Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 64

NICOLE

Dinner begins, and it starts with a bang.

"Nicole," his mother begins, which is strange because during this past month, she's never once said a single word to me unless forced to. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time she's ever said my name. "What are your long-term plans? Did you go to college?"

I'm taken aback by her questions, but I answer them as best as I can. It's almost impossible to stay comfortable in a room full of people who are judging you from head to toe, but I try to ignore it. "Well, right now, I'm working with Sebastian, and I'm okay with that. And yes, I went to college."

I tell her what and where I studied, and she nods, though there's something I see in her eyes that tells me that there's more to these questions than meets the eye. Gosh, I'm so tired of having to be suspicious all the time.

Why can't things just be normal?

"And is your family a big one?"

"It's just me and my brother."

"What happened to your parents?"

"My mother passed away a few years ago," I reveal, finding that talking about my mother right now doesn't sit well with me. I've never gotten over my mother's death, and I probably never will, and to discuss her with this woman makes me feel...terrible.

"Mom, I told you about Nicole's mother," Sebastian mentions. "She was great friends with Katie."

"It must've slipped my mind," she replies. I'm sure then that it didn't. "What about your father?"

"He died when I was much younger."

"I see."

I've lost my appetite completely, and I want to be anywhere but here. The conversation flows a lot easier now that I'm not participating and no questions are directed at me, and what comforts me is Sebastian's hand on my thigh.

I want to meet his eyes, but I'm afraid of what I might see in them.

The topic shifts swiftly to Sebastian's college days, and this is when I found out that he actually went to school with his ex and that they were high school sweethearts and everything. I remember when he told me how she cheated on him and his mother was insistent on the match, but I didn't think she'd insist to this extent.

"Remember that, Sebastian?" his mother asks after laughing with delight at a memory Daphne just shared. "The two of you looked so adorable together that Halloween! You spent all night sewing those outfits together!"

"I loved it!" his cousin Gertrude comments.

The longer they talk, the more uncomfortable I become. At this point, my appetite vanished, and I just want to get out of here. Sebastian hasn't touched his plate, either. Honestly, this situation is so messy.

They're literally discussing his past with his ex while I'm here. I knew they didn't have any consideration for me—not his cousins or his aunts—but to do this to him? Don't they respect his decision? I mean, she cheated on him. Don't they care about that? About his feelings?

Inviting his ex here was a low blow.

Gertrude asks Daphne a question that pulls me out of my thoughts. "Will you be coming with us to the cruise?"

Sebastian is the perfect gentleman.

But tonight, something is different, and when we arrive at his place, I realize what it is.

He's angry. I've never seen him this way before.

And I find it shamelessly hot.

"I think we both need something to take the edge off," he claims before opening the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of wine. It's already open, so I know he's been drinking it. Which I find strange because Sebastian isn't much of a drinker.

"Thanks," I tell him as he pours wine into my glass.

His eyes meet mine. "What are you thanking me for exactly?"

A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips. "I don't know. For being here with me, I guess."

I sip my wine, and his eyes are on mine. Steady. Assessing. My heart starts slamming against my chest, and before I know it, he closes the distance between us and we're backing away, lips locked. Even his kiss is different this time around.

We land on the couch, a tangle of lips and limbs. The heat of his body on mine turns me on, and so does his newfound aggression. Even so...he's not as aggressive as someone else would've been. I stop my thought right away, hating that my mind is making comparisons, and lose myself in the moment.

His hand ventures under my dress, and I lose it.