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He extends a hand to shake mine, and I find myself hesitating for a moment before taking it. As our hands touch, though, an unpredictable jolt of electricity runs through me, but I do my best to keep it unnoticed.
“Does Julia have a last name?” he asks, an ounce of amusement tickling his lips.
“Van Dieren,” I reply, feeling slightly more at ease. “Which I assume you know everything about.”
“Not everything, no. I didn’t know Hendrik and Margaret had such a charming daughter.”
I smile in response, feeling a sense of comfort around him. “That’s because I never attended any of your balls.”
The corners of his mouth twitch into a grin at my answer. “Until now.”
I feel my color deepen at the sound of his warm voice, so I breathe slowly in and out, doing my best to keep my cool. “Until now.”
The way his dark-brown eyes pierce mine causes a rush of heat to bloom over my body. And I know deep inside my core that the longer we stand here, looking into each other’s eyes, the worse it will be. I’ve got to do something. “So, um, Sebastian, why aren’t you dressed if you are hosting this party?”
My question is enough to break the spell between us, and Sebastian straightens his posture, averting his gaze. “I’m not hosting, my parents are. I’m just avoiding it as much as you by staying here in peace and reading.”
I nod, my eyes wandering to the shelves of books surrounding us. “And what were you reading?”
“A financial audit of the company.” His answer comes totally unexpected, causing my eyebrows to raise in surprise, and noticing it, he adds, “I work with my dad at Van den Bosch Industries.”
“That sounds great,” I find myself saying, trying to keep the conversation going.
Seb shrugs, unimpressed. “Not really, but it’s alright. He’s very passionate about the company and that’s the only way I get to spend quality time with him.” He turns towards the shelves, eyes scanning over the spines of the books, before he places the last book he’s got in its place.
I continue admiring his face and how handsome he is, his face like a rough-hewn work of art that I can’t get enough of. There's a dark aura around him that I can't quite place, and it only makes me more curious about him.
“And you?” His question is enough to pull me back to reality.
“I’m studying law,” I say simply.
He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “At Amsterdam Law School, I presume?”
I can’t help but nod, quite impressed by his knowledge of the city’s universities. “Yep.”
“To become a lawyer?”
“Judge, actually.”
“Oh, ambitious. I get now why I’d never seen you around.”
I laugh nervously, feeling my heart flutter. “I go out, though, just not with Mom and her society events. I spend the week in Amsterdam. I’ve got a flat there.”
I immediately regret sharing that last detail, but before I can backtrack, Sebastian surprises me by closing the small space between us, and, almost instinctively, reaches out and tucks a loose lock of my hair behind my ear. I watch him in total awe as he does so, and manage to take slow breaths through the nose, despite the hammering in my chest.
“Really? That’s quite interesting.” His voice low and husky isn’t helping to steady it either. Gosh, I barely know this man. Why is he having such an impact on me? “I spend the week in Amsterdam too. Maybe we can see more of each other there.” His eyes lock onto mine again and my throat goes dry as I lose myself in his gaze.
I can’t believe what I'm hearing. Is he really asking to see me again?
“I’d love that,” I manage to pull the words out.
My heart feels like it’s about to burst, and I notice his eyes slowly darting down to my parted lips. “I’d love that too.” One small move from him or me and we could literally kiss.
His presence dominates the air surrounding us and if I keep myself so close to him, I’ll literally combust.Shit! What’s wrong with me?Armed with some supernatural self-control, I take a step back, bringing some much-needed distance between us, and say, “Well, um, I shall keep going. Mom must be looking for me.” Then clearing my throat, I straighten my posture, and take another step away, turning slightly towards the exit. “See you in Amsterdam, Seb.”
“Sure,” he utters, his eyes still fixed on me. “Have a great evening, Julia.”
I wave at him, doing my best not to look utterly embarrassed that I was almost leaning in to kiss a total stranger. But it’s hard to resist someone with such a striking face. As I leave the library, though, my mind is still racing with thoughts of our chat. The way he looked at me, the way he tucked that lock of hair behind my ear, so soft and gentle...it all felt surreal, magical even.
