He shakes his head. “You keep saying that. At your parents’ house, they asked how long we were together, and you said just two weeks, but I disagreed. Amy, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve been yours since the moment you called me by mistake. I chose you with one hundred percent of my being then. You have been my every thought, breath, and prayer. I ache when you’re not with me and smile the moment I see your face. I’ve been a damn fool, trying to win your heart, so here I am, pouring mine out to you. I am in love with you, body and soul. I know you’ve been burned by love before, and you are taking this huge leap by being with me, so I was holding back on telling you, but if there is any doubt in your head on where I stand, on where my feet have been cemented since that moment we met at Love and Lavender, then you need to hear this now. I’m yours.”
My heart is exploding in my chest as I cry out in absolute joy. I grip his face and kiss him, taking his passion and desire, his proclamation of love, and drinking it in with every fiber of my being.
Our kiss is heady and desperate. My hands are in his hair, and his are around my back, gripping me and lifting me up until my legs are wrapped around his waist, pulling me into him, never letting me go.
“Take me to the bedroom,” I say as I bite the lobe of his ear.
He moans and starts to move me away from the kitchen. Clearly, we were never meant to eat that damn bisque.
Before we’re out of the kitchen fully, I divert him back and instruct him to grab the Tupperware with the special chocolate.
“Dessert for dinner?” he asks as he climbs the stairs.
“Something like that,” I say when we reach the landing.
He kicks his bedroom door open and ushers me over to the bed. I take the container of chocolate and pop the lid. I grab a brick, rise to my knees, and offer it to him.
Sebastian arches a brow and complies. I place the morsel on his tongue, and his mouth captures my finger on the way out, sucking on it.
“I told you chocolate was an aphrodisiac. This is the original recipe used by the Mayans.”
He grins. “Baby, I don’t need any help with my libido when I’m with you.”
“I have been told my chocolate is better than sex,” I say coquettishly.
“Clearly, they’re making love to the wrong man, but I’ll make a concession.” He lifts a brick from the container and rests the chocolate against my lips. “Sex is better with chocolate.”
I part my lips and eat up the sweet and spicy delicacy, letting it melt on my tongue as his hand roams over my shirt. His fingers dance dangerously over my taut nipple, sending a wild sensation through my entire body.
He lifts my tank top, and I help him out of his T-shirt, drifting my fingers over the muscles and then leaning forward to kiss and lick everywhere I just touched.
Sebastian removes his pants and boxers and then tugs my jeans off. I shimmy out of my panties and continue to kiss and lap up and down his body, loving the warmth of his silky skin under my tongue.
He motions for me to get on all fours. My face is level with his enormous erection, and I waste no time in taking it into my mouth and licking it from base to tip, letting the salty taste of his pre-cum mix with the sweet taste of the chocolate.
His moans echo in the room, sending me into an erotic haze. I swirl my tongue in circles around the sensitive head and then glide up the vein until Sebastian’s deep voice is chanting my name. When I deep-throat him the way he loves, he nearly cries.
“Fuck, your mouth is magic.”
Warm hands snake around my head. His fingers weave into my hair, guiding my head up. He’s standing powerfully and filled with desire. I know that look. It means he’s ready to go wild beast on me.
“I need to be inside you.” His voice is hushed, his breathing hard, as he takes a condom from his end table and slides it on his thick-as-steel erection while I lie down on the bed. “I have never felt so connected to a woman before. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t breathe until I’m buried deep inside you.”
Warm, heated lips suck on the soft skin of my throat as he lies on top of me and holds my hands at our sides, squeezing them. I constrict when his mouth lowers to my breast, nipping and sucking on the tender peak, sending shivers down my body and into my very core.
Together, we raise our hands, so they’re over our heads. As he looks down at me, serious and purposeful, he nudges my legs further apart with his hips as he settles in place.
With our gazes held, he enters me. As he moves, his groin rubs against me, giving friction to my very swollen clit, and I gasp out in pleasure. My back instantly bows and arches into him. With a roll of his hips, he hits every nerve ending inside my body.
“Kiss me, Sebastian,” I plead.
He gives me what I want and kisses me hard as he fucks me, loves me, rattles me to the core.
I come with a violent scream that has the dogs barking from the bottom of the stairs.
Sebastian’s own release comes with a growl.
As we come down from our high, he discreetly removes the condom and then pulls me into his front and curls his body around mine. The sex was amazing, but this is even better. Knowing he loves me and that every emotion I’ve experienced with him is true makes me feel so alive.
I place my hand on his arm and hold it tighter against my body. With a slight turn to my head so I’m facing him as much as I can while keeping our position, I say, “I love you too, Sebastian.”
I feel his gasp against my back as he flips me over, so I’m on my back, and he’s above me, staring into my eyes. The grin that covers his face is the absolute sexiest thing I’ve ever seen on him.
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. We both smile at each other, at our realization that this is real, us. We’re doing this, and I couldn’t be happier.
When his lips touch mine in a sensual kiss, I realize I was wrong. This is the best moment of my life so far.
Chapter Twenty
“Thank you, Mom. It feels good to be thirty-two and still have your mother remind you of how long she pushed, giving birth to you while in labor.” Sebastian’s hearty chuckle as he speaks into the phone bounces through the halls of his townhouse as I walk down the stairs.
I’m dressed for the day in a short floral dress with gladiator sandals and a sparkly headband. With a quick glance in the mirror, I assess my long, dark hair that I curled to make me look like one of the Coachella girls. Not my usual look, but I thought it would be perfect for today.
“Amy is taking me to a concert—a festival actually. Should be fun. What was that? You’re kidding,” I hear Sebastian say.
I pad down the hall to his office, where the sound of his voice is coming from, and peek in.
He’s seated at his desk, leaning back in his chair and smiling, as a man should be on his birthday. Luckily, it’s a Saturday, so he has the day free to himself. Double lucky that it’s not the weekend of the baby shower. That was last weekend, and it was fine. Sebastian’s parents and an aunt came to town, so the women could attend. Sebastian and his father helped bring all the gifts back to Lauren’s house. Afterward, his family came back to Sebastian’s house, where they met me, and we went out for a lovely dinner.
No one addressed the unusualness of the situation, having gone to an event for his former lover and then sitting at a table with his new one. They are too dignified for that, whereas my family would have made it the conversation to last through New Year’s Eve.
He sees me at the door and ushers me in. His brows rise with an appreciative glance at the sight of me in my outfit for today. I reach for his extended hand and take a seat on his lap as he continues his phone call.
“Baby’s good. He’s measuring perfectly. Uh-huh. I’ll ask about that. It’s a good question. I don’t know. Well, Amy and I painted the nursery this week, and the furniture is arriving this Thursday. It’s gonna look perfect.”
That’s the other thing that’s happening. The nursery at Sebastian’s place is being put together. Since Laur
en chose a linen white for the room, we used the same color. It’ll be handsome with the modern cherry furniture that’s coming. Sebastian already has the glider, changing table, and diaper bag.
It’s been interesting, nesting with him. On one hand, it’s a part of him that I love the most. His devotion. His ability to never scare and to take matters into his own hands by being a strong family head—even when the family is unconventional.
It’s also the part that scares me.
He’s rubbing the side of my arm, and then he kisses my bicep. I look down at him and smile.
“Amy’s right here. Let me ask,” Sebastian says into the phone and then looks up at me. “My mother is asking if you want to see the Philadelphia Orchestra with us in October. She’s staying with us for two weeks to spend time with the baby and do some touristy things around the city. She’s getting the tickets now. You in?”
I swallow and nod. “I’d love that.”
“Great!” He smiles and shares the news with his mom, laughing and talking about something his father did before he thanks her for calling on his birthday and ends the call with, “I love you.”
When he hangs up, he places his phone on his desk and settles back into his seat, looking like a very content man, especially as his hand travels up the inside of my dress.
“You look beautiful,” he drawls.
I nibble on his ear and inhale that delicious scent of him. “Happy birthday.”
“You already wished me that in the bedroom and the shower. Are you telling me you want to show me again?”
I giggle and move away from him a little in protest. “As addictive as you might be to me, there is no way I am letting you destroy my hair and makeup.”
“Destroy is a powerful word.”
I lower my gaze to him. “You are a sensual man who goes into overdrive.”
He laughs. “Is that true? Well, I’ll have to make a point to turn it down a bit.”
I playfully slap his arm. “Don’t you dare. Just give a girl a reprieve, so she can look smashing for her man all day on his birthday. It took me a long time to curl my hair.”
He leans up and kisses me. “Fair enough. I’ll save the destroying for tonight.”
I grin as I get up from his lap and walk around the desk. Sebastian rises as well and adjusts his shorts.
This is what it’s like with him. Fun banter, sexy times, and lots of dates.
“There’s a new brunch place I want to try tomorrow. I asked Miles and his girlfriend to join us,” he says as we walk out of the room toward the kitchen.
I pout. “Shoot. I didn’t pack anything nice for brunch. I just have shorts and a tank.”
“That should be fine.”
“No. I’ll run back in the morning and get a sundress.”
“You know, Amy, you wouldn’t have to be running all over the city if you just kept your clothes here.”
I lift a shoulder. “I don’t mind keeping my things in one place. It’s—”
“Tidy. I know, you’ve mentioned that before.” He winks as he takes his mug and fills it with coffee. “You stay here every night now. Even when I’m working late. At some point, you’re gonna have to own up to the fact that you live here too.”
“You know, I could easily start sleeping at my place again,” I say cheekily. “You’d be in that big king-size bed, all by your lonesome.”
“Nope. I wouldn’t allow it.”
I lift up on my toes and kiss him. “Then, don’t start making a big deal about where I keep my clothes.”
He shakes his head, yet there’s still a grin on his face.
Turning around, I saunter through the house and grab my bag, making sure I have everything for the day.
“Charity is meeting us at the entrance,” I call over to him.
He walks into the living room. “Great. I told Jeremy to meet us there too. You don’t think this is a bad first meet for a blind date?”
“They both said they wanted to go to the music festival, and there will be plenty of distractions if they don’t hit it off, which I’m hoping they will, based on how highly you speak of the guy.”
“He is a world-class guy. Attorney, Princeton graduate. And funny—I was told that was a prerequisite.”
“Then, it should be a great day. Ready to hit the road, birthday boy?”
He slides his keys in his pocket. “Lead the way, my love.”
As far as blind dates go, Charity and Jeremy’s is a seven out of ten.
We met up at the entrance of the Firelight Festival, and the two exchanged pleasantries while looking each other up and down. They both seemed happy with what was in front of them, which was a good sign.
The four of us caught the show that was going on when we walked in—a local band who had a huge following, playing a mixture of punk rock and soul music. They were fun, and Charity and I jumped and danced to the music while the guys listened and talked. After that, we got drinks and enjoyed the gorgeous ninety-degree day.
Sebastian and I usually go to fine dining, so it was a treat to eat from food trucks. We each chose Philly cheesesteaks made to order and shared a bite of each other’s to see if we could be swayed to leave our preferred orders. News flash: we can’t.
Four shows, a couple of IPAs, and lots of laughs later, I’ve learned a few new things about my boyfriend. He loves cotton candy and fruity water ice. He despises blonde ales and knows almost every word to every song. The guy knows how to catch on to a song’s hook and can belt it out even if it’s the first time he’s ever heard the song. I’ve never seen one of his shows, but I’m getting an idea of the showmanship Sebastian brings outside of the courtroom.
Despite his attire of cargo shorts and Lacoste V-neck T-shirt, he stands out in the crowd. It could be his tall, strong manly stature in a sea of boys, or the way his tanned skin and chocolate eyes seem to catch the sunlight in every way, or even the bellow of his laugh and that deep vibrato that carries over the music. Most likely, it’s because he has charisma. It’s in his walk and the way he orders food. Hell, he even caught my eye when he stopped to tie his shoe.
He always finds a way to touch me. His hands are on my lower back when we move through a crowd and wrapped around me protectively when we dance, and he lazily drifts to my backside for no reason at all.
As for Charity and Jeremy, the day is going well but not great.
“Okay, don’t look now, but this guy has the juiciest ass in the world,” Charity says a little too loudly to me, which makes Jeremy’s eyes widen. She gives a bashful, “Whoops, sorry. Yours is super cute too.”
Sebastian leans over and whispers into my ear, “I don’t know if she knows this, but a man never wants the word cute attached to any part of his anatomy.”
I giggle and then turn to Jeremy. “Do you go to a lot of concerts?”
“No, actually. I’m more of a sports guy. I have season tickets for the Eagles, Phillies, and the Flyers,” he states and then lifts a finger. “Oh God, and the 76ers, of course. I must have lost my mind for a second.”
“Must be all those sporting events you go to,” Charity says in a cutesy, sarcastic way.
“Come on. It’s not so bad. The games are filled with energy, the tailgating is a blast, and it’s a great way to mix business with pleasure.”
Charity nods. “Fair enough. And there are super-cute outfits to wear for every game. I’d get decked out from head to toe. Rhinestones and glitter everywhere.”
“I have red face paint. I can give you a full face for the Phillies games,” he says.
“That’s funny.” She blows him off.
“No. I’m totally serious. Half-white, half-red, and I even write on my body when my friends and I are together. We’ve been on camera a ton of times.”
She looks at him with a side-eye. “Oh. Cool. Sounds like fun.”
Jeremy’s phone rings, so he steps away from us to answer. Sebastian offers to get us more drinks at a nearby tent and then kisses my temple before leaving.
“Yeah,” she says, almost as if she’s trying to convince herself. “He’s certainly a lot of fun. He’s been game for every band, no matter the music, and he’s going with the flow of the day.”
“Absolutely. And he’s really hot.”
“Yeah. So cute.”
“So sorry for that,” Jeremy says when he returns with his phone still in his hand. It rings again, so he holds it to his ear to answer. “Oh, wait. I have to take this too. Hang on. Hello? Is that so? Tell me more.”
He walks away again.
Sebastian returns with drinks for us, careful not to spill beer out of the top of the plastic cups. “This festival is awesome.”
“Are you having a good birthday, babe?”
“The best. I never would have done this. For some reason, I thought it was more for young twenty-somethings,” he states before taking a sip.
I swallow my own drink. “That’s what’s great about it. There are bands that span every genre, so you get a mix of all age groups.”
Jeremy returns again and takes his drink from Sebastian. “Thanks, man.”
“The only time I’ve been to a concert like this was in Miami. Jennifer Lopez put on a show on South Beach for a client of mine, and it was the best.” Sebastian smiles.
“We saw U2 in Central Park a few years ago. It was amazing,” Charity gushes, and I high-five her at the memory of our girls’ weekend.
“Okay, I don’t want to sound snobbish, but if you haven’t been to see Andrea Bocelli in Lajatico, Tuscany, you haven’t really lived life. Am I right?” Jeremy says, and I see Charity inwardly cringe.
“So, what are everyone’s plans for the rest of the summer?” I ask.
Charity answers first, “Just work for me. The rooftop at the Garden Room is insane at night. The tips are fantastic, so I’m taking on as many hours as they’ll offer me.”
“I go to the Garden Room all the time. When we have clients from out of town, we take them there for after-dinner drinks. The waitresses are like eye candy, so the … shit. That was really dumb.” Jeremy’s posture rolls back as he realizes his mistake.
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