Sebastian parked his truck on the street and came around to help me out. I’d been paying attention to him so much that I hadn’t realized my father was standing on the porch, watching us intently. Luckily, I didn’t try to jump Sebastian or vice versa, because that would’ve been a little embarrassing.
We walked up to the porch, hand in hand. I was just about to make the introductions when my father spoke up first.
“Hal Fowler,” he said as he thrust his hand in Sebastian’s direction.
“Nice to meet you, sir. Sebastian Trovato.”
My father immediately looked at me, his eyebrows scrunching together. I smiled, a little embarrassed.
“Nice truck,” Hal said, looking over my head at Sebastian’s cherry-red ’65 Chevrolet parked at the curb in front of my parents’ house.
“Thank you, sir.”
“You restore it yourself?”
“Yes, sir.”
Realizing that I wasn’t part of the male bonding conversation going on, I released Sebastian’s hand and excused myself. “I’m going to tell my mother we’re here.”
Sebastian nodded, making his way up onto the porch to stand beside my father. I was a little hesitant to leave them alone, but they seemed to be hitting it off fairly well.
So far.
I knew my father was going to have questions about Sebastian. Especially about the fact that his last name was Trovato. Back when I had questioned my father on whether or not Conrad had a son, he’d made reference to a rumor that had once been around. I guess he was about to realize that the rumor was true.
Or he would think Sebastian was Conrad’s nephew.
“Mom?” I called as I made my way to the back of the house toward the kitchen.
“In here,” she called back.
I found her in the kitchen, wearing an apron just as I’d expected, her hair pulled up on top of her head. She’d been working when I’d talked to her earlier, which she did out of their house, so the jeans and sweatshirt she wore now were probably the same outfit she’d been wearing all day.
“Where is he?” she asked, looking past me when I stepped into the kitchen.
“On the front porch with Dad. They’re admiring his truck.”
“What does he drive?” my mother asked as she drained the pot of spaghetti noodles into the sink.
I explained what he drove, and she replied that their conversation could very well take a while knowing my father.
While I waited anxiously for Sebastian to come inside and meet my mother, I set the table, repeatedly glancing down the hall as though he might materialize at any moment.
A good five minutes passed before my father and Sebastian joined us in the kitchen. My father did the honors of introducing Sebastian to my mother, and I stood back watching the whole thing with a grin. I was pretty sure that in the first ten minutes, my father had grown quite fond of Sebastian.
“Dinner’s ready,” my mother informed them.
I watched her watching Sebastian.
I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but I had to admit that the whole thing wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as I’d anticipated. Sebastian joined me at the dining room table, pulling out my chair for me and waiting for my mother to take her seat before he lowered himself into the spot beside me. Food was passed around, and plates were filled before my mother started in with the questions. I was surprised she lasted that long.
“So, Sebastian, how’d you and Payton meet?” my mother asked.
I shot her a glance that said, “Really?” She merely replied with a tilt of her eyebrow. The sort of look that said, “I’m your mother; I can ask any question I want.”
Sebastian glanced over at me and smiled. “She came to my father’s estate to pick up his cell phone. She thought I was the mechanic.”
Okay, so maybe I hadn’t told my mother in those exact words.
“Is that right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Then I ran into her at a sports bar a few days later. I convinced her to let me take her out for ice cream.”
My face heated and I focused on twirling my spaghetti around my fork. The way Sebastian spoke of how we’d met with such confidence did strange things to me. It cemented every feeling I’d ever had for him.
“You said your father’s estate,” Hal said. “Conrad Trovato is your father?”
I glanced over at Sebastian, watching as he met my father’s gaze. “He is.”
I was surprised my dad didn’t interrogate him more on that fact, considering we both knew that it hadn’t been public knowledge. “What is it that you do?”
“Mostly work on cars,” Sebastian answered easily, then took a bite of food as though this was the most normal meal he’d ever had. “I work for my father, but I’m responsible mostly for the performance engines. Testing them, tweaking them. That sort of thing.”
My father nodded as he forked spaghetti into his mouth.
“My father owns a body shop,” I told Sebastian.
He smiled. “You told me.”
Okay, maybe I had, but I felt odd sitting there not talking.
“I have a couple of friends who work in the body shop industry. One’s a painter, the other a foreman.”
My father and Sebastian launched into a boring discussion about the body shop, mostly technical. I ate, doing my best not to interrupt. At one point, my mother leaned over and nudged my elbow. “I like him.”
Yep, the tears nearly came. I had no idea why that one sentiment could make me feel quite like I’d just won the lottery, but it had. I glanced back at Sebastian, trying to see him through my parents’ eyes. He was confident when he spoke, constantly smiling and laughing at my father’s comments. He looked as though he was as comfortable with my parents as Aaron was when he joined us for dinner.
“I do, too, Mom,” I whispered just as softly. “So much.”
Chapter Twelve
Sebastian
For whatever reason, the idea of meeting Payton’s parents hadn’t bothered me. Not when she’d asked me and not when we’d arrived at their house. Maybe I should’ve been nervous, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was a necessary step. Truth was, I’d never met a girl’s parents.
I liked her father immediately. Although he’d greeted me on the porch with an intimidating glare, we had hit it off right away. We had a lot of things in common, besides the fact that we both loved his daughter.
Dinner had been fantastic, worlds different than any family dinner I’d ever had at my house. Unlike in the Trovato household¸ there were no condescending remarks, no irritated glares in my direction. After Hal had asked me about what I did for a living, we’d started in about body shops, and I learned that Hal had actually started his body shop more than twenty years ago. His business was steady, and he loved the work more than he loved the money, which I guess was a great reason to follow that career path.
Payton had seemed a little confused during the conversation, and my guess was she hadn’t expected it to go quite so well. I wasn’t sure why that was, because her parents were great.
After dinner, Payton and I did the dishes, sending Susan and Hal into the living room, where we joined them a little while later. The highlight of the evening was when Susan broke out Payton’s baby book, giving me an inside glimpse into Payton’s early years.
“Are you serious right now?” Payton squealed, trying to snatch the book out of her mother’s hands.
“Quit that,” Susan said sternly, grinning. “I’ve been waiting for twenty-three years to be able to do this.”
“Twenty-three years, huh?” Payton retorted. “Since the day I was born, you’ve been eager to embarrass me in front of my boyfriend?”
I watched Payton, fascinated. The fact that she referred to me as her boyfriend had me wanting to high-five someone. Yes, the little things were what got me most.
“Yes, I have,” Susan stated.
I glanced at Hal, who was laughing at the two women as they fought over the book. I finally manag
ed to get my hands on it, but only after I moved over onto the sofa next to Susan. Payton offered me a glare, but I answered it with a smile.
We skimmed through baby photos, starting with the ones of Payton in the hospital the day she was born. She was a cute, chubby baby. There were more of her as she got bigger, some of her crawling, then when she took her first steps. In all of them, Payton was usually smiling at the camera. Susan continued to flip the pages until we got to Payton’s first years in grade school.
I laughed, placing my hand on a picture, stopping Susan from turning the page. “Interesting outfit.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Hal interjected. “I cringed every time her mother took her clothes shopping.”
Payton blushed. She had been a cute kid, but nothing compared to the beautiful woman who sat by watching with an amused smirk as I talked to her mother about her daughter’s choice in outfits. For a brief moment, I actually envisioned this moment in a different setting. It would be Payton and me showing off pictures of our daughter when she brought her boyfriend over to meet us.
I slid my eyes up to meet Payton’s, and I knew, one day, we would be doing this exact same thing.
“Well, we really oughta get going,” Payton told her mother a few minutes later. “I’ve got to be at work by five in the morning.”
“I’m so glad you came,” Susan said, standing as Payton and I did. “It was great to meet you. And now that Payton has kindly introduced us, we’ll expect y’all over for dinner more often.”
“I’d be honored,” I told Susan.
After hugging her mother and father, Payton came to stand beside me. I thanked them both for dinner and told them how great it was to meet them. They walked us out onto the porch, waiting until we pulled away from the house, waving good-bye one last time.
“I can’t believe my mother did that,” Payton said with a huff.
“What?” I asked, knowing exactly what she was referring to.
“Showing you my baby pictures.”
“It wasn’t the baby pictures I found most interesting,” I told her.
“Shut up. There wasn’t anything wrong with the clothes that I wore when I was a kid,” she said defensively.
“No, I guess not. At least not if you were looking for a career that involved dancing around a pole.”
Payton laughed, slapping my arm. “My favorite movie as a kid was Coyote Ugly.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I stated, chuckling. I could totally picture a young Payton dancing as if she were going to be the center of attention one day. It was significantly different from the woman I knew, but still, I could definitely see her as a rambunctious, cheerful kid.
“Are we still on for tomorrow night?” Payton asked as we entered the highway that would take us back to her apartment.
“Yep,” I told her. I’d been thinking about her suggestion to invite our friends over for dinner for the better part of the day. I wasn’t sure how I felt about exposing my suspicions to everyone, but for now, I was going along with it. My curiosity as to why she had suggested we do this now had me nearly questioning her, but I decided that could wait until tomorrow. We only had a few more minutes before we made it back to her apartment, and I didn’t want to get into a conversation that couldn’t be finished.
“I told Aaron and Chloe about it,” Payton said. “They’ll be there. And Aaron asked if Garrett could come. Of course I told him yes.”
I nodded. “Good. I’ll probably order out if that’s okay.”
Payton took my hand, moving closer to me on the bench seat. “My mom really likes you,” she told me.
“The feeling’s mutual,” I said. “Your parents are great. Thanks for inviting me.”
Payton laid her head on my shoulder, neither of us saying anything for the few minutes it took us to get back to her apartment.
After parking the truck in an empty space, I walked her to her door. When we got inside, I noticed no one else was there. Taking advantage of the solitude, I flipped the deadbolt on the door and led Payton to her bedroom. I engaged the lock in there, too. When I turned to face her, there was a brilliant smile on her face.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked her, stalking her across the room.
“Depends. Are you thinking about being naked right now?” she asked, her voice soft.
“I’m thinking about you being naked, yes,” I told her.
“I like that idea, too.”
Without hesitation, I slid Payton’s jacket off her arms, placing it on the chair before removing my own. Then I moved in closer, lifting her shirt while I kept my eyes trained on her face.
After ridding her of her bra, I cupped her breasts in both hands, squeezing gently until she was moaning softly. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?”
She didn’t answer, but I hadn’t expected her to. Leaning down, I sucked one perfect pink tip into my mouth, loving the way she gripped the back of my head, holding me to her. Alternating to her other breast, I laved the puckered tip with my tongue before lowering myself to my knees and unhooking the button on her jeans.
Payton toed off her boots, and I proceeded to pull her jeans and panties down her legs, leaving them in a puddle on the floor.
“Sit on the bed,” I instructed, not getting up from my knees.
I looked up to see she was studying me intently. She knew what I was after without me having to tell her. It only took one step before she was sitting on the bed. I pressed one hand against her chest, urging her to lie back while I forced her legs wider by inserting myself between them.
“Sebastian.” The soft, sexy way she said my name only encouraged me.
I pressed a kiss to her most intimate spot, sliding my tongue over her and then dipping inside, until she was gripping my hair tightly. I didn’t let up until her body tensed, her climax causing her to cry out. While she relaxed on her bed, I disrobed, crawling over her and finding her mouth with mine.
It didn’t take much before I was sliding inside her warmth, grinding my hips against hers over and over. I linked my fingers with hers and held them on each side of her head while I continued to penetrate her slowly. Ever so slowly.
Making love to Payton was truly the best feeling in the world. The feeling of being inside her, our bodies one, never ceased to surprise me with its intensity.
“I love you, Angel,” I whispered, my eyes locked with hers.
“I love you, too,” she replied, her eyes closing briefly as I increased my pace, thrusting forward hard before withdrawing.
“You feel so good, Payton.” I kept my voice barely above a whisper, my eyes never leaving her face as I drove into her. “So good, Angel. This is the only place I want to be.”
Her fingers squeezed mine, and the urge to claim her overtook my desire to keep things slow and sensual. The next thing I knew, I had flipped her over onto her stomach, only going slow until I was once again lodged inside her. With my chest against her back, I linked our hands, driving into her harder and faster until there wasn’t enough air in the room to fill my lungs. The need to come growing stronger by the second.
I didn’t relent until Payton cried out, mumbling my name as her body gripped me, milking my release from me.
Somehow I managed to keep from crushing her by rolling to my back. She turned to her side, facing me, a wondrous grin on her face. “I think you should stay the night tonight.”
My eyebrow arched in question. We’d had this conversation not too long ago. “Are you sure? The last thing I want to do is keep you up all night.”
“I’m exhausted,” she whispered. “I just don’t want to go to sleep without you.”
I knew just what she was feeling. Pulling her closer, I managed to draw the blankets up over us both before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. I was already getting used to this. So much so, it was difficult to sleep when she wasn’t with me, but I hadn’t bothered to tell her that.
The reassurance that she was feeling the same
thing had my brain tossing around so many ideas.
I knew we were in for some rocky moments as we began to unearth what had really happened to my mother, but there was no doubt in my mind that Payton and I would make it through this. Stronger than before.
And with that last fleeting thought, I closed my eyes, giving in to sleep with Payton in my arms.
Chapter Thirteen
Payton
Tuesday night
I went to Sebastian’s right after work. Fearing that Trevor would try to walk me to my car again, I actually snuck out early. With Conrad on a business trip in California, I figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. And if it did, I just couldn’t find it in me to care.
When I arrived, I found the front door unlocked, so I let myself in. Leif was still in the recliner in the living room as I passed by him, making my way to the kitchen. I found it was empty, so I returned to stand beside him. “Where’s Sebastian?”
“Workout room,” he said, motioning his hand without ever looking away from the television.
Great.
After dropping my purse on the kitchen table and assuring myself that this was a good idea for the hundredth time today, I made my way past the laundry room, then out to the pool area and to the workout room on the opposite end. The door was closed, but I could hear the music blaring. It was a wonder Sebastian still had eardrums for as loud as he always blasted his music.
I didn’t bother knocking; he wouldn’t have heard me anyway. When I stepped inside, he saw me immediately. He looked much as he had the last time I’d found him working out. He was coated in perspiration, hugging the heavy bag, his back muscles flexing and the angel wings moving with every deep inhale and long exhale.
The man was beautiful. Sleek, corded muscle covered by smooth, tan skin. I would never tire of looking at him.
He gifted me with a smile, but even I could tell it was forced.
“I didn’t expect you so early,” he told me.
“I wanted to talk to you before everyone arrived.”
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