Her mouth was sweet, her tongue teasing mine gently. But I knew I couldn’t restrain myself for long. I wanted this woman with a desperation I’d never known before. It didn’t seem to matter how many hours or days or weeks passed, I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of her. I looked forward to a lifetime with this woman. From the beginning, I hadn’t been looking for a one-night stand with Payton. I’d known the very first time I’d laid eyes on her that I wanted much, much longer than that.
Easing even closer, I slid my hand behind her neck, cradling her head as I slipped my tongue deeper into her mouth. When she kissed me back as though she was craving me as much as I was her, I nearly lost what remaining good sense I had left.
Before I knew it, Payton was practically under me, her hands traveling beneath my jacket, then beneath my T-shirt. The gentle scrape of her fingernails against my skin had my hips thrusting forward, my erection rubbing against her.
Oh, hell. This woman was going to be the death of me.
The air was cool against my overheated skin when she lifted my shirt, but not enough to reduce the heat that was boiling inside me.
The song changed, although I wasn’t paying much attention. In fact, it wasn’t until Payton drew back, looking up at me, that I noticed anything other than the feel of her lush body beneath mine.
“You listen to country music?” she asked, grinning.
I lifted my head to try and make out the song. A new one by Florida Georgia Line was playing. “I listen to everything,” I told her.
“Good.” Her approval made my chest swell.
But then she pulled me back down to her, our lips crushing together, our tongues dueling. Within minutes, I thought my head was going to explode. I knew if I didn’t stop now, I’d end up making love to her outside, beneath the stars. And as awesome as that sounded, it wasn’t the way I intended the night to go. I wanted to ravish her all night and wake with her in my arms in the morning. That wasn’t possible out here, so I lingered for a little longer before I pulled back.
We were both breathing hard.
“I could do this all night,” I told her.
“Me, too,” Payton whispered.
It took a few minutes for me to get my body under control, but I managed. When I felt a little more level-headed, not quite so keyed up, I sat up, resting my forearms on my knees, and stared at the track.
“Are you gonna drive again?” Payton asked, seemingly reading my mind.
“I don’t know, Payton. I really don’t know.”
“Well, I think you will one day. Maybe not for a while, but it’ll come back to you. And when it does, I’ll be right here beside you, ready to cheer you on,” Payton said, her tone encouraging.
I hoped she was right. Not because I needed the adrenaline rush that came with racing. But it was something I loved. I had plans to build my own track, but not just to use for personal use. The more I’d thought about it, the more I wanted to do something to give back.
“I bought that house mostly for the land,” I told Payton. “I’d love to have a track of my own one day. A track and a shop.”
“A body shop?” she asked.
I peered at her over my shoulder. “Yeah. Something like that. I was thinking about talking to Toby and Leif. See if they might want to go into business together.”
“Partners?”
“Something like that. We’ve always loved cars, and we’ve got the means between the three of us to do more than just open a body shop, but I like the idea of having something stable.”
“And the track? What do you plan to do with that?”
“I was thinking about…” I turned my head away from her, staring out into the darkness again. “It might sound crazy, but I was thinking about opening it up to kids who are like I was. Give them something to look forward to. A little encouragement, possibly a skill that they can use in the future.”
I felt Payton move, her hands circling my bicep. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.” She rested her head against my shoulder. “It’s perfect, Sebastian.”
I rested my cheek against the top of her head. “I want you to help me, Payton.”
“Help you how?” she asked, her voice soft.
“I want you to be part of it. I want you to help me build it. All of it.”
The silence drifted on the night breeze for only a moment before she said the words that I needed to hear. “I’ll be right there with you. Every step of the way.”
Chapter Eighteen
Payton
Saturday afternoon
I spent the morning cleaning Sebastian’s house while he slept. I knew he wasn’t sleeping much these days, and I’d awoken with the sun, anxiety nipping at me. Today we were going to talk to Aaliyah, and I was probably more nervous than Sebastian was. I hadn’t talked to her since Vegas, and as far as I knew, she didn’t have a clue as to what had transpired over the last few weeks. I didn’t know her well enough to be able to predict how she was going to take all of the news.
Telling her about Leif was going to be easy compared to what Sebastian had to tell her. We still didn’t have any information, no leads for Sebastian’s mother’s case, but Leif had left a note on the kitchen counter last night letting us know that Derrick wanted to stop by today. When, he hadn’t said, so I figured I would get the house cleaned up, although there really wasn’t much that needed to be done.
I was tempted to go for a swim, anything to help take my mind off the myriad thoughts racing through my head. I was thinking about today and the conversations to be had, but I continued to drift back to the discussion I’d had with Sebastian last night. He wanted to build a race track and a body shop right there on his property. The location for both was almost perfect, and I really was excited about the idea. More so about Sebastian, though.
I was so proud of him. He’d overcome so much in such a short time, and though we didn’t have all the answers, he was moving forward and in a direction I wouldn’t have expected. The idea of using the track for kids who were going through what Sebastian had once been through was admirable. Sebastian was going to take all that he’d learned in life and use it to help others.
Every day, just when I thought it wasn’t possible to love him more than I already did, he proved me wrong.
Leif sauntered into the kitchen while I was cleaning the sink.
“Mornin’,” he greeted, his voice rough from sleep.
“Hey.”
“Are you … cleaning?” he asked, pinning me with a bewildered stare.
“I am,” I confirmed with a smile. “Why? Were you hoping to do the honors?”
Leif laughed, scratching the stubble along his jaw as he opened the cabinet and pulled out the coffee.
“Already made,” I told him, nodding toward the full coffeepot.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you?” he mumbled, still half asleep.
“She’s mine, so don’t get too attached,” Sebastian said, wandering up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I told him, turning my head to the side so I could meet his lips for a kiss.
“You know, I’ll hire someone to do that.”
“No, you won’t,” I told him sternly. “We are all quite capable of keeping this place clean. No need to spend the money.”
Sebastian chuckled and headed for the coffeepot, retrieving the last of the mugs I had set on the counter. Once his cup was full, he turned and leaned against the counter. While I ran the water in the sink, I stole a sideways glance at him. He had on a pair of jeans and nothing else, and he looked even more delicious that morning than I’d ever seen him. Maybe it was the bed head or the stubble that lined his jaw. Then again, it could’ve just been the muscles that flexed in his arms when he lifted the cup to his mouth, or the way his abs contracted as he crossed one ankle over the other.
Not wanting to get caught ogling him, I returned my focus to the sink, using the sprayer and then wringing out the sponge.
<
br /> “What time’s Derrick coming?” Sebastian asked Leif.
“He didn’t say. Just texted me and said he had something to talk to you about.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Leif.
“Is it news?” Sebastian asked. “Or more of the same shit?”
“Don’t know.”
These two amused me to no end. They were both half asleep, sipping coffee, and trying to hold a conversation.
“What time is Aaliyah coming over?” I asked.
“Don’t know. Why?” Sebastian said.
“I was thinking I could go back to my apartment for a little while today.”
Sebastian lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
“I just thought y’all might want a little privacy. That’s all.”
Sebastian reached out and grabbed my pinky finger with his. “I’d like you to be here.”
I nodded. If he wanted me there, then I’d be there. I just didn’t want to intrude if they needed to have a private conversation.
“I want you here when Derrick shows up, too.”
“Okay,” I told him. I really didn’t have anything else to do, aside from going to the grocery store.
“I’m gonna go for a swim. Then I’ll shower,” Sebastian said, pouring the rest of his coffee in the sink and rinsing the cup before depositing it in the dishwasher. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek before he disappeared down the hall to the pool.
Leif backed up until he could see down the hall, obviously watching Sebastian leave. When he returned, he moved close and lowered his voice.
“What do I need to get?” he asked.
“I’ve pretty well got it covered,” I told him, pulling open a drawer and retrieving the note pad I’d placed in there earlier. I flipped the page until I came to the list. “My parents are bringing a ham and sweet potato casserole. Chloe and Toby agreed to bring desserts. Aaron and Garrett are taking care of the bread. Your mom and Derrick are gonna bring mashed potatoes and a couple of other side dishes. Sean and Dale volunteered to bring drinks. Oh, and Toby’s parents are bringing napkins and stuff.”
“Did you get the turkey yet?” he asked, his eyes darting back to the hallway where Sebastian had disappeared.
“Not yet. I was gonna do that today, but I’m not sure I can. If not, I’ll send Chloe.”
“So we’re still on, though?”
I nodded, my gaze traveling to the empty hallway as well.
It wasn’t easy pulling off a surprise Christmas dinner. Especially not when so many people were coming. I’d come up with the idea one night when Chloe and I had been sitting at the apartment, trying to figure out just what we were going to do for Christmas. She’d mentioned Sebastian, and that was when I’d decided to put together a surprise Christmas dinner for him. When I’d revealed my plans to Leif and Toby, they’d thought it was a brilliant idea. According to them, Sebastian wasn’t planning to do anything for Christmas, the same way he hadn’t done anything for Thanksgiving.
Now, we were just tasked with pulling it all together without him knowing.
“I’ll need your help with the turkey, though. You can ask anyone, I’m the world’s worst cook.”
Leif laughed. “I’ll help however you need me.”
“Good. Then I think we’re set.”
Leif went to the sink and rinsed his cup, also placing it in the dishwasher before he headed toward the door that led to his wing of the house. He stopped, placing his hand on the doorjamb before turning back and looking at me. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, Payton.”
I stared at him for a second and then gave him a watery smile. “I think it’s the other way around, but thank you.”
A brief nod was all I got from Leif before he disappeared from the room, leaving me standing there by myself. And though I was alone in the kitchen, I didn’t feel alone. Not anymore.
***
“Wait. Repeat that,” Sebastian insisted, stopping Derrick mid-sentence.
We’d been sitting in the living room for the last fifteen minutes, listening to the detective go over a new lead he’d gotten. How he’d managed to dig that deep, I still didn’t know. I was baffled by the amount of information he had this time versus the last time he’d paid Sebastian a visit.
“I did some digging into Conrad and Lauren’s credit cards,” Derrick repeated as Sebastian had requested. “And it wasn’t easy, let me say that up front. Considering how old this case is, it’s hard to find records. Most places don’t have to keep them after seven years, but I lucked out. Sort of.”
“What were you looking for?” Leif asked. He looked as tense as I felt.
“There was obviously a car accident, and since we know someone hit Sebastian’s mother, based on the accident report, it means there was another vehicle damaged. Without much to go on, I looked into the vehicles that Conrad and Lauren owned at the time. Nothing came up on them. So, then I decided to dig a little deeper. If I’d had the case at the time, I would’ve looked into local body shops, tried to see if any of them did work on a vehicle that had damage coinciding with the damage to Sebastian’s mother’s car. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
“However, I did pull Lauren and Conrad’s credit report and found that Lauren had applied for a credit card shortly after your mother’s accident,” Derrick told Sebastian. “I figured what the hell. I called the credit card company and asked if they had any records that dated back to that time. Hoping maybe their accounting department was behind on tossing out old files.”
I was sitting on the edge of my seat, my fingers linked with Sebastian’s.
“They didn’t have anything that far back, but they did have some records for months following that. Turned out, Lauren’s credit card had been used at a body shop here in town. However, it was six months after the accident. I know it was a long time ago, but do you ever recall Lauren being in an accident?”
All eyes slid to Sebastian. “Not that I remember, no.”
I had to wonder whether Sebastian would’ve remembered something that had happened so long ago. Hell, I had a hard enough time remembering things that had happened last year, much less more than a decade ago, especially when I was a kid.
“What body shop?” Leif asked.
Derrick glanced down at the pad of paper he was holding in his hand. “Fowler Body and Frame.”
My stomach lurched. Was Derrick serious?
“Oh, God.” I jumped to my feet and bolted to the nearest bathroom, slamming the door behind me and dropping to my knees in front of the toilet, my lunch returning with a vengeance.
And when I’d puked until my stomach was empty, I started crying.
Chapter Nineteen
Sebastian
When Payton ran from the room, I got to my feet, ready to go after her, but Leif stopped me, holding up his hand. “Give her a minute.”
Derrick’s attention was flipping back and forth between me and the hallway where Payton had fled. “What’s going on?”
I glanced down the hallway, refusing to sit until I knew that Payton was okay. But I could at least answer Derrick’s question. “Fowler Body and Frame… That’s her father’s body shop.”
“Holy shit,” Leif muttered, watching me.
“I’ll be right back.”
When I reached the bathroom door, I tapped on it with the tips of my fingers. Payton didn’t answer, so I tried the knob. My heart wrenched when I saw her sitting on the floor, her knees pulled into her chest. She had a washcloth in her hands, and her face was streaked from the tears streaming down her face.
“Angel,” I whispered, lowering myself to the floor beside her.
“Oh, my God, Sebastian. I’m so, so sorry.”
I gripped her chin and forced her to look at me. I knew my confusion was etched across my forehead. “What are you talking about?”
“My father’s shop. They probably fixed the car that was used to kill your mother.”
“Payton,” I said firmly when
more tears escaped her eyes. “Stop it.”
Her eyes opened wide and a sob wracked her body.
“This isn’t your fault, if that’s what you’re thinking. Or your father’s.”
“But—”
I cupped the back of her head and pulled her face against my chest, holding her as she tried to collect herself. I could understand her shock. It seemed surreal the coincidence, but aside from Lauren using her credit card at Payton’s father’s body shop, there was nothing else that tied the two together. We still didn’t know what Lauren had fixed at the time. I could admit that I was reaching, desperate for answers, but I had to remind myself that this could all very well be a dead end.
“Do you think Derrick talked to my father?” Payton asked, her voice raspy from her tears.
“No,” I assured her. “I think your father would’ve called you if someone came in there mentioning my name.” As a matter of fact, I would bet money on that. Hal would’ve called Payton instantly if he thought for a second that there might be something awry, and having a detective show up asking questions about something that had happened more than ten years ago would’ve been a red flag.
I ran my hand down her hair, waiting until she calmed down.
“Feeling better?” I asked when her body stopped trembling.
Payton nodded against my chest.
“Ready to go back out there?”
Another nod. I got to my feet and helped her to stand.
“Can you give me a minute?” she asked when she was on her feet.
“Yeah. I’ll be out there if you need me.”
“Okay.”
I left Payton in the bathroom and returned to find Derrick and Leif talking quietly.
“She okay?” Leif and Derrick asked at the exact same time.
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