Sleet Banshee by S.J. Tilly

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

MEGHAN

Humming along with my Mariah Carey throwback album blaring in my headphones, I jot down some notes on my clipboard. Clipboards may seem like a thing of the past, but sometimes it’s easier to sketch out my ideas rather than writing. And they’re super handy for writing on the move.

I’ve been wandering the museum for about an hour, and I’m well into my groove. Samuel said he’d be in his office to catch up on paperwork, but the main spaces are pretty much empty of people. I saw some cleaning staff earlier, but I think they’re all wrapped up now.

The dinner and dance will be up in the event space on the top floor. But I’m searching out the best place for the ceremony, and all the must-have photo spots. Katelyn and Jackson are seriously going to have the most killer wedding album ever.

I walk into a dark room that’s meant to immerse you in the universe. There are subtle spotlights on each of the planets suspended around the space. And there are little tiny lights embedded in the walls and ceiling, representing the stars.

Honey starts playing, and I bump up the volume another notch. Something about nostalgic music just gets me in the zone. I jot down a few more notes, and my humming turns into a hum/sing combo. Mariah really has no equal, and no one should ever try to sing along, but I dare you to resist the pull.

Spotting Orion, my favorite constellation, on the far wall, I walk over and pull out my phone to take a selfie in front of it. It’ll be dark and artsy and hopefully awesome.

Holding my phone out, I turn slightly to get the framing right. I’ve snapped a few shots when movement behind my phone catches my eye. The materializing form of a large man startles a scream out of me.

Instinct has me dropping my belongings and stepping back, but I don’t make it far before I’m stopped by the wall.

Backlit by the hallway lights, the silhouette nears, sharpening. And it’s motherfucking Sebastian!

As I curse the man for scaring the shit out of me, the song switches to Hero, nearly killing me with the irony.

The shock of fight-or-flight is too much for my body to deal with, and I sag back against the wall. Crushing my little backpack in the process, I let my knees bend until I’ve slid  all the way down to the floor. My heart is still trying to beat out of my chest, and Mariah belting out cast your fears aside is too much. I burst into teary laughter and bury my face in my hands.

What a messed up life I live.

My fingers are still trembling from the adrenaline jolt when large hands gently grip the outside of my thighs. I let out a few more shaky laughs before I raise my head, using my fingertips to quickly wipe away my tears before meeting Sebastian’s gaze.

When I do, instead of seeing a smirk, I see a concerned look scrunching his features. He’s crouched in front of me, lips moving, and close enough that his knees are nearly touching mine. I let out one more deep breath before pulling my earbuds out, releasing me from the clutches of Mariah’s voice.

“I’m so sorry,” Sebastian’s voice sounds even deeper than usual. “Are you okay?”

“It’s okay. I’m fine.” I put my hand over his, where it’s remained on my thigh, and squeeze. “Really.”

As his eyes trace over my face, I’d swear his expression shifts to anger.

What the hell could he be mad at me for?

“I made you cry - ” he growls the words.

Ah, he’s angry at himself.

I shake my head and smile. “No, big guy. Mariah did that.” When he continues to glare at me, I wave him off. “Never mind. You didn’t make me cry, but you did scare a decade off my life.”

I lean forward to shove him in his chest, but he just catches my hands.

“Come on.” He rises, and - keeping his grip on my hands - pulls me up to standing with him. “I’d like a do-over. Ya know, without the screaming and tears.” He gives my hands a squeeze. “Hey, Banshee. Fancy meeting you here.”

He’s so damn adorable like this.

I fight hard to keep my grin at bay, and I roll my eyes, pretending the honey badger bopping around in my ribcage isn’t making goo-goo sounds at him.

“Oh. Hi, Sebastian. How on earth did you find me here? It’s almost like someone must have told you where I was.”

He leans in and whispers, “I have someone on the inside.”

“Ooo, the inside. How scandalous. Sounds like you’re in the mob or something.”

“Or something.” He smirks.

Letting go of my hands, Sebastian turns around before bending to pick something up from the floor.

I don’t look at his ass.

Not for too long.

“I think you dropped this,” Sebastian holds out my phone.

“Ah, yes. I meant to do that. I always toss my phone when I’m done taking stupid selfies.”

“Not stupid. Bet those pictures are gonna be cute as hell.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Well, let’s see.”

I laugh.

He gestures to the phone now in my hand. “Come on, I wanna see them.”

I am a little curious to see how they turned out, so I unlock my phone and pull up the photos. “Hmm. Not terrible.”

Sebastian steps up behind me so he can look over my shoulder at the screen. The first pic is actually pretty good. The light blue hue of the room gives me an angelic glow. Totally believable. The second pic has the background more aligned. The third, my smile is gone, and I’m looking past the camera. The fourth pic is a little blurry and my mouth open in a scream. I clearly didn’t mean to take that one.

“Eesh.” I shudder.

“Snipe.” Sebastian reaches over my shoulder and snatches my phone.

“Hey!”

He turns his back to me and holds the phone high above his head, well out of my reach.

“What are you doing? Give that back!”

He spins as I circle him, keeping his back to me. “Just a moment," he sing-songs.

He’s such a cock.

I grab a hold of one of the belt loops in his jeans, so he can’t turn away, and step around so we’re chest to chest. Or close to it, with our nearly foot height difference.

“Give it back, you oversized dick.”

“That’s right, Baby. You know it’s oversized.”

“Oh my god, that’s not…” I reach up and pinch his nipple.

Instead of jumping back, he groans. “Do it again.” He’s using his husky voice, and I feel the rumble go straight to my core.

I don’t know if I want to laugh or moan. But I’m nothing if not obedient, so I do it again. Only a lot harder. And with both hands.

Sebastian drops his arms to encircle me, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I quickly snag my phone from his grip and dart from his reach.

“What were you doing?” I ask, walking backwards, scanning through my phone.

“A little thing called you’ll see.”

“Wow. Super mature.”

“Says the girl who just gave me a titty twister.”

I snort. “Yeah, at your request.”

I look up in time to see him adjusting himself. It should weird me out that he enjoyed that, but I like it.

Sebastian clears his throat, and my eyes snap up to him. I’m not sure which one of us should be embarrassed. Me, for staring at his junk, or him, for getting hard. It’s a draw.

I change the topic. “What’re you doing here?”

“Bringing you coffee, obviously.”

I raise my eyebrows, holding my hands out.

He grins and strides past me towards the entrance of the room. Near the doorway, I see two to-go cups of coffee sitting on the floor.

“Ah, yes, obviously,” I nod.

Picking them up, Sebastian gestures towards a bench out in the lighted main hallway.

Looking around, I find my clipboard and other discarded items before following Sebastian. Dropping everything into a pile at the end of the bench, I remove my backpack and store away my earbuds.

Sitting, he hands me one of the cups. “Dark roast with a splash of cream.”

“How’d you know?” I take the cup and sit next to him, then remember. “Oh right, our da…”

Shit. Fuck. Damn. I almost said date. Well, more than almost. I said it. Half of it. Shit. It wasn’t a fucking date.

I feel him shrug next to me. “I’m good at remembering details.”

I hum in agreement and busy myself with taking a sip, glad he’s ignoring my poor choice of words.

We sit quietly, both pretending to be immersed in our beverages before Sebastian breaks the silence.

“So… was that the Mariah Carey you were singing along with?”

I groan. “You heard that? Can’t we just erase the last few minutes from memory?”

“Sorry, Banshee. Had I known what I’d walk in on, I’d’ve been recording. That shit would’ve made a great personalized ringtone for when you call me.”

I backhand his chest. Lightly, so as not to arouse him. “Ass.”

He chuckles.

“And how is it you recognize Mariah Carey that easily?” I ask.

“I have a sister, who I think is right around your age. However much you listened to Miss Carey, I guarantee Anna listened to it more.”

“That’s a lot of Honey.”

“Fucking right it is. Can’t stand the shit, but I could probably recognize any of her songs after only a few notes.”

“Well your sister must have great taste. I bet I’d like her.”

He turns his body towards me, so I do the same.

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep you two away from each other.” He’s trying really hard to portray how serious he is.

I smile. “I don’t know, I mean I’ve already become besties with your twin. Which, by the way, I’m a little shocked you left that detail out when we were talking about siblings the day you stalked me at the grocery store.”

“Stalked? I thought it was a date.” He smirks.

My cheeks heat.

“And I did tell you about Samuel," he continues. “I told you I had two brothers and a sister.”

“Yeah, okay, technically you told me about him. But I would think that being a twin was kind of a big deal.”

He shrugs. “It is. I mean we’re close and all, but we’re all close with each other. Samuel and I definitely have more shared stories, sharing a womb, then a room for so many years, but we try to not gang up on Anna and Curtis. Unless, of course, they deserve it.”

“Yeah,” I chuckle. “I heard about your shared room. And how Samuel defiled your bunk beds.”

Sebastian’s laugh is loud and deep.

God he’s hot.

“I can’t believe he told you about that.”

I grin at the memory. “Honestly, me neither. It was good bonding, but I don’t know how we got on the topic.”

Sebastian arches a dark brow. “Is that when you told him about us fucking in an alley?”

I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. Just a puff of air.

“That’s what I thought,” Sebastian says smugly.

“I never told him who I had sex with. I could’ve been talking about some other alley fuck I’ve had.”

Sebastian narrows his eyes. “Make a habit out of it, do you?”

“Make a habit out of stealing girls' panties?” I toss back.

He just smirks.

The thought of him with another girl makes me want to claw his eyes out, so I busy myself by slipping my backpack back on and picking up my clipboard.

“Well, thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome.”

I rise. “I should get back to work.”

He stands. “Okay.”

Okay. I give him a little smile and nod and start to walk away. On to the next exhibit. Back to reality.

Except Sebastian is following behind me.

“Umm, what are you doing?” I ask, over my shoulder.

“Working.”

“Working?”

“Yeah, Jackson asked me to supervise you.”

I stop. “Uh, pardon? You supervise me?”

“Yep.” He leans over, trying to read off my clipboard, so I hug it against my chest. “He said, 'Please watch over Meghan. She’s crazy and I want to make sure my wedding is tasteful.' ”

My jaw drops. “He said that?!”

Sebastian stares at me for a beat. Then the corner of his mouth ticks up. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no, he didn’t say that. I’m just messing with ya. But he did tell me I could involve myself if I wanted to. You know, be around to help make it easier on my brother and his workload.”

“Easier on your brother.” I give him my are-you-fucking-kidding-me face.

“You know how Jackson is.” Sebastian rolls his eyes. “He’s all considerate and shit. So he didn’t exactly take into consideration the fact that Samuel is having the time of his life working with you.”

“And yet, here you are,” I gesture to him.

“How could I pass up such a golden opportunity to see the museum after hours?”

I place my fisted hands on my hips. “Pretty sure you could do that any time you want.”

“Perhaps. But the company right now is just so pleasant.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Say that again.” He steps closer. “In your sex voice.”

I laugh and shake my head.

“So, what’s next on the checklist?” Sebastian stands up straight, trying to look professional.

I give him a slow once-over. He’s wearing another pair of perfectly fitted jeans, and a black long-sleeved shirt that looks like it might be a size too small with the way it stretches over his chest muscles.

“This is how you dress for a management position?”

“What?” He holds his arms out and looks down at himself before giving me a pointed look.

It's then I realize that our outfits are alarmingly similar. I’m also in a pair of fitted jeans. And a black, cotton, long-sleeved V-neck shirt. The only difference is my blue tennis shoes, matching my blue velvet backpack, to his solid black skater shoes.

He gently tugs on one of the curls framing my face. “I’d say I dressed perfectly for this role. It’s almost like we were meant to do this together.”

I like that statement a little bit too much. I don’t want to read into it. But, he is here. He did come out of his way to show up. Again.

I really should just be an adult and ask him what exactly he wants. Does he want to date? Does he want a fuck buddy? Does he just want to be friends?

And what do I want?

Sex. I want more sex.

And possibly a relationship. And a happily ever after. And to win the fucking lottery.

I grind my teeth to stop myself from screaming out in frustration.

“I thought the wedding was going to be upstairs?” Sebastian’s question brings me back to the present.

“It is.”

“So, what are you doing down here?”

Deciding to be an adult, I explain to him about the set up, and what I’m looking for. He asks to see my notes, and since he seems genuinely interested, I show him.

I tell him about my photo ideas for the planet room. How we can get the entire group of wedding attendees on the main three-story staircase, and how cool that’ll look with the bride and groom at the top.

Katelyn and Jackson decided to not have a wedding party, so that allows for more creativity on my end. Plus, it means I won’t get stuck buying some dumbass dress that I’ll never wear again. I don’t care what color it is, or how cute it is. It’ll always be a bridesmaid dress.

We make our way to the human body exhibit and spend way too much time touching everything and examining the thin sliced sections of the human body.

It’s fascinating and disgusting and like every other time with Sebastian, I’m loving every second. When I see him around other people - in front of the press, with fans, even with most of his teammates - he’s always so serious. So cut off. But - with me - he’s funny, and clever, and he laughs at my jokes. He hasn’t been outright flirty, but he’s always nearby. And he’s found plenty of reasons to put his hands on me. Turning me to face something. Halting me with a hand on the shoulder. Guiding me with a hand on my lower back.

His touches have to be deliberate. I’m about ready to start panting, I’m so turned on from all the proximity. But he’s acting like he’s not even affected. I wonder if he knows what he’s doing to me.

“This exhibit is cool, but I think we can both agree that this isn’t wedding appropriate… ” I say, needing to get us moving. Hoping the walk will help to cool me off.

“Fair enough.” Sebastian says as he follows me towards the stairs. “But I can promise you that I’ll be sneaking down here for some sweet selfies the night of.”

“I hear nothing.” But I can already picture myself sneaking off with him.

Leaving the bodies behind, we make our way to the lowest level.

I spread my hands out and spin around. “This. This is where we’ll do the ceremony.”

Sebastian looks around as his smile grows. “Yeah. There’s no better choice.”

“Right?” I smile back. I gesture to a spot in front of us. “Katelyn and Jackson can stand right there. It’s perfect.”

Standing side by side, Sebastian and I look up at the full-size brontosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex skeletons.

He chuckles. “Beauty and the beast.”