Page 12 of A Wild Darkness

“He committed three federal violations,” he adds with a smile.

I run a hand through my long curls, while Lux and River watch from the other couch. “It’s. A. Movie.”

Sebastian considers this for a beat. “Still unrealistic.”

I grab the pillow and launch it at his head, but he catches it with one hand. Annoyingly.

“Violence already?”

“You’re ruining a classic.”

“The movie was ruining itself.”

River snorts and Lux laughs. But when my eyes make their way back around to Sebastian, he’s still smiling at me. A wide grin that’s not smug, but a real one. It kind of transforms his entire face. But then I glance away when I realize I’ve been staring at him for a second too long.

A few minutes later, Lux disappears down the hall so she can show him where to grab another blanket from the closet. But then a few minutes pass. And then a couple more, and they’re still not back.

“Where did they go?”

Sebastian glances behind him. “Probably fucking.”

I shoot him a side-eye. “Don’t they have an entire manor to do that in?”

“Yeah.” He smirks. “I’m joking.”

For a moment, my condo feels quieter than before. Not uncomfortable, just different. As I shift on the couch, Sebastian does the same on the opposite end.

The television continues playing the forgotten background noise of the romance movie I wanted to watch. And neither one of us speak for a moment, but then Sebastian’s dark brown eyes capture mine from across the couch.

“How was dinner?”

I blink, not sure I heard him correctly. “What?”

“Your mother’s birthday dinner.”

Not expecting him to know about the dinner, his question caught me off guard. “Oh, yeah. Did Lux tell you or something?”

“She told River, and River told me.”

“Ah,” I say quickly, realizing that because of how close Lux and River are, that means Sebastian will know more about me based on proximity. “Well, we survived.”

He extends his arm across the back of the couch. “High praise.”

“It was fine. Every year comes with mixed emotions, as you can imagine.”

“So,” he starts after a moment of silence, “your sister talks about you.”

I frown, imagining all the things my sister could have said. “Why?”

“Usually to embarrass you.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Apparently, you once got locked in a cemetery after dark.”

My back flexes, and I sit straighter. “That happened one time.”

His eyebrows raise. “One time was enough.”