Chapter 4 #3
Sebastian came back a minute later with the grooming tools.
Setting the bucket aside, he opened the stall door and led Ginger out by the halter, walking her to an open sort of bay area, with two dangling lead ropes.
He clipped one on either side of her halter.
“You said it’s been a while. You remember how to do this? ”
Laurel fished the curry comb out of the grooming bucket and went to work, eliciting a long, satisfied groan from the mare. “Just like riding a bike.”
“I’ll leave you to it. Got my first lesson in five minutes.” And then he was gone.
“Well, okay then.” Laurel leaned to look Ginger in the eye. “A man of few words, isn’t he?”
The monotony of grooming was soothing. As she worked Ginger over with long, slow strokes, the tension that had lodged in her shoulders during breakfast began to unravel.
She didn’t need her pseudo-psychologist brother to tell her that all this anxiety was tied to their father and his expectations.
Once upon a time she’d shared those expectations, had the same goals.
Or maybe she’d just wanted what they represented.
His acceptance and approval. It seemed she’d been chasing that her whole life.
Would she have made a different choice if she’d known the cost?
She had no idea. All she knew at this moment was that she desperately needed to decompress from the semester—and really the last several years.
Maybe if she could manage that over the next ten days, she’d be able to think clearly and make a decision about what to do.
By the time she began easing a comb through Ginger’s mane, the mare’s coat gleamed and Laurel felt almost relaxed again.
“She looks good.”
Laurel yelped at the sound of Sebastian’s voice from behind. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Ginger shifted, grumbling her displeasure at the interruption.
Sebastian’s mouth quirked and he reached past her to stroke a hand down the horse’s flank to soothe, which put him right up in Laurel’s personal space.
He smelled delicious. Like sweet hay and horse and leather.
His sleeves were rolled up now, revealing those muscled forearms, lightly dusted with dark hair.
She remembered the feel of those arms beneath her hands as he’d kissed her and looked up to find him staring at her lips.
Finally.
Tension crackling along her skin, Laurel stepped into him, lifting a hand to his chest and tipping her head up.
On a swallow, Sebastian stepped back, out of reach. The sudden space was like being doused in ice water.
For a moment, Laurel considered giving in to the burn of embarrassment and pretending it hadn’t happened.
But she was here for the next week and a half, and that meant they were going to run into each other.
She knew what she’d hoped for when she’d asked Logan if she could stay.
If Sebastian wasn’t on the same page, she’d rather know now and save herself further mortification from chasing someone who didn’t want to be chased.
Lowering her hand slowly, as if he hadn’t just embarrassed the hell out of her, she met his gaze. “Have I misread the situation here? I thought, after the other night, that we had a mutual attraction going on. Is that not the case?”
That was totally the case. Laurel wasn’t blind. He couldn’t have kissed her like that if he wasn’t attracted. But she’d give him a chance to explain.
Sebastian scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “The other night shouldn’t have happened.”
As she was trying to decide whether to be insulted by that, another thought wormed its way into her brain. “Are you with someone else?”
“No.” Before the relief could even hit, he continued, “But your brother is my friend and my boss.”
What the hell did this have to do with Logan?
Shifting instinctually into interrogation mode she arched a brow.
“Did Logan warn you off me, or is this your own sense of honor getting in the way? Because my brother is many things, but the over-protective Neanderthal is not one of them. He knows I’m a grown woman and can make my own decisions about who I do or do not get involved with. ”
His head kicked back in surprise. “Well, you’re direct, aren’t you?”
“I think our kiss the other night proved that in spades. I find life is simpler when you can cut to the heart of the matter.” She ignored the little voice in her head that said she was a bit of a hypocrite since she was doing everything but that with her family.
They were complicated. This attraction was simple. Or should be.
Sebastian sucked in a slow breath, looking around the barn, as if that was going to provide some kind of inspiration for what the hell to say. “No, he didn’t warn me off. But he asked me to keep an eye on you. He’s trusting me with you.”
Oh for the love of…
Laurel dragged in her own measured breath, trying to get a handle on the burst of raw temper.
She was well-accustomed to the Logan’s-little-sister box.
For so long it had meant coming second to her brother in her own family.
But to get the same damned thing from Sebastian felt like a betrayal of whatever tenuous connection they’d built. And for what? Because he was afraid?
Screw this.
“You know, you’re over here spouting Guy Code that thou shalt not get involved with thy friend’s little sister, but the fact is, whatever does or doesn’t happen between us has nothing to do with my brother.
You’re not protecting me by holding back, and you’re not protecting your friendship with Logan, because that’s not who he is.
That means you’re protecting yourself. And that’s fine.
It’s certainly your right. I won’t force the issue.
” Snatching up the bucket, she held it to her chest and looked him dead in the eye.
“But maybe you should give some thought to exactly what it is you’re protecting yourself from, Sebastian.
You don’t have to be honest with me, but I suggest you be honest with yourself. ”
With that closing argument delivered, she walked away.