Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
“Yeah, I do.” A hint of a smile appeared. “I really do.”
And then his lips brushed against hers in a kiss so timid it was as if he expected her to push him away. She never thought she’d see the day when Sebastian Phillips feared rejection, especially her rejection, but there it was. She was still in a state of shock, unable to believe she’d been so wrong about everything. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or embarrassed, or maybe both, but at this point she really didn’t care.
Their fake relationship had ended, though certainly not in a way she’d expected.
Finally recovering from her shock, Taliana began to lean in, but he pulled back and looked like he was preparing to say something else.
“Don’t talk,” she breathed out, their lips brushing once more. “Just? kiss me .”
And so he did, this time with the confidence she had been expecting from the beginning. The emotions they’d tried so hard to conceal since that one night together resurfaced, all mixed with the heat of years of hatred and resentment, an explosive combination.
Taliana hardly recognized the low moan that escaped her throat when Sebastian slowly pulled back to place gentle kisses up her neck. Eventually, his lips found her ear and nipped at the lobe, breath tickling her skin.
“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” he asked, fingers pressing into her hips.
“I hope I do,” she murmured, leaning further into him. “Just don’t turn around and say you changed your mind, that you’re actually breaking up with me.”
His mouth twisted into a smirk. “You wish. But I don’t want to be your fake boyfriend anymore.”
“Then what do you want from me, Sebastian?”
“Your clothes on my bedroom floor, my name on your lips.” Another brief kiss, and his hand slid underneath her shirt. “Maybe even you agreeing to be my real girlfriend.”
She gasped when his cool fingers brushed her skin. “What a romantic way of asking.”
“Screw romance,” he murmured against her neck. “Yes or no, Talia? I can’t keep playing these games with you.”
“Like anyone would ever deny you anything.”
“Why should they? I always get what I want.”
“And you want me?” she asked, gently pushing away from him.
“More than anything.”
He let her escape the circle of his arms but watched carefully as she moved back into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. One hand went to the hem of her shirt, the other raised to beckon him toward her.
“Then come and get me.”
31
Long Time Coming
This was the third time Taliana had woken in Sebastian’s arms. It was the second time it had followed an incredible night. But it was the first time she didn’t dream of pushing him away.
Just like the first time they’d slept together, Taliana awoke with his head on her chest, one hand cupping her hip possessively, while the other was lost somewhere underneath the pillows. The wrinkled white sheet had bunched at his hips, leaving his muscled back and shoulders exposed. His skin was unmarred save for a couple crescent-shaped scars and a scratch here and there, most of them of Taliana’s doing.
It had been a rough night.
With a tired smile, she pushed his hair off his forehead and took a moment to revel in the peacefulness that sleep brought to his face. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected them to be back in that position, this time not as strangers, but as an actual couple. Just a few hours ago, she had been convinced he was about to break up with her, and now they were tangled up in each other. The idea of him turning their hoax into something real had honestly never occurred to her.
But she was glad it had to him.
Her fingers halted when he shifted in his sleep, murmuring something she couldn’t make out as he pulled her closer. When his hand slipped down her thigh, she briefly considered waking him to finish what he’d unconsciously started, but she was quickly distracted by the smell of brewing coffee.
She managed to escape the circle of his arms without waking him, grabbing various items of clothing from the floor. She ended up pulling on her underwear and his shirt before wandering out of the room, her nose leading her toward the kitchen.
A shirtless Michael greeted her when she entered the room, a mug of coffee gripped in one hand as he leaned against the marble counter.
“Well, hello there,” he murmured, adjusting the slipping waistband of his sweatpants. “Didn’t expect you to be up this early.”
“I didn’t think you’d be up either.” Taliana moved toward the cabinet to grab a mug of her own. “I didn’t even know you could function before ten in the morning.”
“Believe me I’m barely awake.” He snorted and hopped up on the counter directly across from her, swinging his legs as he took her in from head to toe. “Someone looks like they had an eventful night. Who was the lucky guy?”
Blood rushed to her cheeks, and Taliana dipped her head in an attempt to hide it. Luckily, she was saved from having to answer by a new addition to the kitchen.
“That interested in our sex life, Michael?” Sebastian said from the doorway, making Taliana glance up. Like Michael, he was shirtless, boxers sitting low on his hips. “Not satisfied with your own?”
Michael’s gaze flicked in Sebastian’s direction, eyes brightening in amusement and realization. “Oh, trust me, I’m satisfied. I was worried about your relatively nonexistent one, but apparently that’s not the case anymore. Congratulations.” He shot his best friend a wink. “About time you two got together. It certainly took forever.”
“Two months is not forever,” Sebastian pointed out as he moved fully into the kitchen, coming over to where Taliana was standing. “Especially after years of hating each other.”
Upon reaching her, Sebastian wasted no time in gathering Taliana into his arms, burying his face in her neck. “Good morning,” he murmured against her skin, causing a shiver to race down her spine.
He was still warm from sleep and smelled like a mix of sex, the ocean air, and his familiar cologne. Taliana smiled and slid her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. “Mm, it certainly is. Sleep well?”
“Sleep? Baby, it’s not like we did much of that last night.”
“You weren’t complaining.”
“Neither were you,” he chuckled as he dropped his arms from her waist. He placed a kiss on her jaw before straightening and snatching Michael’s coffee mug from the counter. “Anyone else up yet?”
Michael shook his head but made no move to get his cup back. “I don’t think so. I did see Jude’s conquest sneaking out a little earlier though, good-looking dude.” He jumped off the counter, gently hip-checking Taliana in the process for revenge. “I’m going to go start waking the others. We’re having brunch in town in an hour.”
Taliana sighed and took a sip of coffee. “I should go shower then.”