Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“Why didn’t you learn to cook while you were in college?”
Sebastian’s smile turned crooked, and he shrugged one shoulder. “My first year in college, I was on the meal plan, so I was eating out of the cafeteria or takeout every day. From my second year on to graduation, I was living in a house with four other friends. Rome’s parents were paying for the house, and Pierce’s family paid for food as well as the live-in chef and housekeeper.”
I stumbled to him, cackling. “Oh, my God! Can you get more spoiled?”
“It might sound nice, but they were fucking spies! Every time any of us did something even a little questionable or brought anyone back to the house for some fun, a parent was calling or showing up on our doorstep the next damn day. We couldn’t get away with anything!”
I was laughing so hard, I was wheezing. My eyes watered, blurring my vision. “You’re killin’ me!”
“How did you learn to cook? Did one of your parents teach you?”
My laughter died in my throat, and I coughed to clear it again. “No. Not really. I picked up a few things watching my dad when I was young, but most of it I learned from videos or trial and error. Ate a lot of burned meals for a while.”
I glanced over at him out of the corner of my eye as I smeared the butter on the bread, and it looked like he wanted to ask more, but nothing came out and I could breathe easier even as guilt knotted in my stomach. He was so free with the information about his past and his family. Everything about my life after Ronnie’s accident was a mess, and I wasn’t ready to talk about it. It would only destroy the cozy atmosphere. Was it wrong that I wanted to use this time together to escape my life? To pretend that I wasn’t one disaster away from shattering into a million pieces?
These nights with Sebastian were like stepping into a dream, and I wanted to protect this bubble of happiness for as long as I could.
Conversation remained relaxed and easy as I finished up the spaghetti. Sadly, he was out of defrosted meat for meatballs, but the bread and salad helped to make the meal filling enough. We continued our conversation as we ate at a small round table in a sunny breakfast nook off the kitchen. Sebastian dug out a bottle of red wine that was the best I’d ever tasted. It might have been a simple meal I’d cooked a thousand times, but everything about it seemed better because of the company smiling at me from across the table. Not to mention, the strawberry cake that Sebastian’s chef had made for dessert was positively divine.
Thankfully, Sebastian did know how to load a dishwasher. I’d tried to help him clean up when we were done, but he’d ordered me to sit on the stool at the island and sip my wine as he worked.
“And we will not be telling Carol how badly I fucked up dinner,” Sebastian announced as he dried off his hands on a dish towel.
“Your secret is safe with me,” I said, tipping my nearly empty glass at him.
“What would you like to do now? A movie?”
“Actually, I would love a tour of your home, if you don’t mind.” I stood and patted my belly full of delicious carbs. “It would give me a chance to walk off dinner and dessert.”
“I would love to.”
Sebastian hurried around the island and took my hand, threading our fingers together as he led me through his enormous house. Sebastian had us backtrack to the foyer so I could see the front parlor, the formal parlor, the lounge, the billiards room complete with two pool tables, the formal dining room, his home office, and then the most glorious room—the library. And yes, the gorgeous beauty had a rolling ladder. I had to use every scrap of willpower to keep from pulling a Belle and riding that thing down the wall. But beyond the ladder, I loved that his library wasn’t about fancy leather-bound collectibles that couldn’t ever be touched, let alone read.
Sebastian’s shelves contained classics and genre fiction, well-worn and loved paperbacks nestled in with hardbacks. This was a library that was more than a showpiece. It was a place that Sebastian frequently used.
In truth, I really didn’t want to move on from the library, but there was still so much of the house to see. We ventured to the lower level, where he had a home theater with three descending rows of plush reclining leather seats and one big leather couch in the center of it all. The air had a hint of popcorn, as if he and some friends had used the room not long ago. This had all the beauty of going to the theater but with the bonus of privacy and the ability to pause the movie for bathroom breaks.