" Don't give me that shit! I saw your little exchange! How long have you been fucking him?!" Sebastian shouted, pointing at Jared. Raelynn gasped in what looked like shock.
" Whoa! Sebastian, you got the wrong idea," Jared said in his soothing voice that usually calmed Sebastian down. Right now, it just pissed him the fuck off.
Sebastian turned and gripped Jared up by his shirt. He pulled him up so that they were nose to nose. " You shut the fuck up! I trusted you! And this is what you do to me?!" he snarled, shaking him.
Sebastian shoved Jared away. Jared stumbled back into a table, ending up on the floor again.
" Sebastian..." Raelynn started, her voice pleading.
" Don't! This is exactly why I didn't want to get this close to another woman! You're all the fucking same! Damnit! I can't believe I've been so blind," he said with a bitter laugh. " After everything I've been through...this was the last thing I needed Raelynn," Sebastian choked, his emotions threatening to break him down.
Raelynn had tears running down her face. " Please, just listen for a minute..."
" NO! We're done! I can't...we're done," Sebastian hissed as he backed away.
Sebastian forgot all about his coffee as he practically ran out of there. He also ignored the stares from the other customers. The pain was threatening to bring him to his knees. He choked back a sob as his heart shattered into pieces. That was twice now that a woman he loved cheated on him. Aw fuck, did he just say the L-word?! Jesus Christ! Sebastian couldn't handle this right now. He had finally healed and now he was falling apart all over again. Sebastian raced to his truck, the cold October wind slapping him in the face. As soon as he got in and started it, he peeled away from the curb. He couldn't work today. He'd call Bill after he calmed down.
Sebastian ran to the one person he could talk to about anything. Henry. It took him twenty minutes to get to his office and park. He paced in the elevator on the way up. When he got off the elevator, he bypassed the receptionist - who called after him - and jogged down the isle to Henry's office. When he got there he banged on the door.
" Henry! Henry, you in there?!" Sebastian called.
The door swung open and Henry stood there looking confused. " Sebastian?"
Sebastian walked in and Henry shut the door. As soon as the click sounded, Sebastian lost his composure. He covered his face with his hands as the tears started falling. He was such a pussy. Again, crying over a woman who tore his heart out.
" What the hell is going on?" Henry asked worriedly. His hand gripping Sebastian’s shoulder.
" Raelynn...she's been cheating on me," Sebastian croaked from behind his hands.
" What?! Are you sure?" Henry asked in disbelief.
" I just saw her with my therapist. She kissed and hugged him. They were definitely more then friends," Sebastian whispered. He drug his hands down his face then looked at Henry.
" What kind of kiss?" Henry asked gently.
" It was just on the cheek," Sebastian mumbled.
" So why do you think that they're more then just friends?" Henry asked, squeezing Sebastian’s shoulder.
" I don't know. I could feel it," Sebastian croaked.
" Are you sure you weren't just seeing things that weren't actually there because your afraid of your feelings and were subconsciously looking for a reason to run?" Henry asked dubiously.
Sebastian blinked at him, tears running down his face. " What?" he asked stupidly.
Henry sighed and gave Sebastian a pitiful look. " Look, Sebastian...you're my brother and I love you, but you need to get your head out of your ass. It's obvious that you love Raelynn. You are so fucking scared though that any perceived fuck up on Raelynn's part has you running. Did you even let her explain?"
Sebastian shook his head. " No, I was so fucking furious that I just snapped. I told her we were done and got the hell out of there."
Henry shook his head. He went and sat behind his desk. Sebastian took one of the chairs in front of his desk. " I get that you've been hurt. I couldn't even imagine how I would feel if Claire did something like that to me. But the thing is, you have someone amazing in your life and you might have just blown it. I've seen the way Raelynn looks at you and there is no way she would cheat on you," Henry said with such confidence that Sebastian was starting to worry about what he just did.
" What about Victoria?" Sebastian asked. " Did you think she would cheat on me?"
Henry shrugged. " She definitely didn't look at you the way Raelynn does. And she never made you this happy either. I think you need to let Raelynn explain before you write her off."
Sebastian scrubbed his hands over his face and made an aggravated sound. " I need to think about this first."
Henry frowned. " What do you need to think about?"
" Maybe I should just end it anyway," Sebastian muttered.
" Now why the fuck would you do that?" Henry snapped angrily.
Sebastian shook his head, " I thought you would understand," he sighed. " Even if it was a misunderstanding, it made me realize how stupid I've been for letting it get this far. I promised myself that I would never let another woman hurt me. And here I am, crying like a fucking pussy because a woman hurt me. I should just end it now and go back to fucking a different chick every night. At least that way I'm safe from this shit."
" Dammit Sebastian!" Henry shouted. He slammed his fist on the desk, making Sebastian jump.
" Stop being a fucking baby! Boo-fucking-hoo! Victoria cheated on you. Get the fuck over it. You have a woman who is perfect for you and you want to let her go because some bitch hurt you in the past?! Raelynn has done nothing but be there for you when you needed her most. Do you really think she would hurt you like that? For fuck’s sake Sebastian, let your past go so you can move on and live your goddamn life," Henry snapped. His green eyes were hard and pissed off as they stared at Sebastian.
Sebastian blinked at his brother. Well...shit.
" I don't want to hear your fucking sob story anymore. Get outta here, I've got work to do," Henry muttered coldly and waved a dismissive hand.
Struck stupid, Sebastian stood and headed for the door. He left Henry's office building and got in his truck. He sat there for a moment and thought about what Henry had said. His brother had never spoke to him like that before. He was usually understanding and sympathetic. He was pissed now. Pissed at Sebastian because he was acting like an idiot, wasn't he? He was still living in the past. Raelynn could be his future if he just let his past go. He most definitely overreacted at the coffee shop. He needed to talk to Raelynn, but he needed to be alone for a while evaluate his feelings. So Sebastian called Bill, told him what happened. Bill was understanding and said it was fine for him to take the day off. Then Sebastian headed home where he could think in peace.
Chapter 11
Raelynn checked her phone. No missed calls. No texts. After the whole coffee shop incident a few days ago, Jared had told Raelynn to give Sebastian some time. He would realize that he overreacted and come to her. But it happened three days ago. How long would it take him? She felt horrible and just sick over the whole thing. She should have tried harder to make him listen. He was so distraught and angry that he wouldn't let her explain that Jared was her brother-in-law.
Every time she thought back to it, she pictured the pure agony on Sebastian's face. She hated that he thought she had been cheating on him. Funny thing was, she wasn't upset with him for thinking that. She understood that he just reacted to what he had seen. She had never given him any reason not to trust her, but she was sure him seeing her hug and kiss another man like that triggered his reaction. That bitch Victoria really did a number on him. Raelynn hadn't realized how bad until the other day.
The time apart made Raelynn realize something else. She was completely in love with him. She missed him terribly. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Her heart hurt for him. She just felt so empty with him gone, like a part of her was missing. How had she not noticed how far she had fallen
? She knew that she cared a lot for Sebastian. Love had crossed her mind a couple times but she had ignore it. She hadn't had time to dwell on it. Maybe that was why she hadn't realized. She knew for sure now. She didn't want to go another minute without Sebastian. She would give him one more day and if he still hadn't called her, she was going after him. No way was she going to let him get away.
She laughed to herself and shook her head. She was such a hypocrite. She had nearly walked away from him four months ago because she didn't want a relationship and she hadn't wanted to get attached to him. Now, here she was fighting to keep the one man she had been hell bent on ignoring.
They had never made their relationship official. Sebastian was still insistent on not calling her his girlfriend. Raelynn had thought of herself as his girlfriend though. They had acted like a couple in every other way. They went out together. They stayed overnight at each others places. They had clothes and toiletries at each others houses. They had even traded keys. They were in every way a couple. Yet, Sebastian was still hesitant to label them as such.
Raelynn didn't get home until about 10pm that night. Her heart leapt into her throat when she pulled into her driveway behind Sebastian's truck. Oh God, she hoped he was here to talk and not to get his stuff and give back her key. She was thinking the former because he could have taken his things and left before she got home. She turned off her car and got out. The lights were on in her living room. Sebastian was obviously waiting inside.
Raelynn walked in her front door to find Sebastian sitting on the couch watching TV. He glanced up when she walked in. He looked like shit. His face was scruffier then normal, his hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes - like he hadn't been sleeping. Raelynn's heart broke all over again. She shut the door, dropped her purse and walked over to the couch. She kicked off her shoes before sitting down next to him and pulling her feet up under her butt.
" Hi," Raelynn said softly, watching him.
Man, she had missed him. She ached to touch him, but she didn't know how he would react.
" Hey," he murmured, gazing longingly at her before glancing away.
Raelynn waited. She knew he had to be the one to talk first. Sebastian's green eyes lifted to meet hers. They were still filled with pain. She wanted so bad to take that look out of his eyes. She hated that he was hurting like this.
" What's going on with you and Jared?" Sebastian asked, his voice hoarse. His eyes searched hers.
" Baby, nothing is going on with me and Jared. Jared is my brother-in-law. He's married to my sister, Bianna. I saw him sitting in the coffee shop window and just wanted to say hi," Raelynn answered.
Sebastian frowned in confusion, then looked away as he seemed to think something over. Then he sighed and cursed, dropping his head back onto the couch. " No wonder his wife had looked so familiar. I'm an idiot," he muttered.
" Did you really think I would cheat on you, Sebastian?" Raelynn asked softly, reaching out to brush her fingers through the short hair above his ear.
Sebastian closed his eyes and sighed heavily. " No, but seeing you hugging Jared like that...I just reacted. All my fears came to the surface and took over."
Raelynn nodded and continued to stroke his hair. She missed touching him.
" Jared probably hates me," Sebastian scoffed.
Raelynn smiled. " No, if anything he understands better then I do."
Sebastian snorted. " Yeah, probably." Sebastian opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her, trapping her hand between his head and the couch. " I'm sorry. I acted like a dick."
Raelynn gave him a soft smile. " I'm sorry too for not telling you about Jared sooner."
Sebastian shook his head. " You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have overreacted like I did," he said, placing his hand on her thigh, giving it a little squeeze. " Do you still want to be with me even though I'm a self-conscious, jealous asshole who beats up on your brother-in-law?"
Raelynn chuckled low. " On one condition," Raelynn said, giving him a pointed look.
Sebastian lifted his head. " Anything, you name it," he said seriously.
" I want you to start calling me your girlfriend," Raelynn said.
A slow smile curled Sebastian's sexy lips. " You got it, girlfriend," he murmured then leaned in for a kiss.
Raelynn sighed against his lips. She had missed him so much.
" Can I stay the night?" Sebastian whispered, his lips brushing hers.
" Of course," Raelynn breathed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Sebastian groaned and pulled her onto his lap. He then showed Raelynn just how great make-up sex really was.
Sebastian woke to Raelynn stroking his cheek and calling his name. Sebastian drug his eyes open to see her leaning over him, dressed in her usual suit for work. Sebastian glanced around the room. It was still dark. He looked over at the clock. 2:00am. Damn, they had just gone to sleep an hour ago.
" I have to go in to work," Raelynn murmured softly.
" You didn't get to sleep much," Sebastian grumbled.
Raelynn gave him a wry smile. " Murderers don't care about how long I've slept."
Sebastian smiled sleepily. " Do they care that it's Saturday?"
" Nope," Raelynn chuckled. " Will you be here when I get back?"
" Depends, I need to apologize to Jared sometime today."
" Okay. Well, I'll call you when I get done to see where you are," Raelynn said.
Sebastian nodded and reached up to cup her face. Raelynn leaned down and kissed him on the lips. He had been a fool to ever think he could go on without her. He wasn't ready to tell her that he loved her yet, but he accepted that he would eventually. Baby steps.
" I'll see you later, sweet cheeks," Sebastian smirked, kissing her one more time.
Raelynn smiled and shook her head. Her smile faded as she looked down at him. " I missed you," she whispered.
Sebastian swallowed hard and nodded. " I missed you too, baby."
After one more kiss, Raelynn left. Sebastian fell back to sleep, snuggled up with Raelynn’s pillow. It smelled like her and he loved how she smelled. He hadn't been able to fall asleep the past few days. His mind had been racing and he hated not having Raelynn in his arms. He'd gotten used to sleeping with her and he had felt completely alone when she wasn't there.
Sebastian woke up around 9am. He got a shower, grabbed some breakfast then headed to Jared's to apologize in person. Jared didn't see patients on the weekends, so Sebastian was going to go knock on his front door. He hoped he was home. When Sebastian pulled into Jared's driveway, the SUV was there, so Sebastian was guessing that Jared was home.
Sebastian walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. He was actually a bit nervous. He didn't know how Jared would feel about seeing him. Sebastian had pushed him around a little bit. He wouldn't be surprised if Jared didn't want to talk to him. The door opened a minute later, revealing Jared in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Which was weird because Sebastian had only ever seen him in dress pants and shirt and tie.
Jared blinked in surprise. " Sebastian."
" Hey Jared, can I come in?" Sebastian asked.
Jared moved aside and let Sebastian into his house. Sebastian thanked him as he walked by. Jared closed the door behind them.
" How are you?" Jared asked, clapping Sebastian on the back.
Sebastian frowned down at the man, confused by his friendliness. " Better. I came to apologize for the other day. I was way out of line."
Jared smiled and gestured for Sebastian to have a seat on the couch. So he sat on the couch but left his coat on since he wasn't going to stay long. Jared sunk into a plush leather arm chair adjacent to him. " It's fine, Sebastian. I completely understand. I'm guessing you spoke to Raelynn?"
Sebastian nodded. " We talked last night."
" And everything is okay with you two?" Jared asked.
Sebastian smiled. " We're back together if that's what you're asking"
Jared smile
d. " Yes, that's what I wanted to know."
Sebastian's smile faded. " So now that I know you two are related, are you still able to be my therapist?"
" If you want me to be." Jared nodded.
" I do."
" Good." Jared smiled again.
A phone rang somewhere in the house, but stopped after two rings. Sebastian was guessing Jared's wife picked it up. Jared had just opened his mouth to say something when he was cut off by a heart-wrenching scream. Both Jared and Sebastian were on their feet and running within seconds. Jared skidded into what looked like an office with Sebastian right on his heels. Jared's wife was sitting on the floor with her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. The phone receiver lay on the floor next to her. Jared grabbed the phone and put it to his ear.
Sebastian (The Beck Brothers #2) Page 12