Page 37 of Once a Rogue
Sebastian glanced over, and relief crossed his face. “I’m sorry, not tonight,” he said, sliding off his stool. “But it was nice to meet you, Matilda.”
Wesley barely managed not to roll his eyes, both at the flapper trying to move on his lover and at himself for being a terrible hypocrite, because hadn’t he just said jealousy wasridiculous and pointlessnot an hour ago?
As they crossed the lounge, it was very obvious that Sebastian was trying not to look back at Langford.
“What am I going to do with you?” Wesley muttered, for Sebastian’s ears alone. “You can’t order a soda without someone trying to fuck you. You can’t have a smoke without nearly knocking the lounge to the ground.”
Sebastian huffed as they passed through the lounge doors and turned the corner to walk down the hall. “Would have been worth it.”
Wesley raised an eyebrow. “Am I to assume you mean the bit about knocking Major Langford down rather than the flirting with Miss Matilda?”
“I wasn’tflirting,” Sebastian burst out, with an edge of genuine upset. “Wes, you were right there with that asshole, I wouldn’t—oh no.”
The words rang simultaneously in Wesley’s ears with the clattering of dishes and someone’s swearing, but Wesley couldn’t think about that because his knees had collapsed and he was stumbling.
Sebastian grabbed him before his face had an unpleasant collision with the floor. “Dios mío, una y otra vez.” He pulled Wesley up to his feet. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shush, I’m fine,” Wesley said firmly—a bit of a half-truth, as it was not his imagination that his knees were still unsteady. “I had it coming. Thoughtless thing to say when I know better.”
“No, don’t say that, you almost fell and it’s my fault.”
Wesley hated to hear him upset. Sebastian deserved better than to be stuck with a cold prick like Wesley, ought to have someone who could say the right things, knew how to comfort him, to help him stop blaming himself for things he couldn’t control.
Wesley’s gaze lingered on Sebastian, who was looking miserably over at the hall’s other occupant, a waiter who was being helped up by two others, an overturned tray and canapés scattered across the floor.
Oh, fuck it. Wesley only ever made things worse, but for Sebastian he would fucking try to make it better.
“Come on,” he said, grabbing Sebastian by the sleeve and tugging him into a walk. “I have an idea.”
Chapter Nine
Sebastian followed Wesley into the elevator. “Top floor,” Wesley told the elevator operator.
Top floor? Sebastian didn’t know what Wesley had in mind, but it wasn’t as if he was making good decisions right then, so he held his tongue as the elevator rose.
They got out into a short hallway and Wesley led the way to a door. Were they going outside? “It’s okay if you need to smoke in the room,” Sebastian said.
Wesley got the door for him. “This is for you.”
“Me? But you said you had a lot to tell me. And we need to call the Tarrytown inn.”
“And we will, in a moment.” Wesley jerked his head. “Go on. Out you get.”
Sebastian furrowed his brow but walked out, and stilled. They were on the rooftop patio, which stretched the length of the hotel. There was a waist-high concrete railing at the edge, and beyond it rose even taller buildings. A soft rain was falling, chasing away the city scents and making the air smell fresh and bright, and the patio had gathered tiny puddles that glimmered with the reflection of the Manhattan city lights.
Sebastian went straight for the railing. “This is even prettier than I expected.”
“If byprettyyou meancold and soggy, sure. You talk about your rooftops in Puerto Rico and Spain and I’m sure they’re warmer than this, but let’s work with what we have, shall we?” said Wesley. “And the weather does mean we’re alone, which is good. We don’t need an audience.”
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder and saw Wesley wedging his walking stick in the door. “An audience for what?”
“This next part. Though I am surprised you haven’t complained about the cold yet.”
Wesley was coming toward the rail. Sebastian leaned forward on it, ignoring the wet concrete against his clothes to get a better look at the cars several stories below. The rain was cold against the back of his neck, but he didn’t care.
“I am freezing, yes,” Sebastian admitted. “But it’s worth it to be up here with you.”
Wesley joined him at the rail. “You like the view that much?”
