Chapter 10 Sebastian
Sebastian
I pulled my shoulders back, stretching my neck from side to side, and rolled my stool backward. After being bent over for the last two hours, my back was stiff and tense.
Unless that was just due to Lydia circling me and Julio like a viper.
“Bathroom is right down there. Take as long as you need,” I told him.
He’d scheduled a half-day session for his sleeve, and he had powered through the first two hours already.
I could tell he was getting to his tolerance level for pain and suggested a bathroom break for the guy.
It was easier for everyone if the client was comfortable, and I considered it part of my job to ensure that was the case.
“That’s coming along well,” Lydia said.
A slow smile stretched over my lips. “Was that a compliment, little wild?”
“Not for you. I was talking about Julio doing a good job in the chair.”
“Uh-huh. If you say so.” I winked.
It had been a week since we all went out to Harpoon’s, and I had seen her every single day since.
She stalked around the shop, trying to find creative new content for the SD Ink socials.
She talked to my clients while I was trying to work.
She circled me, taking pictures and videos—just like she was doing now—and completely distracting me.
Fuck. I needed to get laid. Then I wouldn’t be so high-strung whenever her leather-clad ass sat cross-legged on my couch, legs spread wide in invitation.
I had tried though. I’d had every intention of breaking this spell last weekend, but I just wasn’t feeling up for it. The only times my interest was stirred were by Lydia. It was her touch that set my blood on fire. It was her scent that shot a rush of lust through my veins.
Julio came out of the bathroom, and I took the opportunity to relieve myself while we were on break as well.
I didn’t want to waste too much time before getting back to tattooing, but I also didn’t want Julio to cancel the second part of his session and reschedule it.
Giving him this time to recoup meant I could keep going and hopefully make an actual day’s pay today.
Julio managed to sit through the entire second half of the session like a fucking champ. His sleeve was three-quarters of the way done; one more session would finish it up.
“Alright, I’ve got you on the books for four weeks from now. Make sure you follow the aftercare instructions.”
“Thanks, Seb. This looks phenomenal, man. It’s going to be fire when it’s done.”
“Fuck yeah it is,” I agreed as I collected his cash for today’s session.
“Do you mind if I take a couple of pictures before you leave? I probably won’t post anything now, but it will be good to have the progress shots for when the whole thing is done,” Lydia said.
“Anything for you, Lydia.” He smiled at her. They walked over to the wall where I tacked up various art that I had done over the years. “You look really good, by the way. Are you seeing anyone now that you’re back in town?”
My hands fisted at my side, but I refused to look their way. It didn’t matter how she answered that. It wasn’t like anything other than some fun flirting was going to happen between us. Not with our history. Not with Lydia being my best friend’s little sister.
“Only the hallucinations in my head,” Lydia answered with a smile.
Julio laughed, and Lydia just blinked at him with a creepy-ass grin.
“Right, well. It was good seeing you again.” Julio shot me a “good luck with that” look on his way out the door.
“Don’t scare away my clients. I need them,” I said, trying not to show my amusement.
“What about me says yes, please hit on me while I’m at work?”
Had she not owned a mirror for the last eleven years?
“That was the last client of the night. You can take off if you want. I just need to clean up and close up shop,” I told her, ignoring her other comment.
“Yeah. I’ve got some content I’m working on and some comments that I need to reply to. Finish up whatever you need to. I’m just going to work on the couch.”
She dug through her backpack and pulled out her laptop, bringing it over the lounge area and setting it up on her lap, legs crossed beneath her like she liked to do.
I had put everything away and was sanitizing my workstation and machine when the front door opened.
“Hey, Luke,” Lydia said.
I looked out front, but he didn’t seem like he was here for me. He was looking for Lydia.
I finished what I was doing and made my way over to them.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Lydia seethed.
“What’s up? What’d I miss?”
“Slight problem at the house,” Luke grimaced.
“Slight?” Lydia voice went up three octaves. “A slight problem is when we run out of toilet paper. This is not a slight problem, Luke. This is a big problem.”
“What’s going on?” I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew that Luke would never do anything to intentionally hurt his sister, but seeing her all worked up had me on edge.
“Pipe burst in the bathroom. I have Whit Marrone coming by tomorrow to take a look at it, but we have no water until then.”
“Shit. That sucks.”
“And…” Lydia prompted. “You left the best part out.”
“And Lydia’s room is a flood zone. Wyatt and Reid are both there now, trying to get everything cleaned up. I just came by here to tell Lydia.”
“You need a place to crash tonight? You know my place is always open,” I offered.
“Reid’s offered up his place for the night. I would have been fine with no water for one night, but Letty wants a bathroom with running water, go figure,” he laughed.
“Fine,” Lydia grumbled. “Can I get a change of clothes and something to sleep in from the house, or is it a construction zone?”
Luke scratched at his jaw. He could tell his brothers to fuck off without hesitation, but with Lydia, he pussyfooted around giving her bad news.
“Lyds, it’s a shitshow over there. But I’m sure Claire or Letty have something you can sleep in for tonight.
We’ll get everything figured out tomorrow. It’s just for one night.”
Lydia rolled her cat-lined eyes and huffed. “Great. At least Reid’s house is big enough that I won’t have to hear you and Scarlett going at it.”
Luke chuckled. “Definitely not. Actually, you don’t mind sharing a bed with her, do you?”
“With the two of you?” Lydia asked, appalled. “Hell yeah, I mind. Not happening.”
“No, you perv. Just you and Letty. I’ll take the couch.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “Reid’s got four bedrooms in that beast. Why are you taking a couch?”
“Only two of them are furnished.” Luke shrugged.
“Oh, I don’t want to put you on a couch. I can always go back to Dad’s.”
“And wake him and Sheila up after 9:00 p.m.?” Luke said. “Let me know how that goes.”
I chuckled. No doubt that Charlie Wilder would take his kids in at any time, but he was definitely going to be a grump about it if it meant getting woken up after he’d gone to bed. “Well, my offer still stands if you want a real bed,” I told him.
“Thanks, man.” He turned to Lydia with that lightbulb moment shining behind his eyes. “Lyds, why don’t you stay at Seb’s tonight, and I’ll let you know tomorrow when it’s all set.”
Lydia’s eyes widened. “Um, why don’t you stay at Seb’s tonight?”
“Come on, Lydia. I’d rather not be apart from Letty if I don’t have to be. This makes way more sense. It’s one night. And you’re both coming back here again tomorrow anyway.”
My throat worked, suddenly too dry to swallow. I scratched at my beard, keeping an easy playfulness while my heart beat in my ears. “Yeah, little wild. You want to come home with me tonight?” I grinned, loving the way her nostrils flared and the low growl that sounded in her throat.
“He’s just fucking with you, Lyds. He’s not going to go there with you.
You’re like a sister to him.” Luke clapped me on the shoulder, and I was pretty sure my balls retracted into my body.
My feelings for Lydia were definitely not sisterlike.
“Thanks, Seb. I appreciate it. Lyds, sorry for this mess. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. ”
Luke left, leaving me and Lydia alone. We had spent plenty of time alone together in this shop, but for some reason, it was like Luke took the oxygen out of the air with him when he left.
“Come on, Lydia. It’ll be like a sleepover. We haven’t done that yet,” I said, trying to lighten the oppressive atmosphere around us.
She packed up her laptop and notebook, shoving them into her backpack with more force than necessary.
“If you come knocking on my door in the middle of the night, I’m going to throat spike you.”
That wasn’t a no. “Noted.” I grinned.
Lydia gaze caught on my dimple for a beat, her eyes darkening in a way that set my blood on fire, before she looked away again, grabbing her belongings.
I locked up, and she followed me to my place. The entire way, my fingers danced on the steering wheel, drumming along to the erratic feeling behind my ribs.
I waited for her at the door with my keys, walking her inside.
Her sweet lavender scent hit me as she passed me at the threshold.
There was no way she still smelled that good after working all day.
She had to have some perfume in her car or something.
Whatever it was, my body reacted to it in an inconvenient way.
Seeing her in my house, it reminded me of that night. Of Lydia grinding over my cock in nothing but her underwear. Fuck. She was easily the most captivating person I’d ever met.
I locked up the house behind her. “Bathroom is over there on the left. Your bedroom is on the right. Let me get you something to sleep in before I jump in the shower, if you want to make yourself comfortable.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She pulled her lips into a tight line in an impersonation of a smile. Her arms wrapped around her midriff, same as they did at the bar, like she was protecting herself.
My chest felt too tight, having her in my space, seeing her look so uncomfortable.
Lydia glanced around, taking in the leather couches and the large TV in my living room, the street-art-style paintings that hung on the walls.
It was definitely a man’s space without a lot of feminine touches.
I bet it would look better if I had a woman’s influence.
I grabbed her a T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts from my room and left her to get situated. She barely said two words to me, but it wasn’t anger I was getting from her. She looked wary, and I fucking hated it.
By the time I got out of the shower, Lydia was in her room with her door closed. I raised my fist to knock, see if she needed anything, but her words from earlier floated through my head.
Knowing Lydia, she really would level me on my ass just for checking on her, and that thought tugged at my lips. She was a big girl; whatever she needed, I was sure she could figure it out.
Sleep was an elusive fucker all night, images of Lydia flashing behind my eyes every time I closed them.
I woke up the next morning grumpy and on edge.
I hated being grumpy. I was a happy dude most of the time.
The good-time guy. It wasn’t just a persona that I put on for other people.
I genuinely liked to be happy. Flirt with some pretty ladies, laugh with my buddies, talk to my neighbors.
Life was better when I was happy. Which made me that much angrier when I was in a bad mood.
I threw on a pair of sweatpants before leaving my room.
Apparently, I was the only one of the two of us who thought pants were mandatory, because Lydia, standing in my kitchen with nothing but one of my T-shirts on, sure as shit didn’t.
“Morning,” she grumbled sleepily as she rummaged through my cabinets, stretching herself over the counter in the most torturous way.
“What are you wearing?” I grumbled.
She looked down at herself as if to check and then back to me.
“The shorts didn’t fit.” She shrugged.
My dick twitched at the sight of her strong, toned legs. My T-shirt barely covered her ass.
“They didn’t fit? They have a drawstring,” I gritted out.
“And they were still too big. They didn’t fit. Any other stupid questions?” She arched her pretty little brow at me.
My blood heated, equal parts anger and lust. Lydia Wilder knew how to stir shit up in me that had my head spinning. At least she was back to her sassy self though. I would take that over the frightened mouse she looked like last night.
I stalked over to her, talking quietly in my low morning voice. “Careful, Lydia. You don’t want to test me this early in the morning.”
She sidestepped away from me, panic flashing across her face so fast I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things. “Just tell me you have caffeine, and I promise to be nice.”
I raised my brow.
“Nicer,” she conceded with a smirk.
“That sounds more accurate,” I grumbled. “Mugs are behind you on the side of the sink. Coffee is in the canister labeled ‘coffee,’ and the filters are over there,” I told her, pointing out where everything was.
“You don’t have a single-serving coffee maker?”
“Does it look like I have a single-serving coffee maker?” I smirked, answering her obvious question with an equally obvious answer.
She struggled to get the filters apart for a solid sixty seconds before finally separating just one.
She measured the coffee beans like the wrong portion would set off a bomb.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled the scoop out of her grasp and gripped her shoulders, spinning her around.
“Watching you make coffee is literally paining me. I’ve got it. You just go put some pants on.”
“I don’t have to look any certain way for you, Seb.”
The minx was testing my patience this morning. I would shut that pretty little mouth of hers with a kiss if I wasn’t absolutely fucking positive she would knee me in the balls.
“My house. My rules. Pants are mandatory from now on,” I said just as my cell started ringing, Luke’s name lighting up the screen.
“What’s up?” I answered.
“Is Lydia with you? I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer.”
“Yeah, hold on.” I turned to Lydia. “It’s Luke. He’s looking for you.”
“Actually, you can put me on speaker. This might affect both of you,” Luke said.
An ominous feeling settled in my gut. I didn’t like the sound of that.