Page 53 of Hate To Be Mine

“Good. My bungalow?”

“Okay.”

That was not what I expected, but I was relieved. Kind of. I was also freaking out a little. Was it safe to be alone with her?

Definitely not.

20

BERNADETTE

Standing in Sebastian’s bungalow, surrounded by his work scattered across every surface, I knew this was dangerous.

Being alone with him. In his space. Where a bed was visible through the doorway to the bedroom. Private. No one was going to barge in and stop anything.

Shit.

Bad, bad, bad.

I should have suggested we talk somewhere public. The resort bar. The beach. Literally anywhere that wasn’t a private bungalow with a door that locked.

But I didn’t want an audience. I knew Elizabeth knew what happened just by the way she had been looking at me. I couldn’t really be mad at Annika for telling her. For all I knew, someone in the crew had seen and told her. Told everyone.

It was important to get the situation handled like two adults. So now I was in Sebastian’s bungalow. We were going to have a conversation that would either end this thing before it started or change everything.

“We can’t do this,” I said, forcing the words out. “There are too many reasons why this is a terrible idea.”

“Okay.” He leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “List them. I know you have a list in your head. Maybe even a spreadsheet on your computer.”

I couldn’t even be insulted because I had been making a list all damn day.

“My job. Your campaign. The fact that I’m supposed to be monitoring you for the insurance company, not… not whatever this would be.”

“Valid points.”

“The fact that you have a reputation. There’s also the little issue of me.”

“You?”

“I’ve never done casual and you’ve never done anything but casual.” I pursed my lips. “The fact that in two weeks, we go back to our separate lives.”

Sebastian nodded. “Also valid.”

“The fact that my father would lose his mind. This could end my career. Mixing personal and professional is always a disaster.”

“All true,” he agreed. “My turn?”

I nodded, even though I didn’t want to hear his reasons. I was a little bummed that he had reasons. I thought I was going to be the one rejecting the fling. That gave me the power and preserved my ego. I didn’t want confirmation that this was as impossible as I knew it was.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to impress someone the way I want to impress you. Oh and you make me want to be better than I am.”

My breath caught.

His list of reasons why we couldn’t were not what I was thinking. His cons sounded very much like pros.

“Did I mention the fact you’re funny and smart and passionate about things I never knew anyone could be passionate about. When you really smile, it makes my body come alive.”

I audibly swallowed. I felt dizzy. And hot.