Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
Disappointment caused her stomach to plummet, taking her by surprise. Why she was upset by the fact he wasn’t interested wasn’t exactly a mystery, but she still wasn’t keen on admitting it to herself just yet.
Or ever.
“How’s the coffee?” she inquired, doing anything to get her mind off those traitorous thoughts.
“Terrible,” he said after taking a large gulp.
“Is it at least drinkable?”
“Sweetheart, I’d rather sip turpentine,” he murmured wryly, shooting her a look over the rim of the mug. “But I need the caffeine, so it’ll do.”
His words caused Taliana to glance down into the murky liquid, grimacing as she debated whether or not she wanted to risk assaulting her taste buds. The vote not to do so won out in the end, so while Sebastian drained the rest of the barely tolerable drink, Taliana set hers to the side, untouched.
Sebastian caught her attention again when he slammed down the empty mug in disgust. “I better get home before my mother freaks out and starts calling everyone she knows to find out where I am.”
“Have fun with that.” Taliana snorted, pushing off from the counter and leading him back into the foyer. “Thanks again for bringing me home and keeping me out of Michael’s clutches.”
He waved it off as Taliana opened the door. “Don’t mention it. No guy in his right mind would let his girlfriend go off with his best friend.”
“Not even a fake girlfriend?” she questioned.
“Not even a fake girlfriend,” he affirmed, smirking as he stepped out onto the porch. “See you Monday?”
School. Right. “Unfortunately,” Taliana sighed, dreading having to go back to that awful place. “Swear you’ll protect me from our crazy exes?”
Sebastian’s grin made her stomach twist into a tight knot. “I have a feeling they’re the ones that are going to need protection from you.”
He knew her far too well. Taliana just wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
24
Dirty Picture
By the time Monday rolled around, Taliana was sorely tempted to drop out of school and join the circus. Had it not been for the fact she had two tests today, she would’ve faked sick and skipped, but the desire to get at least semi-good grades made her rip the covers off and shiver all the way into the bathroom.
After a quick shower, she managed to drag a brush through her tangled hair, shimmy into her uniform, and grab her backpack from the floor before making her way outside where Sebastian’s car was idling by the curb.
“Morning,” he greeted as Taliana slid into the passenger’s seat. “I got coffee.”
Glancing down at the center console, she saw that he had indeed stopped at Cool Beans to pick up some of their famous brew.
“You are a godsend.” She grabbed one of the cups, quickly taking a sip. “I’m going to need this if I plan to make it through the day.”
“You and me both,” Sebastian sighed, shooting her a tired glance before shifting the car into gear. “I got a text from Blair this morning.”
Taliana grimaced. “What did it say?”
“Just that she really needed to talk to me. I ignored it.”
She scoffed. “What could she possibly have to say to justify what she did?”
He shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, Stick Girl.”
During the drive to Trinity, Taliana mulled over what Blair could have to tell him. By the time Sebastian pulled into his normal parking spot, Taliana’s coffee cup was empty, and she had come up with absolutely no ideas.
After dumping her cup in a nearby trashcan, she joined him by the doors of the school and somehow managed to keep her heart from doing flips as he grabbed her hand. The familiar knot in her stomach was slowly tightening with each passing day, but she was still unwilling to own up to what it meant.
She shook her head to clear the thought as they made their way down the hall, stopping by her locker first. Taliana distractedly spun her combo into the dial and pulled open the door, not even pausing when Sebastian leaned in close.
“Zak is watching us,” he murmured, then turned and looked over his shoulder. “And Blair just walked in. Think we should do something to spark their ire?”
Though nothing could ever compare to Blair’s expression when Taliana had poured an entire glass of wine on her, she couldn’t help but smirk at the prospect of seeing Zak go red in the face.
“What do you propose we do?” Taliana grinned, turning away from her books. “I think we might be running low on things to piss them off with.”
“I highly doubt that,” Sebastian murmured, grinning as he took a slow step toward her.
There was something Taliana didn’t like about that look. “Seb, you aren’t going to-“
And just like last time, he was quick to shut her up by pressing his lips to hers, one arm easily sliding around her waist as he pulled her to him. Part of Taliana wanted to simply roll her eyes and scold him for once again refusing to give her a warning, but the other part-the thankfully dominant part-decided to simply enjoy the ride. Eyes closing, she slid a hand up into his hair, figuring that if they were going to put on a show, it might as well be a good one.
But to her dismay, it didn’t last long. Before she knew it, Sebastian was pulling back.
“I wish you would start giving me some kind of warning,” Taliana said breathily as her eyes fluttered back open, trying to hide her disappointment. “I hate surprises.”
“Sorry,” he chuckled, though he clearly didn’t mean it. “How does Zak look?”
Taliana snuck a slightly dazed glance in Zak’s direction, expecting to see an expression of pure outrage on his face, but instead all she saw was a hint of a smile. She had to do a double take just to make sure she was looking at the right person, since there was no way he could’ve been so relaxed given what she and Sebastian had just done.
But there wasn’t an ounce of annoyance in sight.
Zak grinned when he realized Taliana was staring at him. It didn’t take a psychic to know that trouble was brewing.
“Uh oh.”
Sebastian frowned and cupped Taliana’s cheek to get her to look back at him. “What’s wrong?”