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This time, I watched Sebastian carefully, and sure enough, his eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. Was he jealous that I was dating and he wasn’t? Or was it something more? Was Marley right, and he liked me?
Marley pointed around the room. “Y’all better be present that night to support the farm. I’m including all the Monroe brothers. Even if you’re taken, you need to be present as representatives from the farm. We’ll auction off Holly and Hanna, and I’ll shoot out a sign-up form for more single women on our socials and in our emails.”
Sebastian rested his elbows on the table. “Don’t you think you’re moving fast?”
“Look, we need to plan things during the season. That’s our busiest time. We can’t do this in the summer. We’ll plan the perfect romantic date with the backdrop of the trees and twinkling lights. It’s going to be perfect.” Then Marley turned to me. “Do you want to pick the date you go on, or should we have the men do that?”
Before I could answer, she snapped her fingers. “Should we auction off the right to have the hot tub date?”
“This is too much,” Sebastian said.
Marley’s eyes narrowed on him. “This is my baby, and we’re doing it, with or without your help.”
“You want to auction off the hot tub for a date?” Emmett asked.
Marley nodded. “I think it will help us raise more money.”
Could I get into the hot tub with a strange guy I’d never met before? Or what if it was someone I knew but didn’t have a romantic interest in? It didn’t feel right.
The thought of being in the hot tub with Sebastian had me thinking all sorts of naughty thoughts. Would he want me close? Would he touch me?
Flashes of bare, wet skin flitted through my head. After seeing a sliver of his abdomen this morning, it made me yearn for more. Sebastian was hiding a hot body under those conservative suits.
Lori finally held up her hands. “Dinner is ready to be served. Let’s table this discussion for another time.”
I let out a sigh of relief as everyone got up to help Lori carry in the dishes. Ember and Addy had gone into the living room to play a while ago, leaving us free to talk business.
Sebastian rose and stalked toward me. He braced a hand on the table next to me and leaned in. “Is this what you want?”
I blinked up at him, a little confused as to why he was so determined to clarify my intentions. “It sounds fun, and I wanted to jump into dating again. This seems like the perfect way to do it. You and your brothers will be nearby if anything goes wrong.”
A rumble erupted from Sebastian’s throat.
“Are you—are you growling at me?” I asked him, a little shocked.
He leaned in closer. “I don’t like the idea of men bidding on you.”
The intensity of his gaze and the way his muscles flexed was so distracting I wasn’t sure if he’d asked a question. “I don’t know what to say. Marley wants to raise money for the farm, and I thought you said you needed an extra stream of income.”
He nodded. “That’s true.”
“She’s just trying to help, and I want to do something, too.”
“You think you can help the farm and my family by letting some stranger bid on you and then take you into a secluded hot tub?”
I stood, which brought me against Sebastian’s body. He didn’t take a step back. His warmth and scent surrounded me, and I couldn’t look away from him. I pulled on every bit of confidence I had. “I guess you’ll need to make sure it’s not a stranger who wins.”
With that parting shot, I moved around him and into the kitchen. I thought I heard him say, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
But I was so surprised by my words, I couldn’t respond. I’d literally just challenged my best friend to bid on me during an auction. What the hell had I gotten myself into?
I helped carry in the glasses and assisted Ember and Addy with setting the table. Then I poured water from a pitcher into everyone’s glasses. My plan was to stay busy and not fall into a conversation with Sebastian about the auction again.
But when I stepped close to him, I realized my error. He took the opportunity to pull me close, and I almost spilled the water.
Conversation was going on around us as if no one noticed that I was leaning against Sebastian and had stopped pouring water. Ember was leaning away from Sebastian to talk to Addy, who was seated next to her.
“We’re not done with this conversation.”
