Chapter 9

Sebastian's POV

I watch as Madelyn pulls back the curtains to her daughter’s room. She turns in my direction, where I sit on my balcony rail. With my water bottle in hand, I give her a spirited wave.

I smirk at the two women in the other room, two different reactions painted on each face. I bite my tongue to avoid laughing when Evelyn’s jaw drops. She starts mouthing curses at me, clearly confounded and tired of my bullshit.

Her mother, however, nods at me with a kind smile. “Hello, Sebastian,” she calls as she turns back to her daughter, the two disappearing into the room to chat.

I keep myself from losing my shit as I roll my eyes with a smile. This Princess really underestimates me, doesn’t she?

I stare out at the stars and sea, imagining a different life I could have had—a life where Evelyn would play the game. And as always, electricity shoots through every part of my body at every touch and kiss.

Does she truly believe this game will last forever?

“Hey!” I hear from my left. I turn my stare towards Evelyn, arms crossed and clearly angry. I just give her a smirk.

“Yes, Princess?” I muse.

“Why the hell do you keep doing this? All it ever is with you is teasing me and making fun of me nonstop!”

I raise a bushy brow as if I have no idea what she could possibly be alluding to. “Doesn’t ring a bell, sorry Princess.”

She lets out a fierce groan of exasperation. But I slip off the balcony railing. Giving her my signature smile, I whisper, “Goodnight,” before heading into my bedroom and closing the balcony curtains.

I get down the stairs to the kitchen to see Evelyn at the coffee maker. She turns slightly to see me but doesn’t say a word. I watch her pour two cups of coffee, and when she thinks I’m not paying attention, she puts a hefty scoop of sugar into my cup.

She hands it to me, innocent eyes blinking at me. She then goes to the fridge to grab what I assume is milk or creamer, and I slyly switch the two cups without a word. Then, Evelyn returns to take a quick sip of her cup before looking up and glaring at me.

“Bastard,” she mouths.

I smirk without a word, sipping my black coffee.

Before either of us can say or do anything, our parents interrupt the silent battle.

“Sebastian, Evelyn?” My father calls as he and Madelyn enter the room. Her arm is wrapped around his, and their smiles seem too happy for this morning.

“We have a small announcement to make,” Madelyn beams. “We’re going to be planning a small wedding ceremony here!”

I look at Evelyn again, but neither of us says a thing. I can see something in her eyes, but I can’t put my finger on it.

“That’s great, Mom.” Evelyn doesn’t sound as excited as she’s letting on, but for once, I don’t call her out or tease her.

Madelyn touches her hand to her chest. “Thank you, sweetheart.” Then, to my shock, she turns to me. “Sebastian, dear, I’d been meaning to ask you. What happened to that interesting Hawaiian girl you’d told me about? You never mentioned anything.”

Now that gets Evelyn’s attention, and her anxiety spikes so fast on her face that I feel my throat drop to my stomach. Even wanting to mess with her, I have no desire to admit our first meeting to her and my father.

“Oh, you know. She wasn’t good at games and often lost just absolutely miserably,” I muse, though I watch Evelyn’s anger overtake her anxiety.

Then, she stomps on my foot under the table. Yeah, that was definitely worth it.

Gregory rolls his eyes at me, and I can feel the air shift around us as he crosses her arms. “Honestly, you and these meaningless games, son. It’s time for them to stop; you’re an adult now.”

Ha, the man thinks he’s funny. Sarcastically, I wryly reply, “Must you bring up unpleasant topics before your wedding, Father?”

“I know that racing is just a hobby for you, Sebastian. When will you end this aimless lifestyle and join the company where you belong?”

Now, it’s my turn to roll my eyes. I stand up from the table, making my expression as cold and distant as possible to the people around me. I walk off, not wanting to look at my father in the eyes again.

I stalk towards the front door, needing air and space from this nonsense.

“Sebastian!” I hear Evelyn call, her sandals slapping the linoleum floor as she follows me. “Wait, you can’t leave.”

Why? Why can’t I leave? What the hell is she going to do to stop me from walking out that door?

“Really?” I growl, rolling my neck from the stress that’s gathered there. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Please,” she whimpers.

Why does that make me even angrier?

“Do you want to leave with me?” I snap, making complete eye contact with those brown eyes. “Answer the question.”

Incredulous, I watch Evelyn’s body language change in total. She puts her hand on my arm. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Of course, she won’t come with me. I shrug off her touch and go out the door, slamming it as hard as possible. I pop into my car and tear out of there.

I drive in a numb state to escape the entire world around me. Gregory just has to bring up the life I want nothing to do with, and Evelyn…why does she continue to evade me?

I growl out loud, surprising even myself with this reaction.

I hope to unwind at the underground racetrack and get this knot out of my neck.

Daniel is the first person I see when I enter the ring, and he runs his hand through his short haircut. “Bro, what are you doing here?”

I snort. “I can’t come to the track?”

My friend laughs back. “You’re a professional racer now. The last thing you should be doing is getting involved with anything to do with underground racing.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What makes you think I’m here to race, jackass? I came to unwind. That so bad?”

Daniel’s body cringes, but he doesn’t say anything else; he just runs off. He must be able to tell I’m not trying to fuck around and play games today.

As he disappears, Isabella saunters up to me. Her smooth dark hair is slicked into a ponytail as she moves that ass back and forth inside her jean shorts.

If she was a stranger, the stare I’d have would lead to literal drooling. Yet, with memories of our night together, I just find myself watching her with a bored expression.

Yes, Isabella is hot. I’m not interested, but I’m not blind, either.

“Hey there, stranger,” she says as she leans over on the railing. “You hear to see me?”

Something about her voice makes my heart even colder. Hot or not, I still feel nothing. How is it possible that she’s not even causing so much as an itch?

I lean down next to her, and with no preamble, she leans in and kisses me. I allow it to happen, but only for a few seconds.

As soon as my eyes close, all I can see is Evelyn’s face. Those eyes. Those lips. That body.

Isabella tastes bland, with no kick, spice, or even a single spark. I can’t help it; I shove her away from me.

“No thanks, not interested.”

Her eyes cloud with hurt, but I don’t give her a second glance. She’s not worth the mental energy.

Evelyn however?

I spend a full day at the track, watching and trying to forget everything swimming in my head. But her lips, that hair…why does it continue to resurface like a surfboard submerged after a wave?

Does she not see just how tightly she holds me? Because there’s no chance in hell, I’ll be admitting to it any time soon.

After most of the racers and spectators leave, I finally let myself go, too. It's already almost midnight; everyone should be asleep by now—no need to worry about any confrontation.

Once I lock the villa's front door, I turn around to head up the stairs. However, I stop when I notice Evelyn sitting in the kitchen alone. She perks up once she sees me, and I begrudgingly make my way over to her.

“Sorry,” she whispers as she climbs out of the kitchen chair. “I couldn’t sleep. I just wanted to make sure you got back okay.”

I can’t find anything to respond with, so she goes on. “I didn’t know about the situation between you and Gregory. I guess I just assumed he let you do whatever you want?”

Why do I feel a gravitational pull towards this beautiful Hawaiian woman?

“If you want to talk about it, I don’t mind—”

I can’t take it anymore. I quickly cross the kitchen and grab this stunning person, pressing my lips against hers. The kiss is passionate, making me feel somewhat weak in the knees.

When had a girl ever done that before?

I let my tongue explore her mouth just enough to hear a tiny moan escape her lips.

That’s it, Princess. No one’s ever going to make you feel better than I can.

Just as I’m letting my mind go blank, footsteps sound from upstairs, and suddenly, they start padding down the stairs straight toward the two of us.

Instinctively, Evelyn crouches down, hiding beside my legs in front of the sofa.

Son of a bitch.