18. Sebastian

18

Sebastian

S ebastian walked out of the men's room, and his heart stopped when he saw Sallie talking to Talia and his heart sank. Sallie had absolutely no filter on her mouth and would have no problem telling Talia that Sebastian was her man and Talia had better back off. Talia had been through enough lately and certainly didn't need Sallie's harassment.

He was a little surprised that they were both laughing. Sebastian joined them and casually put his arm around Talia protectively. Sallie noticed the gesture and grinned.

"I want to laugh, too," he said.

Talia briefly explained.

"I don't think I want to attach a sidecar to my bike, but a trike is actually a very good idea. Maybe we should go shopping for one."

Talia grinned. "We'll talk about it."

Everyone was mounting up. Sallie slapped Talia on the back and grinned. "You're alright, kid. We're definitely going to have to hang out and watch those videos."

Sebastian shook his head. That was the last thing he expected to see.

The ride was fun. They spent a lot of money at all the stops Sebastian and Rory had arranged, making those business owners happy. All the bikers followed the rules and no one drank any alcohol until they reached Albuquerque. Several of them decided that they were going to hang out at some bars there and ride back tomorrow.

Most of the Griffins met up at the clubhouse after the ride. Savvy and Amy had already collected the toys so the tables were clear. They ordered pizza and continued the party. Sebastian was surprised when Talia beat several of the guys at pool.

It got late and he took Talia home. He checked her house for her, making sure that no boogey men were going to jump out of a closet or out from under her bed.

Talia hugged him and brushed a kiss across his lips. "I had a lot of fun today, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

"I'm glad you came with us today. Sweet dreams." He listened for her to engage the lock and went back to his house, disappointed. He hoped they would have hung out for a while longer and wondered if Sallie had said something to her that made her pull away.

Sebastian pulled off his boots, grabbed a beer, and sat out on his back deck. His phone blinged. He checked it, hoping it was from Talia. His heart sank when he saw that the text was from Sallie.

I didn't say anything about us to your girlfriend. She is sweet – too sweet for you. You'll get tired of her. When you do, I'll be waiting. XOXO.

He shuddered at the thought. Even if things didn't work out with Talia, Sallie would be the last woman in the world he would turn to. He was glad to know that Sallie had a little bit of decency in her and didn't try to make trouble.

Sebastian drank a couple more beers and then showered. Talia's scent was all over his room when he went to bed, and he discovered that he missed her – a lot. He fell asleep thinking about her.

Talia had the next day off since it was Sunday. He wasn't sure whether he should walk over and talk to her or send her a text. He really wanted to shift and run with her. However, he was a little worried that she would give him the brush-off. Sebastian laughed at himself because this was the first time in his life that he was unsure about himself.

His question was answered when his phone blinged. I need to stretch my legs. Are you up for a run this morning?

He grinned. Absolutely.

A second later she knocked on his door.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Honestly, I'm a little saddle sore. I guess riding for such a long time takes some getting used to."

"It does. I'm sorry, I didn't even think of that."

"Don't be. I had a blast." She paused and asked, "Do you think that Sallie will really come over and watch reruns of Two Fat Ladies with me? I got the feeling that she has a thing for you and talked to me to feel me out."

"I doubt it, but you never know. People are full of surprises. She does and knows that I'm not interested."

Talia grinned.

They shifted and loped around the woods for a while. Sebastian honestly didn't know whether he loved running or biking more. They were both incredible forms of freedom.

I have the best of both worlds – human and shifter.

When they got back to the house, she said, "I wish I could hang out, but I have lesson plans to write for the next week. The principal wants to have them in her inbox by the start of class Monday morning, complete with the standards I'm covering and ‘I can' statements."

"‘I can' statements?"

"Yeah, we have to write them on the board and review them before class. ‘I can explain the purpose of the food web' or ‘I can discuss the difference between a gas planet and a rock planet.' Then, we have to review the statements after class to make sure that we covered them."

"Fun. If you're free later, I'll grill some steaks and baked potatoes."

"That sounds delicious – both the food and the company." She grinned.

Sebastian decided to get some work done. There was always something that needed to be taken care of. He couldn't complain. The constant work paid his bills and bought gas for his motorcycle.

He was about ready to leave for the night and start his grill when he got a message from an old buddy, Eric Andrews. He had been in the same shifter regiment that Anthony was in. Eric's family was from Angel's Creek. He was a bear shifter. Sebastian was pretty sure that Eric's sister, Sadie, worked with Talia.

Hey, man. Hope all is well. I was injured and I'm recouping at Walter Reed and then I'll be as good as new, but ten years in the military is enough. Anthony said to hit you up and see if you need a guy to join your crew.

Sebastian walked over to Anthony's office. "I got an email from Eric. I haven't worked with him in some time, although he was solid when I did. He said you told him to ask if I had a spot."

Anthony nodded. "He would be a great asset. I trust him to have my back."

Sebastian nodded. "If you vouch for him, he's in."

"Excellent," Anthony said. "I know he was worried about finding a place in civilian life once he got out of the military. He's one of the best at reconnaissance."

"Good. I'll put him to work as soon as he comes home. We just got another government contract to find some cartel members who have walked right into our country. They are involved in a lot of dirty dealings, such as illegal arms, drugs, and human trafficking."

"Human trafficking seems to be becoming an even bigger problem than ever before. As soon as we take one bastard out, three more pop up."

"True, but those three would come out of the woodwork regardless, and even if one more person is safe because of us, then it's worth it."

"True enough," Anthony acknowledged.

I do have room for another good man. Take a day or so to get settled when you get home and then come see me. Anthony says your top dog when it comes to surveillance and reconnaissance. That fits right in with a job we're in the middle of.

Thanks.

Sebastian smiled. Eric wasn't going to get gush and be effusive with his thanks. He, like the other rangers, said what they had to say and that was it. No flowery language or anything like that.

"I'm leaving. Don't stay too late," Sebastian said.

"I won't. I just hacked into one of the government agency's backdoors. I'm writing up a little report to let them know that they have holes to fix."

"Nice job."

Sebastian rushed home, eager to hang out with Talia. He got the grill going and was just putting on the steaks when Talia walked over with a cherry pie.

"Did you bake that?"

"Nope. Didn't have time. I ordered it and had it delivered."

"That works," he said. "How do you like your steak?"

"Well done. I don't want anything a good vet could have back on its feet in fifteen minutes, and I don't like it when my steaks moo at me when I cut into them."

Sebastian grinned. "Fair enough. I can do well without burning them."

Talia told him about what she had planned for the week.

"I hope that Joey is okay. He came to see me and was very upset about what happened with his father and wanted to make sure that I wasn't mad at him for it. I assured him that I wasn't."

"I think he'll be a lot better off living with his mother. Joe's house was nasty. I'd be surprised if cockroaches would want to hang out there."

"Not to change the subject abruptly, but when is your next bike ride? I had a lot of fun."

"We can go for a ride whenever you want."

He put the steaks and potatoes on the picnic table, and she dug in with gusto.

"Absolutely delicious," she said.

"Thank you. I am this country's master griller." He puffed out his chest and grinned.

"I'll buy that," she agreed.

They hung out and talked for a while. She stared up at the night sky. "It's so incredibly beautiful."

"So are you."