her close.
Sebastian looked too good. He leaned against the black Jeep, his muscular arm extended. Calm. Commanding. Confident. Once Ashley broke through his rough exterior, she learned that there had been more to Sebastian Stone. Beyond his disturbing beliefs about dating and interactions between men and women, she liked him. She already determined him desirable, which didn’t have anything to do with his personality. Being likeable put Sebastian into a new category. As far as she was concerned, liking Sebastian Stone could be very good or very bad.
Sebastian set out a large blanket. They lounged seaside, side by side. Ashley lay propped up by an elbow. Sebastian leaned forward, rested his forearms on bent knees. He stared at the waves rolling to shore.
He met Ashley’s gaze. “That’s when I decided to try my hand at commercial real estate investing,” he said.
Ashley covered her mouth to contain her laughter. “I didn’t mean to laugh. I just can’t believe you said that to the judge.” She laughed again, clutching her side.
“Yeah, well neither could the judge. I’m a smartass. What can I say?” He turned back to the ocean. “I guess I never belonged in the courtroom. I’m much more suited to buying and selling and property management than I am to courtroom decorum.” He popped the last piece of his hot dog into his mouth.
Ashley frowned. “So were you disbarred?”
“No. I wasn’t disbarred. I decided that practicing law wasn’t for me. I stumbled my way into investing. When I turned twenty-five, I inherited a distressed property as part of my trust. My options were to sell the property at a loss or turn it into a profitable venture. I discovered I had a knack for taking broken things and fixing them to make money.”
“You’re brave.”
“I’m not brave. I didn’t have a job. I needed money.”
“What did your family think? That must have been a difficult conversation with mom and dad.”
Sebastian froze. His jaw set tight. He stared blankly into the night. “I don’t really have much family left. My parents were killed when I was seven. I barely remember them,” he stated flatly, emotionless. The callous way he talked about his dead parents surprised Ashley.
She winced. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“Stop apologizing. You didn’t kill them. There’s nothing to be sorry about.” A frosty stare bore into Ashley. She righted herself to stave off the chill. “That’s life. People die, Ashley.” She recognized the bitter, angry bite in his tone.
She joined him in reflection, staring at the open sea. “We’re born, and then we die. If we’re lucky, we find love in the middle.”
“You believe that crap, about love?” he asked.
“I used to. The older I’ve gotten and the more life has happened to me, I realized that we’re just carnal beings. Love is the excuse some people use because they want regular sex.”
The sound of crashing waves amplified in the silence. Sebastian planted an elbow on his knee. His temple rested on a white-knuckled fist. “Hmm, your insight isn’t much different than my own beliefs. Spoken from experience?”
Arms folded across her bosom, Ashley regarded Sebastian with a reluctant glance. “Some.” She exhaled a deep breath to release the tightening in her chest.
He studied her for a moment, deep sunken lines forming across his brow. “Yeah, I guess there’s no point in getting too personal,” he said as though he had contemplated deeper conversation.
She fastened her lips shut and then swallowed. Meeting his eyes, “Exactly,” she said.
Like a caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, Sebastian’s mood morphed from somber to rollicking. Arms outstretched, he tossed his head back. “That’s what I like about you. You don’t want a relationship. You’re not trying to manipulate the situation or pressure me. You’re confident, independent. That’s sexy as hell.” Sebastian moved closer. His finger traced
Sebastian looked too good. He leaned against the black Jeep, his muscular arm extended. Calm. Commanding. Confident. Once Ashley broke through his rough exterior, she learned that there had been more to Sebastian Stone. Beyond his disturbing beliefs about dating and interactions between men and women, she liked him. She already determined him desirable, which didn’t have anything to do with his personality. Being likeable put Sebastian into a new category. As far as she was concerned, liking Sebastian Stone could be very good or very bad.
Sebastian set out a large blanket. They lounged seaside, side by side. Ashley lay propped up by an elbow. Sebastian leaned forward, rested his forearms on bent knees. He stared at the waves rolling to shore.
He met Ashley’s gaze. “That’s when I decided to try my hand at commercial real estate investing,” he said.
Ashley covered her mouth to contain her laughter. “I didn’t mean to laugh. I just can’t believe you said that to the judge.” She laughed again, clutching her side.
“Yeah, well neither could the judge. I’m a smartass. What can I say?” He turned back to the ocean. “I guess I never belonged in the courtroom. I’m much more suited to buying and selling and property management than I am to courtroom decorum.” He popped the last piece of his hot dog into his mouth.
Ashley frowned. “So were you disbarred?”
“No. I wasn’t disbarred. I decided that practicing law wasn’t for me. I stumbled my way into investing. When I turned twenty-five, I inherited a distressed property as part of my trust. My options were to sell the property at a loss or turn it into a profitable venture. I discovered I had a knack for taking broken things and fixing them to make money.”
“You’re brave.”
“I’m not brave. I didn’t have a job. I needed money.”
“What did your family think? That must have been a difficult conversation with mom and dad.”
Sebastian froze. His jaw set tight. He stared blankly into the night. “I don’t really have much family left. My parents were killed when I was seven. I barely remember them,” he stated flatly, emotionless. The callous way he talked about his dead parents surprised Ashley.
She winced. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“Stop apologizing. You didn’t kill them. There’s nothing to be sorry about.” A frosty stare bore into Ashley. She righted herself to stave off the chill. “That’s life. People die, Ashley.” She recognized the bitter, angry bite in his tone.
She joined him in reflection, staring at the open sea. “We’re born, and then we die. If we’re lucky, we find love in the middle.”
“You believe that crap, about love?” he asked.
“I used to. The older I’ve gotten and the more life has happened to me, I realized that we’re just carnal beings. Love is the excuse some people use because they want regular sex.”
The sound of crashing waves amplified in the silence. Sebastian planted an elbow on his knee. His temple rested on a white-knuckled fist. “Hmm, your insight isn’t much different than my own beliefs. Spoken from experience?”
Arms folded across her bosom, Ashley regarded Sebastian with a reluctant glance. “Some.” She exhaled a deep breath to release the tightening in her chest.
He studied her for a moment, deep sunken lines forming across his brow. “Yeah, I guess there’s no point in getting too personal,” he said as though he had contemplated deeper conversation.
She fastened her lips shut and then swallowed. Meeting his eyes, “Exactly,” she said.
Like a caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, Sebastian’s mood morphed from somber to rollicking. Arms outstretched, he tossed his head back. “That’s what I like about you. You don’t want a relationship. You’re not trying to manipulate the situation or pressure me. You’re confident, independent. That’s sexy as hell.” Sebastian moved closer. His finger traced
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