“Fuck,” he muttered into my mouth. “You’re so sexy. I want to eat you alive.”

Those words literally made the muscles between my legs contract. Someone could have told me I’d have to risk my life to have him inside me right now and I might have considered it.

Right when I’d felt like I was going to reach my breaking point, Sebastian seemed to fall out of his trance as he pulled back.

He covered his mouth and stood up. “I can’t, Sadie. I just can’t. I want you, but I can’t take you like this. You’ve had too much to drink, and so have I.”

My lips were swollen, my nipples hard. My body was so ready. So naturally, this was a disappointment but one that was for the best.

Panting, I asked, “You want me to leave?”

He shook his head vehemently while keeping his distance. “No. I wouldn’t feel right sending you home right now. Please stay. You can have my bed, and I’ll sleep in Birdie’s room.”

I filled with hope. “Are you sure?”

“I insist. No way I’m letting you get in a car with a stranger while drunk, not even if it’s an Uber.”

His concern made me feel warm, protected. “Thank you.”

He nudged his head. “Come on. I’ll show you to the room.” Sebastian led me down the hall to his bedroom.

A massive king bed with a dark-wood headboard took up the center of the space. A satin gray comforter lay atop it. A gorgeous view of the moonlight outside could be seen from the window. As inviting a space as this was, it felt intrusive and forbidden to be in here.

“Make yourself at home. Take a hot shower in the master bath, anything you want.”

“Okay . . .” I smiled. “Thank you.”

After he left the room, I somehow suspected I wouldn’t see him for the rest of the night. He’d made the mature decision. I respected him for that, but it in no way extinguished the fire burning inside me right now.

That night, I took a shower in his fancy bathroom and lay in his massive marital bed. It felt a bit strange to be lying in the same bed that Sebastian had slept in with his wife. I could completely understand the emptiness he described feeling. And I longed for him. My feelings for this man went way back to before I’d ever even met him. But now that I’d experienced how passionate he was firsthand, it made me fall for him even more.

CHAPTER 17

SEBASTIAN

I’d come very close to fucking up last night. So close, I could smell it. Smell her. I sighed. She smelled phenomenal. Even though I knew I wasn’t still drunk, I somehow still felt drunk off her.

It was a miracle I’d gotten any sleep at all, but the wine must have knocked me out, because sometime after 2:00 am, I’d totally passed out in Birdie’s bed. But not before I’d retreated to the bathroom off the hallway to jerk off to thoughts of ramming into Sadie while she was in that yoga plow pose with her legs backed over her head. It took me all of thirty seconds to come harder than I had in months all over the shower door. Better there than inside her last night, and believe me, if she hadn’t been intoxicated, that might have very well happened.

I threw on a white T-shirt and some jeans and made my way to the kitchen. The smell of coffee infiltrated my senses.

The sight of her in my kitchen made my heart nearly stop. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having a woman to wake up to. Perhaps it wasn’t until this moment that I realized just how fucking lonely I’d been. But it wasn’t even that. She was wearing my shirt. My white dress shirt. And no fucking pants. And she was bopping her ass a little, even though there was no music on.

“Hey,” I called out.

Sadie jumped. “Hey.” She smiled. “I took it upon myself to make breakfast.” She looked down at herself. “I stole one of your longest shirts. I just didn’t feel like putting on my dirty workout clothes after the shower I took last night. I hope that’s okay.”

What could I say to that? It was apparently fine with my dick, because I was getting hard just looking at her in my shirt. In fact, I was starting to feel like a goddamn caveman. Sleep had done nothing to curb my appetite.

I never answered her. I was too busy staring.

“I figured the least I could do after you let me have your room last night was to make you a nice breakfast.”

She was being more than gracious, considering I’d mauled her mouth, then sent her off to bed alone last night.

The smells of eggs, coffee, and a hint of cinnamon filled the air. And for some reason, instead of feeling guilty or conflicted this morning, I continued to feel fucking high.

“This is amazing. Thank you,” I said as I came up next to her.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

I looked out toward the door. “What the hell?”

“Are you expecting someone?” she asked.

“No.”

When I opened it, Birdie stood there with a woman I recognized as her friend’s mother. My daughter wasn’t supposed to be back until this afternoon.

“Hey! What happened?”

Birdie looked up at me. “I have pink eye.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Maxwell,” the woman said. “It’s contagious, so I thought it best to bring her home.”

Shit.

Renee noticed the frazzled look on my face.

“Is this . . . a bad time? I tried to call first, but your cell went right to voice mail.”

That’s because charging my cell phone was the last thing on my mind when I went to bed last night.

I shook my head. “No. It’s fine. Of course it’s fine. I totally understand.”

While I’d gotten the words out, my body was still physically blocking the door.

What the hell am I going to do? The last thing Birdie should see was a half-naked Sadie standing in our kitchen. It was inappropriate on so many levels. How would I explain it to her?

“Apparently pink eye is going around in their class. It’s usually nothing more than a little bit of eye drops to clear it up. Birdie said she didn’t even notice it, right, sweetheart?”

My daughter shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

At that moment, Marmaduke came to the door. He forced his way past me and practically knocked Birdie over on the front step.

“Hey, Marmaduke. Did you miss me?” She bent down and started to pet him, even though he was as tall as she was.

Renee smiled. “I left my husband alone with seven girls. So I better run back.”

“Okay. Yeah. Umm. Thanks a lot for bringing her home.”

She turned to walk down the stairs, and I looked back over my shoulder while Birdie was distracted with the dog. No sign of Sadie.

“Uh. You know what, honey. I was just about to take Marmaduke for a walk. Why don’t I grab his leash, and we’ll go together. I’ll call the doctor and get you an appointment when we get back.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“I’ll be back in a minute. You can stay here while I get the leash from the kitchen.”

Birdie laughed and pointed. “It’s right there, next to your head, Daddy.”

Shit. Yeah . . . the damn leash was hanging right on the key hook in the vestibule next to the front door, wasn’t it?

Birdie stood and wiped off her knees. “I’m going to put my pillow and sleeping bag in my room.”