He obviously needed food, but I felt surprisingly awkward. Since I had three kids, feeding him was natural and effortless. He didn’t spit it out or try to stick his hand in it, which was a bonus. But something about watching his mouth as he ate made things strange. I hadn’t noticed how lush his lips were before. How luminous and lovely his winter gray eyes were.
A blob fell from the spoon onto his lower lip, and without thinking, I swiped it away with my thumb and licked it off. My breath caught. How would that yogurt have tasted if I’d licked it from his lips instead?
“You know”—Sebastian lifted his gaze to mine—”I think we just had a K-drama moment.”
“A what?” Shocked at what I’d done—by what I’d considered doing—I let my hand fall, the spoon forgotten.
“You’ll find the exact same scene in romantic Asian television dramas. The hero and heroine are drinking coffee and she gets foam on her lip. The hero thumbs it off, tastes it, their eyes meet.”
“Do you watch a lot of those?”
“I do. I love them. Especially the costume dramas.” His eyes were dreamy until he suddenly cleared his throat. “I find it useful to study the acting.”
“Of course,” I said gently. “The acting. Then what?”
“The camera tightens on the heroine’s lips so the audience knows the hero is thinking about kissing her. Without dialogue, a thousand things are revealed about them.”
“Is that so?” I swallowed guiltily, wondering what I’d revealed about my thoughts to him. “Maybe I should check those out.”
“Beyond the Night and Blood Academy are the same thing. We live and die by building unresolved sexual tension. The couple you ship might not kiss until the last scene of the season. They might never—”
“Sounds like that’d be frustrating to watch.”
“Oh, it is. You can watch a hundred hours where nothing ever happens.”
“In that case, I can’t wait.” I spooned more yogurt. “Eat some more, please.”
He took another bite. “They’re going to send in a psychologist to evaluate me. Since I don’t remember what happened—”
“Would the outcome be different if you remembered?” He turned his head away. “The situation speaks for itself, Sebastian.”
“Okay,” he said, suddenly frosty, “so what if it does.”
I put the empty yogurt container aside. “What do you think it says?”
“Obviously that I need help.”
“Obviously.” I stood. “I should probably go. Morrigan’s waiting.”
“Wait. Are you leaving town?”
“I was thinking about it.” I met his gaze. “I’m not with the production anymore. I stayed in a motel last night because I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
Tears sparkled on his lashes. “I feel like I ruined things. We were having such a good time, and I went and messed it up.” He brushed his face on his pillow. “That’s what I do, you know. Whenever something good comes along, I always find a way to ruin it.”
“You didn’t ruin anything. You’re still coming to Colorado. I’ll show you around the sanctuary.”
He looked up at me. “Do you have to go?”
My heart thundered. “Do you need me to stay?”
He looked away then. “I don’t need you to stay. I want you to stay. I wish you would. If I was blowing out a birthday candle—”
“I get it.” He made me laugh, I’d give him that. He made me laugh and worry and—now he made me want things that didn’t make sense.
Someone opened the door to Sebastian’s room.
“You must be Stone,” the man said as he walked in. “I’m Alastair Keye. Sebastian’s father.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” The man was probably only five years older than me. He was flawlessly dressed and self-possessed with a hipster beard of biblical proportions. Alastair Keye was powerful in the same way Sebastian was beautiful—divinely and effortlessly.
“I hear you’re an animal trainer.” He openly eyed my scars. “Are those scars the result of—”
“Dad!” Sebastian’s face caught fire. “That’s so rude. Oh my God.”
“It’s not rude to be curious.” Alastair didn’t look away from my face.
“IED.”
“What branch?”
“Marines. Second light armored reconnaissance battalion.”
With a warmth I didn’t expect, Alastair clasped my hand with both of his. “Thank you for your service, Stone.”
I never knew what to say to that. “It’s all good.”
He snorted. “That’s a first.”
“Sorry.”
“Are you dating my son?”
“Dad! Oh my God, you’re like an untrained dog that jumps on people and sniffs their crotches and—”
“Why can’t I ask?” He finally turned to Sebastian. “I want to know the answer. I’m not trying to be offensive.”
“I should go.” I backed from the room while they argued. “I’ll call you.”
“Oh, man.” Sebastian tried to lift his arms. “I can’t even cover my face in shock and horror. You know that.”
I turned and left, though I heard their voices raised in argument as I walked toward the elevator. Outside, I found Molly and Morrigan where I’d left them. Molly was showing Morrigan something on her tablet.
“No, look. He’s handsome, isn’t he? Don’t you think he’s handsome?”
I sat down next to Molly. “I’m not sure Morrigan’s the best judge of handsome.”
“What about you?” She showed me a picture of a Boston terrier. “What do you think?”
“Are you trying to set Morrigan up?” I studied the little dog. He was really cute if you liked small breeds. “Is there now a Tinder for dogs?”
“Ha. You’re cute. No. This is Friar Tuxedo. I have a friend trying to find me a dog for Sebastian. Friar Tux here is about two and a half. He’s from a breeder who shows dogs, but there’s something off about him, not his health but his temperament maybe?”
“I’d find out what that thing is. Maybe take him to a vet. If he’s sound, he’d be a great pet for Sebastian.”
“He’s just adorable, isn’t he? I have an appointment to go see him, but he’s in Grass Valley. It’ll take most of the day to get there and back.”
“Sebastian can’t manage a dog right now. He’s going to be in casts and in pain.”
“I can take care of a dog. Sebastian needs cuddles, don’t you think? A pet would be great for him.”
I’d been pretty determined to buy him a plush throw. Maybe in the back of my mind, cuddles was exactly what I’d been thinking. I took the tablet from her and flipped through the pictures. Friar Tux was exactly the type of dog I’d pick for Sebastian. A small animal he could control easily, keep in an apartment or hotel, and travel with. Bostons were loyal, and they loved to cuddle.
“The right dog could bring comfort and happiness to Sebastian’s life.”