“You’ve been watching me?”
“It’s the only reason I believe you when you say you don’t have much to do with him anymore,” he said, watching me with a glint in his eyes. I didn’t think much would get past him.
Guess his stalkerish ways worked out in my favor. Even if it was creepy. How had I never once noticed anyone watching me?
“Does that mean I can go home now?” I asked, a small flicker of hope coming to life in my chest.
He nodded at the guy behind me. “Gears will take you back to your kid.”
I scrambled to follow Gears out the door, falling over my own feet in my haste.
“Thanks for not cutting off a finger,” I called over my shoulder, my manners getting the best of me.
Instead of replying, he shook his head at me, one side of his mouth pulled up into a teensy grin.
“Ace,” Gears called when we got back to the main room.
Sebastian looked up, and my stomach dropped. Was he the one who was supposed to watch me?
“You finished with the prez?” he asked my escort, not once looking in my direction.
He was holding Lena, looking like a wet dream come to life. Because hot guys holding toddlers were irresistible in my books. Especially if said toddler was currently playing with the hot guy’s hair and he didn’t care how hard she tugged on it.
When I got closer, I noticed a hair tie in her hand, and my mouth dropped. Is he letting her do his hair? It was a little longer on top, just long enough to put one side together.
I stopped in front of him and he finally acknowledged me, even if it was with an empty look. How could I have been so wrong about him? All the girls at work loved him. He was the first one they turned to if there was a problem with a customer. I hoped that wasn’t all a front and he really was a good guy who was just battling indigestion at the moment, which would explain his pinched expression.
Lena spotted me and cheered, throwing herself forward. Sebastian caught her and then handed her over.
“You’re with me,” he grunted. “Stay where you are. I have to grab my stuff.”
I was too stunned to utter a word in reply. His voice was the right amount of deep and growly, and my body wanted to go right back into swoon mode. But my brain was finally shaping up and kicking in, forcing my body into submission.
He didn’t wait for a reply since me waiting for him was a given due to the twenty or so big guys sitting around, and only one and a half of me to go up against them. Not that the half part, Lena, would be much help.
I stood awkwardly among the rough bikers, wondering how I had gotten to this point. I guess I still had all my fingers and toes, so things could have been worse.
Sebastian came back a few minutes later, a black duffel slung over his shoulder.
“Let’s go,” he said, walking past me.
“Okay, alrighty, well, nice to meet you all,” I called out to the room and then sprinted after Sebastian.
His long legs carried him across the vast space much quicker than my short legs could, and by the time we made it to the door, I was huffing and puffing.
Sebastian wordlessly reached for Lena, who again just stared at him. I was too stunned to stop him when he took her.
We walked to my car—well, he walked while I continued my slow jog—and he placed Lena in her car seat.
He stepped back and put his duffel in the trunk while I strapped my girl in. She seemed in surprisingly high spirits after just having spent time in a den of sin.
I got in the car, and as soon as my seat belt clicked into place, Sebastian took off.
He looked just as ridiculous as the guy driving me before, and I had to work hard not to laugh. His teeth were clenched, and I wondered how I would survive him in my space for the unforeseeable future.
CHAPTER THREE
“I have to go into work tonight,” I said to Sebastian as we walked into my house.
He grunted something akin to an agreement and put his duffel bag down next to the front door.
“And it’s almost time to pick Luca up.”
Another grunt.
Great. I hoped my kids wouldn’t start communicating like that.
I saw Lena pick up her book in the living room and open it. I was about to turn to the kitchen to get dinner started when I saw her pull something from between the pages and stick it in her mouth.
“Was that a ham slice?” Sebastian’s raspy voice sounded next to me.
I suppressed the shiver that was desperate to make its way down my spine at his nearness and nodded. “Looks like it.”
She must have hidden it in there this morning. I’d put ham sandwiches together for Luca’s lunch, and Lena wanted a slice. Guess she wasn’t intending on eating it right away. I just hoped she wouldn’t get sick from it.
“If you’re ever hungry, just lift up one of the couch cushions. Plenty of snacks under there,” I said and watched his eyes widen. I suppressed the snicker trying to escape and left Lena to her dolls and Sebastian to his mortification.
While I had some time, I set about making a lasagna for dinner. It was all about quick meals in my house. The simpler, the better.
“Button, it’s time to get Luca,” I called into the living room once I’d put the lasagna in the oven, ready to turn it on when we got back.
When there was no response, I went to look for her. Picking up her brother was usually her favorite thing
