Page 166 of Please Open Me
“I don’t give a rat's ass if you weigh two tons. Get on my lap.”
Mason's lips twitched with the threat of a smile.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re ridiculous?" She snorted a laugh.
I raised a shoulder before patting my lap.
“Cam says it a lot, normally before he gives me what I want.” I smirked.
She stood there for a moment, and I patted my lap more aggressively.
Mason sighed and shook her head, but still, she started toward me. I scooted back, giving her all the space she needed, because the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like she was too much for me.
She eased onto me, not giving me her full weight, and, in short, I said fuck that. So, I did the only rational thing and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her little ass down. She let out a startled squeak, her hands instinctively grabbing the edge of my desk for balance.
“Sebastian!” she scolded, half laughing, half appalled.
“What?” I asked, feigning innocence. “You were hovering. It’s insulting.”
“I wasn’t hovering, I was—”
“—being ridiculous,” I cut in smoothly, settling my arms more comfortably around her middle. “You weigh, what, ninety pounds? You’re not going to crush me, Princess.”
My fingers tingled with the urge to touch her belly, and while I should have resisted, I couldn’t. So, I slipped a hand up her hoodie and settled my palm on the warm skin before pulling her closer and breathing her in.
Shaking slightly, I rested my chin on her shoulder. After seeing Alex, I needed this. I neededher.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, not daring to move.
I nodded against her and closed my eyes. “Yeah, why?”
“You breathe weird when you’re upset, and you’re breathing weird.”
I huffed a small laugh against her neck, trying to play it off, but my chest still felt too tight. “You notice everything, don’t you?”
Mason didn’t answer right away. Her fingers brushed over my forearm, tracing a slow line up to where my hand rested against her stomach.
“Only when it’s you,” she said quietly. “I think we kind of notice everything.”
I smirked, “It used to be my job, and, well, autism is your superpower.”
“I’m going to get up,” she declared, pulling away.
But, I held onto her and whined.
“Don’t,” I murmured, tightening my arms around her. “Just… stay.”
Mason froze mid-motion, half turned in my lap.
“Sebastian,” she warned, but her voice had softened.
“I had a bad day,” I admitted, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “You’re kind of the only thing that makes it better.”
Mason returned to my lap, shifting so her legs dangled from the side and she could look up at me.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “I just, I’m done with my past.”
