Page 51 of Secret Offer
Giving the crowd one last scan, I almost stumble over my wedge sandals. Sebastian!
He's standing next to a brunette woman in her twenties with her hair up in a ponytail, wearing a bright purple bodycon dress that fits her curves like a glove. Even from afar, I can clearly make out her sky-high cheekbones and full lips. She’s stunning.
She smiles up at Sebastian in a familiar way, her eyes lighting up as if they know each other. He says something to her, his hand on her elbow, his body language suggesting that yes, they do know each other. I don't recognize her. Is she local? Another guest at the resort? A girlfriend I don’t know about? Part of me wants to turn and run, but instead, I hurry toward him.
As if sensing my laser focus on him, Sebastian turns his head and looks at me. Our eyes meet instinctively and hold. It feels like time stands still. Like this moment is just for us.
My heart pounds in my chest. I try to memorize every last detail of the scene, because I don’t want to forget a single part of this perfect night. I’m mere steps away from the man I think I might be in love with, surrounded by light and life and magic, and I’m about to tell him how I feel.
Except…Sebastian isn’t smiling back at me. He looks tense, his brow creased.
I raise my hand to wave, but he looks away, lifting a hand to cup the cheek of the woman in the purple dress.
Icy dread hits my gut. I freeze mid-step, so shocked to see him touching her that I can’t move. But I see everything.
Sebastian’s arm goes around her waist and he pulls her against him, dragging her body up until she’s on her toes and they’re practically nose to nose. And then he leans in and kisses her. His lips are glued to hers, his eyes closed, and when his jawflexes, I know with abject certainty that he’s plunging his tongue into her mouth.
A wave of nausea almost knocks me off my feet, tears filling my eyes until I can’t see anymore.
The euphoric effect of the alcohol has vanished. I feel like I'm turning to stone inside.
"Blair!"
Ted Polansky's voice shocks me from my stupor, and the next thing I know, I’m running into the crowd and away from Sebastian. Away from Ted. Away from everything, as I bolt from the perfect night I didn’t want to forget.
Now, all I want to do is forget everything.
21
BLAIR
"Your textlast night didn’t say why you disappeared so suddenly. I take it you found Ted?"
Rather than responding to my mom, I force a coy smile and grab a blue floral patterned wrap skirt off one of the clothing racks, holding it up for her approval. The last thing I want to talk about is anything that happened last night.
“I knew it,” she crows, assuming her presumption is correct.
The triumphant look on her face instantly raises my hackles. She’s probably imagining the romantic evening Ted and I had together, plotting wedding colors, picking out baby names. In reality, not only did I not “find” Ted, but I got completely blindsided by the man I actuallydidwant to find.
Mom means well, I’m sure, but her attempts at playing cupid on this vacation are really grating on my nerves. Especially when my heart has been aching so badly ever since I saw Sebastian with that woman at the festival. Hence my choice to keep my sunglasses on indoors. I can’t let Mom see how puffy my eyes are. She’ll immediately start asking questions that I have no interest in answering.
After I left the Junkanoo, I went back to my hotel room, grabbed a bottle of wine from the wet bar in my suite, anddrained the entire thing (while crying and texting Brooke) on the balcony. Then I tried to watch a baseball game between the Yankees and the Red Sox, both teams being the Rockets’ biggest rivals, but I couldn’t stay focused. All night long, I tossed and turned. And at breakfast this morning, I could barely stomach a yogurt parfait.
It's not like me to be this invested in a guy. Men only serve to railroad plans, cause turmoil, and generally be an obstacle to the goals I want to achieve. Honestly, I’m shocked at how much the Sebastian thing has gutted me. We’ve known each other for less than two weeks, and I never intended to actually fall for him. He was supposed to be a fun vacation hook-up. Nothing more.
Unfortunately, my stupid heart had other plans.
There’s no way I could have seen this coming. I knew Sebastian and I had a connection; I knew I was starting to get attached, but I never thought he’d be able to hurt me like this. We were both firmly in favor of casual sex with no strings attached. And then all of a sudden he’s making out with another woman in front of me, and I completely fall apart.
I’m just as upset with myself for having this reaction as I am with Sebastian for kissing her. Which isn’t even fair. He and I aren’t dating. We’re not exclusive. Everything about our situation is temporary, and definitely not serious. He didn’t do anything wrong. It justfeltwrong seeing it happen. And it feels even more wrong the more I think about it.
Which is a lot, because I can’t stop replaying that kiss I witnessed. In my mind, I watch it happen over and over again. The way he looked at me, the way we locked eyes first—he wanted me to see what he was doing. But why? Did he want to hurt me on purpose? Did he think it was necessary to remind me that he and I aren’t committed?
Sure, I don’tknowhim know him, but nothing about Sebastian’s demeanor or conduct has indicated that he’ssomeone with a mean streak. So what the hell? Has he been an asshole in disguise this entire time? Or was that kiss I saw just…some kind of misunderstanding?
Ha. As if there was anything to be misunderstood about the way he stuck his tongue down her throat. Unless he was purposely trying to make me jealous. Except…is he even the kind of guy who’d play childish games like that? He doesn’t seem the type.
Maybe he met her at the festival and it was love at first sight. And it happened so fast, he didn’t have time to break things off with me. But then why did he look so unhappy just before he kissed her?
