decided that the mate you came with was the same one you wanted to go home with. So far, in her opinion, no one could compare to Seb. He didn’t need to be the perfect man, it didn’t even matter if he was the first one to cross her path, she just knew that she wasn’t going to get him out of her system without exploring the possibilities.
If she was honest she’d admit—to him and to herself—that she’d thought about little else for the last week. She didn’t want to live in the past. Her marriage was over and at some point she was going to have to try again. And she was more than happy to try again with Seb.
She looked across the table and found him watching her. She blushed and hoped he couldn’t read her thoughts. No. It was time to share those thoughts. If she wanted to be a grown-up she had to take the leap. She wanted to stretch her wings and she hoped Seb would give her the opportunity to do just that.
She smiled at him and stood up as dessert was cleared away. Guests gathered in smaller clusters as coffee was served in the garden but before Luci could make her way to Seb she was cornered by Michael. At the beginning of the evening she had thought the evening would either be interesting or a disaster. It looked like it was heading down the path of complete disaster.
She stood patiently for another few minutes as Michael talked some more about himself. She searched the crowd for Seb as she waited for a polite time to escape. Seb was on the other side of the garden, talking to the model who was Ginny’s brother’s date. Their eyes locked and Michael and his conversation receded into the background. Why was she wasting time with him?
‘Would you excuse me?’ she said.
She saw Seb break away from the model at the same time. He was coming for her. Luci waited and fell into step beside him, following him in silence down to a wooden garden seat that sat at the harbour’s edge.
Finally it was just the two of them.
As she sat next to him her thigh brushed his leg and she wondered if she should move, if he needed some space. But she didn’t want to move, so she stayed put. The now familiar butterflies careened around in her stomach. She wanted to touch Seb. Wanted to feel him.
A light breeze blew off the harbour, sending a shiver through Luci.
‘Would you like my jacket?’ Seb offered.
‘No, I’m okay.’
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He was warm and solid and Luci wanted to close her eyes and soak up the feeling of being in his arms again.
‘Are you having fun?’ he asked her.
‘Not really,’ she replied. ‘The rugby player is boring, Michael is only interested in himself and Paulo was nice but a bit too smooth for me.’
‘Too smooth? I wouldn’t have thought that was a thing.’
‘It most certainly is, and I think the barista-slash-actor is gay.’
‘Really?’
‘Yep.’
Seb laughed.
‘Why is that funny?’ Luci asked.
‘It means there’s one less bloke in the running.’
‘In the running for what?’
‘For your attention.’
Luci hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering if she should tell him what she thought. She decided she should. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’ve found the one.’
‘Ginny’s brother?’
‘No. Not him.’
‘There isn’t anyone else.’
‘Yes, there is, but I’m not sure if it’s within the rules of the night. Are you allowed to go home with the same person you came with?’
‘Go home with? As in together?’
She nodded.
‘Are you serious?’
She nodded again. ‘As long as it’s not against the rules.’
‘I don’t give a damn about the rules,’ Seb said as he stood and reached for her hand. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
They barely stopped to say thank you and goodnight to Ginny before making a beeline for Seb’s bike. Luci ignored Ginny’s knowing smile. She didn’t care what anyone thought. What happened between her and Seb was their business, no one else’s. Luci was going to do exactly what she wanted for a change and if anyone tried to tell her it was a bad idea she wasn’t going to listen.
She slid her hand under Seb’s shirt as she sat behind him on the bike. She rested her hand against his chest and imagined what the rest of the night would be like.
They barely made it up the stairs and into the apartment before their clothes started coming off.
Seb kicked off his boots and Luci did the same with hers. He tossed his leather jacket on the floor and pulled his shirt over his head, discarding items of clothing on the passage floor. Luci’s jacket followed.
He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the passage wall. He bent his head and kissed her. She opened her mouth and kissed him back.
Her hands were pressed into his shoulder blades. His skin was firm and smooth. He looked as though he’d been carved from marble but he was warm and pulsing with life. He carried her further into the apartment and she could feel his erection pressing between her thighs.
‘Your room or mine?’ he asked.
‘Yours. It’s closer.’ Luci didn’t think she could wait much longer.
He put her down and reached behind her to unzip her jumpsuit.
‘The zip is on the side.’
His hands found the zip and he bent his head as her jumpsuit fell away and pressed his lips against the diamond-shaped freckles on her chest.
‘I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you.’
His fingers brushed over her breasts as he released her bra. He cupped one breast in his hand as he took the other into his mouth, making Luci think she might burst into flames.
She reached for his waistband and unzipped his trousers, discarding them on the floor along with her outfit.
Seb scooped her up and laid her on the bed. His boxer shorts joined his trousers as Luci admired him.
The marble angel in all his glory. His chest was broad and tanned from hours on his boat. Her eyes followed the line of his sternum where it divided his pecs, down to the ridges of his abdominals. Below his belly button a light trail of hair led her eyes further to where his erection was proudly displayed. He was absolutely gorgeous. Perfectly sculpted and ready and waiting for her.
She swallowed feeling moisture pooling between her thighs. She hooked
