum’s hand and gave Sebastian a nod. “You’re going to survive here. I can tell.”
Groaning because I was stuck somewhere between mortification and laughter, I buried my face in Sebastian’s shoulder. He cuddled me close, his body shaking slightly with his own amusement. The chuckle vibrated through his chest. I enjoyed the feel and sound of it. Much to my relief, he’d put back on the weight and muscle he’d lost during our estrangement.
“Let’s stop torturing Lily and her mother with sex talk.” Beth turned to Sebastian. “My cousin tells me you’re a Caledonia United fan.”
“I am.” He nodded to the ring that glittered on her finger. Beth and Callan had gotten engaged a few weeks ago. “Congrats on the engagement to Scotland’s finest midfielder.”
“Well, I love him in spite of that,” she joked. “Anyway, anytime you want to attend a game, let me know. I can always get tickets.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“You don’t strike me as a fangirling type, but I’m forewarning you that Callan and Baird will be here in about five minutes.”
I felt Sebastian tense and bit my lip against a snort as his voice strained a bit. “Here? In five minutes?”
Beth raised an eyebrow. “Was I wrong about the fangirling?”
Remembering the day he almost tackled me when he found out I knew Callan, I gave a bark of laughter. “Very wrong.”
“Hey, I do not fangirl. I’m … appreciating how jealous Harry and Zac are going to be when I tell them I met Keen and McMillan.”
Unsurprisingly, Sebastian was unflappably cool with Keen and McMillan when they arrived at the party fifteen minutes later. He greeted them with his usual laid-back affability and told them, as if it was no big deal, that he was a Caley United fan. The footballers took it in stride. When I first met Baird McMillan, he’d been loud and gregarious, and I had the impression he would flirt with a wooden pole if it was the only object in the room. However, this was my first time seeing him since his traumatic head injury. While he was still somewhat flirtatious, he was quieter. More introspective. There was a shift in his eyes. A somber, sober quality in him that hadn’t been there before. Perhaps the accident had changed him. It hadn’t been that long since the incident, so it was possible he was suffering psychological side effects. A near-death accident will do that to a person. Only time would tell if the change was permanent.