would continue without him. Easy as that. Her heart may ache, and her eyes may well with tears, but she’d just ignore them, take a deep breath and move on.
Lucy slapped her hands together with a sense of accomplishment and took her last step running, finally feeling tired enough to stop. She’d reached her destination anyway. She was home. She could just go inside, have a long hot shower and begin the search for Seb’s gear.
By midnight Seb would be a ghost from the past.
But as she headed towards the door of her building, Lucy did a double take.
This wasn’t her building at all. Didn’t look anything like it.
No, the building before her looked suspiciously like Seb’s, and for the life of her, Lucy had no memory of consciously making her way there.
What the hell was she thinking?
Not two minutes ago she’d made the decision to cut him out of her life. Just chop him off with one good, clean slice. And her way of carrying through on that decision was to…ring his bell? Press her hand hard on the buzzer until she heard the drone on the other side of the door?
Oh, great plan, Luce. Really well thought out. That’ll show Sebastian. That’ll teach him.
She should leave. Should get the hell off his doormat and run home. Yet her legs refused to move and her heart didn’t seem to be much in the mood for spurring those stubborn legs on.
Stupid heart. Didn’t it remember how it had just shattered?
“Hey, you’re early.” Seb’s muffled voice coincided with his approaching footsteps. The handle turned, the door swung open, and there he was, dressed in jeans and nothing else. “I only expected you in—” His jaw dropped. “Lucy?”
“Apparently you weren’t expecting me at all.”
“I, er, no, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Yeah, so I gathered. Which is funny really, because it’s Tuesday, and usually we run on Tuesday, and if you don’t run on Tuesday, then I generally swing by your place after I run and you generally expect me. So, yeah. It’s funny, you know?”
He stared at her, looking stunned. “It’s Tuesday?”
“No. It’s Wednesday and I’m just screwing with your head. Tuesday was yesterday, and we ran eight kilometers together, like we always do. Remember?”
Seb ran a hand over his whiskered jaw. The fact that it was whiskered at all was a surprise, since he usually kept his jaw shaved as smooth as his head. “Shit, I’m sorry. I must have lost track of time.”
A bead of sweat trickled down her face as she tried her hardest not to stare at his magnificent, shirtless chest. “Look, do you mind if I come in for a second? Splash some water on my face and get a drink?”
He jumped out of her way, extending his arm towards his living room. “Of course not. Why would I mind? Come inside. Go use the bathroom.”
Like she’d done fifty times before, Lucy headed straight for his bathroom and helped herself to a hand towel. She splashed water on her heated face and wiped the sweat from her brow and neck. Her tight running vest was damp and plastered to her chest, but there was nothing she could do about that. Didn’t matter though. Seb was used to her sweaty post-run look.
When she’d cooled down enough to face him again, she tossed the towel in the wash basket and headed back out.
Seb waited for her with a glass of icy cold water.
She downed it gratefully, stunned by her calm demeanor. Even her pounding heart had steadied. Was that because she’d gained control of her senses—or because, as usual, Seb had that steadying effect on her?
“Have a good run?” he asked when she lowered the glass.
“No. Actually I had a crap run. You wanna know why?” She set the glass on his dining room table.
“Too hot?” he guessed.
“No. I was too focused on you and your damned behavior the other night to think about my run. I forgot to stretch, and eight kilometers went by so damn quickly I didn’t get a good enough workout, so I had to do another eight.” Hmm,
Lucy slapped her hands together with a sense of accomplishment and took her last step running, finally feeling tired enough to stop. She’d reached her destination anyway. She was home. She could just go inside, have a long hot shower and begin the search for Seb’s gear.
By midnight Seb would be a ghost from the past.
But as she headed towards the door of her building, Lucy did a double take.
This wasn’t her building at all. Didn’t look anything like it.
No, the building before her looked suspiciously like Seb’s, and for the life of her, Lucy had no memory of consciously making her way there.
What the hell was she thinking?
Not two minutes ago she’d made the decision to cut him out of her life. Just chop him off with one good, clean slice. And her way of carrying through on that decision was to…ring his bell? Press her hand hard on the buzzer until she heard the drone on the other side of the door?
Oh, great plan, Luce. Really well thought out. That’ll show Sebastian. That’ll teach him.
She should leave. Should get the hell off his doormat and run home. Yet her legs refused to move and her heart didn’t seem to be much in the mood for spurring those stubborn legs on.
Stupid heart. Didn’t it remember how it had just shattered?
“Hey, you’re early.” Seb’s muffled voice coincided with his approaching footsteps. The handle turned, the door swung open, and there he was, dressed in jeans and nothing else. “I only expected you in—” His jaw dropped. “Lucy?”
“Apparently you weren’t expecting me at all.”
“I, er, no, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Yeah, so I gathered. Which is funny really, because it’s Tuesday, and usually we run on Tuesday, and if you don’t run on Tuesday, then I generally swing by your place after I run and you generally expect me. So, yeah. It’s funny, you know?”
He stared at her, looking stunned. “It’s Tuesday?”
“No. It’s Wednesday and I’m just screwing with your head. Tuesday was yesterday, and we ran eight kilometers together, like we always do. Remember?”
Seb ran a hand over his whiskered jaw. The fact that it was whiskered at all was a surprise, since he usually kept his jaw shaved as smooth as his head. “Shit, I’m sorry. I must have lost track of time.”
A bead of sweat trickled down her face as she tried her hardest not to stare at his magnificent, shirtless chest. “Look, do you mind if I come in for a second? Splash some water on my face and get a drink?”
He jumped out of her way, extending his arm towards his living room. “Of course not. Why would I mind? Come inside. Go use the bathroom.”
Like she’d done fifty times before, Lucy headed straight for his bathroom and helped herself to a hand towel. She splashed water on her heated face and wiped the sweat from her brow and neck. Her tight running vest was damp and plastered to her chest, but there was nothing she could do about that. Didn’t matter though. Seb was used to her sweaty post-run look.
When she’d cooled down enough to face him again, she tossed the towel in the wash basket and headed back out.
Seb waited for her with a glass of icy cold water.
She downed it gratefully, stunned by her calm demeanor. Even her pounding heart had steadied. Was that because she’d gained control of her senses—or because, as usual, Seb had that steadying effect on her?
“Have a good run?” he asked when she lowered the glass.
“No. Actually I had a crap run. You wanna know why?” She set the glass on his dining room table.
“Too hot?” he guessed.
“No. I was too focused on you and your damned behavior the other night to think about my run. I forgot to stretch, and eight kilometers went by so damn quickly I didn’t get a good enough workout, so I had to do another eight.” Hmm,
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