"Damn straight. Martha, didn't you say something about the piano?"
"Oh, yes!"
Sebastian gave Juliet a seething look as he finished up the last of the dishes. He flicked his fingers at her face, sending a spray of water into her eyes.
"Fucker!" Juliet shrieked. She wound up the wet towel she was holding and snapped him in the shoulder.
Sebastian froze and turned to her face her. "Juliet."
"Oh." She flinched. "I'm sorry. I forgot."
"Forgot what?" Martha asked. "Bassy, what's wrong? I know that look. What's happened?"
"I bruised him, Martha. He has a photo shoot soon."
"Oh, he'll be fine. They can cover that with makeup." She slapped him right over the place where Juliet had caught him.
"Mother." He rubbed the throbbing spot and frowned at her.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm waiting in the music room when you're done."
Sebastian shot Juliet another look before he followed his mother.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The Love Song
Sebastian watched Mariss attempt to creep into the room as he started his last piece. His mother loved to hear him play the songs he'd written in college. She said it was because she didn't want them to go to waste. He didn't know how a piece of hastily written music could go to waste, but he played for her anyway. Over the years, he'd cleaned them up through repetition. They might actually have passed as professional.
He watched Mariss sit next to Juliet on the sofa. She was staring at him, her eyes telling him how intrigued she was by his playing.
"Mother kept a piano in the front room when I was younger," Sebastian said softly. He glanced down at his fingers, then the music, but he wasn't really following what he'd written. "It had three snapped strings and the rest were pitifully out of tune." He glanced down once more. "Other than that, the mahogany piano was in perfect shape. I hauled it to school one day and gutted the poor thing. It sits in my room now. Mother was furious." He grinned. "Come here."
Mariss rose and crossed the room to sit next to him. He made a little extra room for her on the end of the bench.
"How well do you sight read?"
"Pretty well. Or I used to. I think I still know what I'm doing."
Sebastian pointed to a section of the music quickly. "This is where I am. You owe me a performance, Red."
Mariss placed her hands over the keys. He'd never noticed how dainty or graceful her fingers were before. She had beautiful form and as she joined in with him perfectly, he realized that she had good touch as well. She didn't pound the keys, nor did she play them too lightly. She made a few mistakes at first, but as she loosened up, the music they made together was flawless and smooth. The song itself was like a gentle glide through sunlight. He'd written it specifically for that feel and just so happened to call it The Love Song. Sebastian had never played it with a partner so no one had ever heard the bit Mariss was playing.
Sebastian chanced a look at his mother. Her face was expressionless, a look he knew to mean she was furious. She probably had a reason to be.
The song was quite long and they continued to play. Mariss was better than she wanted to let on.
Juliet seemed transfixed as well. He'd never imagined the song would have such power, but perhaps played by the right person…
Sebastian pushed the thought away. It was one he couldn't entertain, both because Mariss was married and he had no plans to be.
Still, he couldn't deny the feelings he had for Mariss. He truly cared for her. There seemed no end to the charm she had on him. Even if she was married, he would cherish any time he got with her. Alone or otherwise.
Mother was still seething by the time the song ended.
"You wrote that?" Mariss asked.
"I did."
She frowned prettily. "I never would have imagined you would create something that beautiful."
"I'm not sure whether to be offended or flattered," he said honestly.
"It's not your tone," Juliet said. "Were you in love when you wrote that?"
Sebastian frowned. "No. I don't think I was."
"But he is now," Martha said.
Sebastian turned at his mother's icy tone. He hadn't seen her move, but she was standing right next to him. He felt Mariss' alarm.
"I beg your pardon?"
Martha glowered at him. With him sitting they were practically eye to eye. "What did I tell you?"
"Mother-"
Martha's hand struck his cheek hard and ended the sentence before he had a chance to fully figure out what he wanted to say. He resisted the urge to grab his face, even though it stung like hell.
"What the fuck was that for?" he grunted, forcing his tone to stay low.
"You know good and well what that was for! Sebastian, there have been few times in your life that I've been disappointed in you, but this… Honestly? I thought I raised you better!"
Martha stomped off to her room, leaving him completely bewildered with a stinging face.
Mariss leaned over to him. Her eyes danced with amusement. "You just got slapped," she whispered. "Bitch slapped. By mummy."
"I feel like I need some popcorn and a cigarette," Juliet chimed in.
"I'm glad you two find this funny. Stay here. Do not move. I'll be right back." He gave them both very pointed looks before he stood and followed his mother.
Martha bustled around her bedroom, straightening things that weren't out of place. If Mariss ever came in here for any reason… Sebastian could hear the jokes now. He got his love for straight, clean lines from his mother. Apparently, it ran in the family to want things in their place.
"Mother, what the bloody hell has gotten into you? You just slapped me in front of an employee and a coworker. Who both happen to be women who respected me until a moment ago."
Martha was in his face a second later. Well, as best she could be with how short she was.
"How could you? Don't you understand what you've done?" She was trembling. Her eyes suddenly welled with tears and she harrumphed before she turned away to tidy more things that didn't need it.
"Apparently, not. Mother, what's wrong?" Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed. "Please talk to me." He might have been a lot of things, but if there was one woman he loved, it was his mother.
"You're in love with her. I know what you're motto is," she hurried to say when he would have protested, "but the truth of the matter is, you have feelings for this woman. I had hoped she was just a fling like all the others, but… You're invested. Emotionally, mentally. Say what you want, but you've been physical with her too. She's far too comfortable with you." Martha sniffed.
"I don't understand why that means you had to slap me in front of her." Sebastian crossed his arms and tried to look stern.
"I shouldn't have. I was just so angry. You're going to get hurt, baby." She reached up to touch his cheek. "I don't blame her. I'm good at reading people and I can see that she's fighting you. She's in love with you too, but she has something a lot of women don't have anymore."
"What's that?"
"Loyalty. Perseverance. She won't leave her husband for you, no matter what her feelings are. No matter how strong. You're going to get hurt, Sebastian, and I don't want that to happen."
"I'll be fine," he told his mother. He took her hand in his. "I'll regroup. I'm good at that."
"Yes, I know, but I'm afraid that this time it won't be so easy. She makes you happier than I've seen in years."
Sebastian smiled. He couldn't help himself, and that proved to be his mother's undoing. The held back tears spilled over her cheeks.
"What are you doing that for?" He reached out to her, but she pushed him away.
"You have company, Bassy. Go entertain them. I'll be fine. I'm going to bed."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. There's pie in the kitchen if they want it."
Sebastian kissed his mother on the forehead and left her to her tears. As he closed the bedroom door, he
heard the piano begin to play. He walked slowly down the hall, in case she stopped when she heard him coming.
Mariss was at the keys when he rounded the corner. Juliet saw him, but she didn't say anything. He let her get a few measures in before he said, "That's one of my pieces."
She stopped and turned to him. "It's darker than the other one."
"It was meant to be. You're playing it wrong."
"Oh, well, then by all means. Show me how to fix it."
Sebastian sat next to her and reached around to the keys at the bass end of the piano. "You play it down here," he whispered. Mariss shuddered against him as his breath feathered across her neck. He placed a gentle kiss behind her ear where he knew she liked it.
"Are you in love with me, Red?" He lifted her hand and moved it down the keys so he could play her fingers on the right notes. "My mother seems to think we're in love."
Mariss' chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing. "Well, I guess that depends on what your definition of 'in love' is."
"Oh?" Sebastian glanced down to make sure he had his fingers in the right place. "Jules, there's pie in the kitchen."
"Yeah, I was just thinking I should get some pie from the kitchen."
He heard her leave and turned all of his attention back to Mariss.
"Do elaborate on your thesis, Mrs. Red."
"For a man who doesn't believe in love," she croaked, "I think it would be hard to say whether or not he's in love."
"Why is that?" He took her right hand in his and moved it farther down to the treble end. His lips skimmed over her neck and down her shoulder.
Mariss cleared her throat before she spoke again. "You wouldn't know if you were in love, so how am I supposed to guess?"
"My mother would know, don't you think?"
"Yes, I suppose she would. I've tried very hard not to fall in love with you."
"And?"
"And? I think that's enough admissions for one night, don't you?"
Sebastian played her fingers on the keys slowly, bringing out a dissonant, haunting melody. His tongue flicked over her skin. The salt on her flesh made him shudder.
"Oh, wow. That's…"
"Better?" He nibbled her ear.
"Yes." Her voice was a quiet whisper.
"I can't hear you."
She cleared her throat again. "Yes," she said louder. "That's better."
Mariss turned to look at him, her eyes searching his. Their lips were so close, but neither one of them moved to close the space.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked.
"Uncomfortable isn't the word I'd use. If you bite your lip right now, so help me…"
Sebastian grinned and he felt her heart skip. "Do you need some time alone? Can I watch?"
"Does your mother know you have such a filthy mind, Sebastian Boa?"
"Of course." He almost made a joke about the husband, thought better of it, and pulled his lip between his teeth before he realized he was doing it. Mariss gasped.
"Fuck you."
"Please do."
"Hey, you two." Juliet brought them both around to look at her. "Pie!" She held up a plate with a huge chunk of apple pie.
"Do you want pie?" Sebastian asked, highly amused at the way Mariss was staring at his mouth.
"Mm hm."
He licked his lips and chuckled when her eyes widened. "Come on. It's in the kitchen." Sebastian stood, tracing his fingers over her bare arms as he did. Goose bumps raced after his touch and she shivered. He held his hand out to her and helped her out from behind the piano.
Juliet had pie plated up for them when they got there. One was considerably bigger than the other.
"Whose is this?" Sebastian asked of the smaller slice.
"Yours. Mariss gets the big one."
"Oh, I don't want that much." Mariss' voice was still a bit husky.
"That's too bad. Sebastian doesn't get the big piece."
"Actually, I'm still pretty full from dinner," Mariss said. "I think I'm just going to go get ready for bed."
She left before anyone could argue with her. Sebastian stared after her, worried he'd come on too strong, but he hadn't done anything out of the norm.
"You scared her off," Juliet said, confirming his suspicions.
"I did not. She's just tired. Probably jet-lagged."
"Hm. Yeah. You believe that as much as I do. What's wrong with mummy?"
"She's afraid I've fallen in love."
Juliet was quiet for so long that Sebastian had to look to see if she was still there. She stared at him expectantly.
"What?"
"Well, have you?"
Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. He heard his bedroom door open and then the bathroom door down the hall.
"Quite frankly, I've had enough of this business of falling in love. You know good and well that I don't believe in that ridiculousness and Mariss is married. As much as she's fought me, there's no way she'd fall in love, and with good reason. I think I'll go to bed myself." He walked away.
"With Mariss."
Sebastian stopped with his back to her for a moment.
"If she wasn't married I would be on your side, Sebastian, rooting for you. Don't you understand that? Everyone would, except maybe for Hellena."
He went to his room and stripped out of his clothes, trying not to think about what his mother and Juliet had said. If he was in love, well, that would be terribly inconvenient. However, he could think of worse people to be in love with. And it wasn't really love that he didn't believe in, was it? It was being in love. So truth be told, he probably did love Mariss in some way.
"Oh, sorry."
"You can come in." Sebastian pulled his sweats all the way up, grinning. "It's just my arse."
"Hm." Mariss walked around him and the bed and climbed in on the far side. She pulled the covers down and slid underneath, as close to the edge as she could get.
"I hope you don't think you're going to stay there all night." Sebastian turned out the light and got in the middle of the bed. "Come here."
It took her a moment, but Mariss finally rolled over and snuggled against his side. He put an arm around her. Her face pressed against his chest and he breathed in the berry scent of her hair.
"Is your mother alright?" she asked.
"Yes. She gets emotional when she thinks I'm doing something stupid."
"And what are you doing that's stupid?"
"Falling for you, apparently."
"Oh." Mariss took a deep breath and let it out. It tickled across his bare chest, rustling against the sparse hair there. "How's your face?"
He chuckled. "It's fine. She hits hard, though." He felt her smile. "Get some rest, sweetheart. Tomorrow is going to be a long, hectic day."
Mariss spread her hand against his stomach. He hoped she couldn't feel the butterflies that made his stomach flip. Butterflies! Perhaps there was some truth to their words. A woman had never caused him to have butterflies.
Sebastian fell asleep so fast it gave him whiplash.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Fighting For Her
Sebastian woke with a face full of dark brown hair and Mariss snoring gently in his ear, but he wouldn't have moved for the world. Her body and his formed a warm cocoon beneath the blankets that made it impossible to think about anything else. Award be damned. All he wanted was Mariss. All of his mother's talk about love last night had him feeling disjointed and sappy.
Mariss turned over, her hair wrapping around her own face. Sebastian reached over her with his free hand and smoothed it back until he could see her. There was a peaceful look about her features that he couldn't look away from. Her eyelids twitched gently and her lips were pink and full from sleep. Was this what the husband got to wake up to every morning? Sebastian felt the unfamiliar bite of jealousy for the first time as it work its way through his limbs. His arms tightened around the woman in his arms as if someone would steal her away.
"Bassy?" Mariss rolled onto her back. Her
eyelids fluttered open and she looked up at him. Her brown eyes were confused for a moment before she blinked and smiled.
"What were you dreaming about?"
"I woke up and you were gone." His heart tightened. She grinned. "The zombies had eaten you."
Sebastian laughed. Without thinking, he pressed his lips to her swollen ones. Mariss pushed him away and covered her mouth with her hand.
"I haven't brushed my teeth yet."
He shrugged. "Still not a bad way to wake up."
Sebastian shifted and his morning glory accidentally bumped her thigh. Mariss snorted.
"Oh, my god." She rolled away from him. "Go take care of that. Do I have to be up yet?"
"No." Sebastian rolled out of the warmth that was the bed where Mariss lay with her back to him. "You and Juliet have a different schedule than I do." He smoothed a hand over his chest where her touch still burned against his skin. "I have to make a few appearances. You'll meet me after the dinner for the candidates. Have you bought your dress yet?"
"Yeah." Mariss turned over to look at him. "Juliet helped me pick it out." She rolled her eyes. "Apparently, it's just your type."
Sebastian grinned. "Lots of breast then." He winked, threw on a shirt, and went to take a shower.
***
Sebastian waited for the limo that would bring Mariss, his mother, and Juliet to the ceremony and fought the urge to check his watch. The media would eat up everything they could, and with Mariss coming to support him, there would be all kinds of conjecture.
He saw the car coming. There were those bloody butterflies again. Sebastian locked his hands behind his back to keep from fidgeting and waited. By the time the car pulled up, he was practically dancing in place. The door opened and they climbed out the way he'd told them too - Juliet first, followed by his mother, then Mariss.
She'd stayed true to her color scheme. The dress was a bright red with one gauzy strap over her left shoulder. Crystals adorned the right side over her breast and down to her hip. He would be amiss if he didn't notice how that one breast was pushed up enough to make it very obvious. Diamonds shimmered in her ears, around her neck, and her wrist. When she took a step, crystals shimmered on her feet as well.
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