Sebastian’s arm looped around my waist, and he took his beer. “Nattie is going to change the world.”
“Can’t do that taking Exercise and Sports Science,” Kiara agreed.
“Sebastian’s exaggerating. But I did tell him I realized right away my initial major wasn’t the right choice for me.”
“You want to make a difference for people, Nat. I think that’s admirable.” Sebastian dropped a kiss on my temple.
Kiara stared at us and shook her head, grinning. “I’m going to go anywhere but here, okay, Seb?”
“You’re leaving?”
“I got a plane to catch tomorrow, little brother.” She slid her drink onto the nearest table.
Sebastian released me and enveloped her in a hug, shaking her up and down. They laughed when she protested he was going to hurt himself.
“Thanks for coming, sis. Really. It means a lot to me that you support me.”
“Sorry I can’t come for the championship.” Kiara shoved her purse higher up on her shoulder.
“That’s all right. You have a grown-up job now. Sometimes it has to come first.”
Kiara squeezed me close. “I loved meeting you. We’ll see a lot more of each other, I’m sure.”
“That’d be nice. I’m looking forward to it.”
Kiara took out her phone. “Do I need to call a cab or are they around on the street?”
I glanced at Sebastian. “Did you want to stay longer, or should we go wait with Kiara and go home?”
“We can go. I had to show my face, but I’m happy to leave.” He downed his beer and set it on the table with Kiara’s abandoned drink.
I set my half-full drink there too. I wanted to be sober tonight.
Sebastian called Kiara a cab while we picked up our coats and walked out of the bar. We stood huddled in a small circle, gathered close for warmth.
“I never thought I’d see the day when Sebastian left a football party before it was over.” Kiara gave him a teasing smile.
Sebastian laughed. “Times are a-changin’.” He squeezed my hip.
The cab arrived, and Kiara gave us both one last hug before ducking into the rear of it.
As soon as the cab sped away, Sebastian turned me toward him. “Alone at last.”
“It’s funny. You sister said that earlier when you went to the bathroom.”
“Oh yeah? And proceeded to tell a bunch of inappropriate and highly embarrassing stories? Do I need to chase that cab?”
The happy, amused light shining out of him as he gestured in the direction of the cab caused my heart to contract. “No.” I scanned his features. “She said she liked me.”
Sebastian dipped to give me a quick kiss. “No surprise there. I figured you two would get along.”
“I’m glad you were right.”
“My parents, though.” Sebastian took my hand. “I’m sorry about that.”
I shrugged. “They didn’t say anything I didn’t already realize.” I gathered my thoughts. “You said before you hadn’t committed to anyone because you hadn’t found someone worthwhile. And I’m not saying I’m not worthwhile, but do you think that’s true?”
We walked for a moment while he considered my question. “Maybe I watched my parents’ marriage crumble at an age that left a pretty deep impression. As you probably noticed, they still have a weird relationship.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want that. I don’t want to be like them. I was just—I was worried I’d pick wrong. Someone fickle like them because it’s what I’ve known.”
“So you didn’t pick anyone?”
“I think, mostly, I let girls pick me. I mean—I don’t know—that sounds bad.” He shook his head and chuckled. “But I saw you at the frat party with your flask, obviously cock-blocking Johnny, the star quarterback, and I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know who had that much self-confidence. You know yourself, Nattie. You know who you are.”
My face was on fire, but a stupid smile had bloomed across it. “You think those nice things about me?”
“Hell, yeah. I could fill a book full of Nattie-isms that I love.”
We’d reached my door, and I turned to face him, pressing my spine against the cool steel. I grabbed his coat and drew him close, and his hands braced against the door above my head.
Our faces were mere inches apart. Indecision flickered in his hazel depths, and I cocked my head in silent question.
“Carpe diem, eh, Nattie,” he said quietly.
“Seize the day?” My lips twitched in amusement.
He scanned my face. One of his hands cupped my cheek before he kissed me, slow and deliberate. When he drew away, he rested his forehead against mine.
“I am so desperately in love with you, Natalie Ann Chapman. I had no idea it was possible to feel this way about someone.”
My gaze, which had been focused on his lips, wishing he’d kiss me again, flew to meet his. My heart squeezed in my chest, and fireworks went off in my mind. He loved me? I dragged him into a kiss, pushing my body off the door. We needed fewer clothes. I needed to be closer, so much closer. How would we ever be close enough?
I dug out my key, still kissing him, and tried to unlock it without breaking lip contact. He chuckled when the key clattered to the ground.
“Shit,” I said. “Not very smooth.”
He scooped up the keys. The key slid into the lock, his hand in my hair, and he kissed me again, long and deep. “Not smooth,” he said. “Noted for my book.”
I laughed against his lips and stumbled in the now open door. Sebastian half caught me before I fell to the floor.
“You, on the other hand,” I said, “are incredibly smooth.” I was drunk, but it wasn’t on alcohol.
Sebastian backed me into the room and kicked the door shut with his heel. I reached around him and snapped the lock into place. No interruptions tonight. He unzipped my coat, and my hands moved around him to do the same.
“Is Annika coming here tonight?” Sebastian asked against my lips.
“No.” I tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it toward the couch.
We were walking and kissing. Clothes littered the living room and hallway as we made our way to my room.
The back of my knees hit the bed, and as I fell backward, Sebastian caught me, never breaking the kiss. God, I loved him. The realization hit me at once. I hadn’t said those words yet, not out loud.
“Sebastian,” I murmured against his lips.
He broke the kiss and backed off, giving me space. He always did. No complaints. No question. Just room to breathe.
“You okay?” He searched my face.
I grinned. “Yes.” I placed my hands on his cheeks and met his gaze. For weeks, the words had hovered between us, but I’d been too afraid to say them. “I love you, Sebastian. I totally get what it means to be crazy about someone. ’Cause sometimes the way I feel about you seems crazy. But I do. I love you, so much.”
He broke out into the most beautiful grin, wide and full, his eyes sparkling. “I know, Nattie. It’s why I didn’t make a big deal about you saying it.” He nudged a few stray strands of my hair off my face. “I know you love me. I feel it. All the time. It’s incredible to me that someone as amazing as you could love me so much.”
My body liquefied with longing. There wasn’t a single part of me unsure about Sebastian anymore, unsure about us. “I want to be with you tonight. No stopping. I want to be as close to you as I can.”
He kissed my forehead. “Nattie, that’s not why I told you I love you. I told you ’cause I was tired of not saying it, not because I thought you’d have sex with me if I did.”
“Oh, I realize that,” I said. “God, if I thought that was why you said it, trust me, we would not be having sex tonight.”
He chuckled. “And that right there is one of the many reasons why I love you.”
“Enough to fill a book,” I teased.
“Maybe even several.”
He slid his hand along the length of me and
up the inside of my leg. His mouth teased my jawline and then my neck, causing a haze of sensations. I was breathless with desire. I wanted to feel him, all of him.
When he skimmed over my panties with his fingertips, I moaned and pushed closer. My mind whispered the word more with every sensation.
“You like that, Nattie?”
“Yes,” I breathed out when he did it again.
“Do you want more?”
“I want it all.” Underneath him, I writhed. “I’ll tell you when I get what I want.”
He chuckled into my neck while his lips teased the sensitive skin. His amusement reverberated through my chest and to my core, making me long for more. He claimed my mouth again. Our tongues tangled, and he slipped under the band of my panties. His fingers slid along my wetness. More. Closer. A moan escaped me, and I arched my hips.
I ran my hands along the edge of his boxers, trying to free him so I could get what I wanted.
“Whoa, Nattie. Slow down,” he murmured. “We got all night.”
My bra vanished with a flick of his fingers, and he tossed it aside. Above me, he searched my face. “I really do love you, you know? Man, I must. You’ve greenlit me, and all I wanna do is look at you. I could look at you forever and not get tired of the sight.”
My hands framed his face while my heart boomed in my chest. “I love you too.” I drew him back and before we kissed again, I said, “I want you so much.”
He met my lips with more intensity and then trailed kisses along my body. He eased his fingers into the waistband of my panties and dragged them down slowly. I ached with desire as I watched him toss them aside.
When he spread my legs and buried his face against my core, I gasped in pleasure. His tongue circled my most sensitive parts, and I gripped the sheets.
“Harder,” I moaned. Sebastian chuckled against me, and I squeezed the sheets. The vibrations of his laugh inching me toward the edge.
“You giving me pointers, Nat? I like that.”
“You enjoy having a coach.” I managed to gasp out the words between moans.
He chuckled against my thigh, and a shiver ran through me.
Even as his tongue worked magic on my most sensitive parts, I needed more. “I want you. I want you inside me.”
“You got me, Nat.” He kissed his way back up my stomach and along my neck. “You got all of me.”
He stepped back, and I groaned. “Sebastian.” I tried to catch him when he left the bed. There was no stopping tonight.
At the nightstand, he opened the top drawer and took out a foil packet. I’d bought them so we wouldn’t be caught short at my place when being together felt right.
“Oh, right.” I turned on my side to watch him shed his boxers. Protection hadn’t even crossed my mind, which wasn’t normal. But I’d never been so swept away by the combination of love and desire. I crawled across the bed and rose onto my knees, drawing him into a kiss as he rolled on the condom.
He deepened the embrace while pressing me back into the mattress. He hovered over me, kissing any part of me that came close to his lips.
“I want this to be good for you, Nat.” He gazed at me. “Put me in, Coach.” He gave me a wicked grin.
I returned his smile. He tilted his head to kiss me and pushed inside. At the delicious contact, we both groaned. Soon, we were slick with sweat and need. Each time he eased out, I urged him to return, desperate to be connected, to unite every part of us.
“You feel so good,” he murmured into my neck. He gripped my ass and secured us even tighter.
The muscles along his back relaxed and contracted with each thrust. We were as close as we could be, and I still ached for more. I slid my hand between us to help bring myself to climax.
Sebastian broke the kiss. “Want me to do that?”
“I got this,” I said. “I know what I’m doing.”
He grinned and gave me a kiss. “I’m a quick study.”
“I can—”
“Take care of myself,” he finished with a half smile. The next kiss was tender, brimming with love. Then the kiss intensified, and he pushed deeper into me, giving me the tight connection I craved.
I gasped and let myself get lost in the motion. Each time he pressed snug to me, the movement led me closer to the edge.
“Nat, I’m—” Sebastian broke off, closing his eyes.
“Keep going. I’m close,” I moaned.
He buried his face in my neck, wrapping one arm around my back, and the other gripped my ass, locking us together.
“Oh, Sebastian,” I breathed as my body prepared to tip over.
“Come with me, Nattie,” he murmured.
“I’m—Oh, God. Oh, Sebastian.” Then I tumbled over the edge.
He thrust a few more times and groaned, shuddering with his own release. With a lazy smile, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. “That was worth the fucking wait.” He rained kisses down over my face and neck.
“You’re telling me.” I sighed.
He brushed my hair out of my face, and he stared at me. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world right now.”
I smirked. “’Cause you had amazing sex?”
“Nah, Nattie. ’Cause I got you. I got to have amazing sex with you.” He gave me a quick kiss before moving off me. “I’ll be right back,” he said from the doorway.
I slid under the covers and sighed.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
When he came back into the room, he left the door ajar. He climbed into bed and wrapped one arm around me, securing me flush against his chest.
“I love you, Natalie Ann Chapman.” He sighed into my hair before his breathing evened out with sleep.
Once I was sure he was out, I rotated onto my back. His arm was a solid weight across my middle. I lay there admiring his peaceful expression, tracing every inch of him.
I’d never been so happy.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I opened my eyes on a gasp, and then the sound that had yanked me from sleep came again.
The doorbell.
Bleary-eyed, I took in my surroundings. Sebastian was passed out cold beside me. My bedside clock said it was four in the morning. I threw on a robe and hoped Annika was here without her keys. Of course, that would mean she and Johnny had gotten into another fight.
I padded down the hallway, my heart racing. I glanced over my shoulder toward my open room and then rounded the corner to check the peephole.
Clay.
I stared, dumbfounded. I had no bra or underwear on, just a robe. The idea of inviting him in at four in the morning wasn’t an unknown concept, but we hadn’t seen each other in quite a while. Not to mention my new boyfriend, who I’d declared my undying love to, was sleeping in my bed.
“Clay?” I called through the closed door.
“Oh, thank God, Natalie. I was worried you wouldn’t be home. I need to take Annika to the hospital. But she wouldn’t go without you.” Clay’s panic was evident.
I unbolted the door and threw it open, not caring about my state of undress anymore. “Where is she?”
“She’s in the backseat of my car. She’s a fucking mess.” He ran his hand through his brown hair in that old, familiar way.
“I have to get dressed.” I rotated on my heel.
Clay sucked in a deep breath and called out, “Annika—she doesn’t want Sebastian to know. Is he here? She was adamant she didn’t want him involved.”
That didn’t sound good, but I wasn’t in a position to argue with anyone. “Yeah, okay.” I rushed down the hall. Before I walked in my room, I closed my eyes, praying Sebastian was sleeping.
When I opened my bedroom door, he sat on the edge of the bed, a sheet covering his lower half. “What’s going on?” His voice was rough from sleep.
“I have to go.” I grabbed a shirt and leggings from my drawers, throwing them on.
“Where? It’s four in the morning.”
I couldn’t meet his gaze while I put on socks. “Annika’s hurt.”
/> “I’ll come.” Sebastian reached for his boxers on the floor.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. She doesn’t want you to come. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Who was at the door?” He tugged on his boxers and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Clay.” I ran a brush through my hair in brisk strokes.
“Clay?” Sebastian frowned. “Your ex-boyfriend?”
“Yeah. I don’t have many details yet. But I gotta go. If she’s hurt, I can’t stand here and puzzle it out with you. I love you. I’ll text you later.” I gave him a quick kiss before grabbing my purse off the floor and heading out.
The door was still open, and I realized Clay would understand what happened last night from our clothes scattered everywhere. I avoided making eye contact as I drew the door closed behind me.
“He’s in there, isn’t he?” Clay strode toward his car in the parking lot.
“Yeah.” I struggled to keep up without jogging.
“What’d you tell him?”
“The truth. Annika’s hurt. That’s what I’ve been told. I love Annika, but I’m not lying to Sebastian, especially when I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Clay stopped and turned to me. He swallowed. “You’re going to want to call your dad.”
“My dad?”
“It’s bad. Just—brace yourself.” Clay climbed into the driver’s seat.
I opened the passenger’s side, dread coursing through me. The dome light popped on, and in the backseat, huddled in a ball, was a figure who had Annika’s shape and size. But her face was so bruised, bloody, and swollen I didn’t recognize her. If Clay hadn’t told me who it was, I wouldn’t have been sure.
“Annika?” I asked softly.
“Nat?” She tried to lift her head.
I left the front seat and squeezed into the small space left in the rear. She moaned when I rested my hand on her side. Bile rose into my throat at the caked blood.
“Annika,” I said, my voice pitched low. “What happened?”
She didn’t answer me. Instead, her body twitched before great wracking sobs reverberated through the car. She dragged herself toward me and laid her head on my lap. Her dress was torn. Her tights were missing, and her feet were bare. I met Clay’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
Saving Us: A novel of love and friendship (Northern University Book 1) Page 20