Wish

by Deborah Bladon

  “I love that you’re wearing it.” She sets the tablet down. “Let me put on mine.”

  I sit silently while I hear the rustle of her movement around her bedroom.

  She’s back in front of the camera within a minute.

  “We haven’t worn matching clothes in years.” A grin covers her mouth. “I love this. Do you know how much I love this, Tilly?”

  I nod. “I’m in love, Frannie.”

  Her eyes instantly well with tears. “What? Tilly, you’re in love? With you?”

  With a man who passed the NYPD Sergeant Exam with flying colors.

  With a man who tucked the letter notifying him of that in a book that he hid in a drawer under some T-shirts.

  A book written by his brother and inscribed with the words, ‘You’ll always be my hero, Sebastian. The world needs more men like you. Nicholas.’

  “He’s the bravest person I’ve ever met.” I look at the screen. “He’s the best person I’ve ever known.”

  “He sounds incredible, Tilly.”

  My eyes glisten with tears. “I didn’t know a man like him existed.”

  “When do I get to meet him?” Her tears give way to a smile.

  “He doesn’t love me back.” A sob escapes with the words. “He broke up with me last week, Fran.”

  Her hand jumps to her mouth. “Why would he do that?”

  “I wasn’t what he wanted.” I rub at my forehead as my gaze falls to my bed and the blanket I’m sitting on. It’s the same blanket Sebastian wrapped around his waist the night we met. “I wasn’t the one for him.”

  “Oh my God, Tilly!” Frannie screams as she darts to her feet. “Get out of there. There’s a man right behind you.”

  I turn and look over my shoulder at the only man I’ll ever love.

  He’s standing in the doorway of my bedroom. His eyes immediately lock on mine.

  “You’re the one for me and I’m back to prove that I’m the one for you,” Sebastian says hoarsely. “I love you, Matilda.”

  Chapter 54

  Sebastian

  I left the room so she can end the video call with her sister.

  The world may see them as identical, but I could see immediately the differences in them.

  Matilda is breathtakingly beautiful. Her sister is as well but Frannie’s eyes don’t share the same depth as her twin sister’s.

  Her voice is different as well. Matilda’s soothes me. It offers me comfort.

  Even with a blindfold on in a room filled with people, I would be able to tell the two of them apart.

  I would know the woman I love just from the awareness that courses through my body when she’s near.

  I feel her now so I turn from where I’m standing in the living room.

  Her eyes rake me.

  I shaved before I came over here. I put on a fresh pair of jeans and a black sweater I bought this afternoon.

  I wanted to make a better impression than I did the first time she found me in her living room.

  “I love you, Matilda,” I repeat the words I said to her just minutes ago. “I need you to know how much I love you.”

  I want her to rush into my arms and repeat the words back to me, but she stands her ground. “I thought we were going to tell each other how we felt that night, but you left me.”

  I reach out my hand to her. “Please come and sit with me. Let me explain.”

  She does. She doesn’t touch my hand. Instead she sits on edge of the sofa. It’s at least three feet from where I’m standing.

  I don’t complain. I lower myself onto the leather and face her. “I was scared.”

  Her eyes scan my face. “Scared? You? Of what?”

  I like that her words are laced with disbelief. She sees me as a man who is fearless. She has no idea that I’m scared to death of losing her. The fear of that is debilitating.

  “Months ago some asshole tried to intimidate me by sending my mom and my sister bouquets of roses that had been dyed black.”

  The pain that has been a constant on her face since I saw her in the bedroom, morphs into something else. It’s confusion mixed with horror. “What? What kind of sick bastard does something like that?”

  “We’re still trying to figure that out.” I lean my hand against the back of the sofa. “You received a similar bouquet last week, Matilda.”

  “No.” Her head shakes. “I didn’t. I didn’t get anything like that.”

  Her gaze darts to the table in our living room where a fresh flower bouquet always is. The space is barren now. The last bouquet I placed there the day before I left is gone.

  “Junior handed it to me in the lobby.” I take a deep breath. “I lost all sense of control. I couldn’t think straight. I took it and went back to the station.”

  She scratches the back of her hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I want to slide over so I’m sitting next to her. I want to hold her hand and quiet her anxiety. I see unease in her movements and I hear it in her voice. “I wanted to protect you.”

  She shifts so she’s facing me. “Did you leave me because of the flowers?”

  I nod sagely. “Yes, Matilda. I didn’t want my presence in your life to put you at risk. I left to keep you safe.”

  Her bottom lip trembles. “I knew that you loved me. I could feel it.”

  I move quickly, dropping to my knees in front of her. “I do love you. I didn’t leave because I didn’t want you.”

  “I would have told you that we would face the threat together.” Her hands slide to my shoulders. “I’m not afraid of anything if you’re beside me, Sebastian. I need you to feel the same way when I’m beside you.”

  “I would die if anything happened to you.” I cup her cheeks in my palms. “I thought if I left, the person who sent the flowers would leave you be.”

  “They have. “She glances at the window that overlooks the city. “I haven’t gotten another flower delivery since.”

  It’s been quiet. I’ve spent days investigating this. I’ve spoken to every person who owns an apartment on our block.

  No one saw anything.

  The person who dropped off the flowers didn’t appear on any of the surveillance video I pulled from the buildings adjacent to ours.

  I haven’t given up trying to find the culprit, but I’m confident that I can keep this beautiful woman safe.

  “What happens the next time you feel that I’m being threatened?”

  I answer her question as honestly as I can. “I’ll protect you.”

  “You won’t make any rash decisions for me? You won’t leave me because you think that’s best for me?”

  “I will stand beside you, confide in you and we will face the threat together, Matilda.”

  “Good.” Her gaze returns to my face. “I would rather have one day with you than a lifetime with any other man. I love you, Sebastian.”

  Chapter 55

  Matilda

  I press my lips to his for a kiss before I pull back and look at his handsome face. “I love you.”

  “I need to hear you say that at least ten times every day, Matilda.”

  I laugh. “Does that mean you’re moving back in?”

  His gaze scans the three cardboard boxes I piled up in the foyer. “Are those my things?”

  I nod as the corners of my lips dip into a frown. “I couldn’t stand the thought of your belongings being so close to me. I wanted to sleep in your bed every night, but the pain was too much.”

  “You’ll sleep in it with me tonight, won’t you?”

  “Can we talk about something first?” I sigh. “In so many ways I feel I know you better than I know myself, and in others, I feel like I’m wandering through a fog.”

  He takes a deep breath, pausing before he answers. “We can talk about anything you want.”

  “You don’t want to be a lawyer, do you?”

  “You spoke to Ronald Dixon about me.” His eyes flick over my face. “You asked the Dean of Admissions at NYU Law t
o personally consider me for the program.”

  I manage a smile. “I thought I was helping make your dreams come true, but I know that it’s not your dream anymore.”

  “I was touched, Matilda. I was deeply touched that you spoke to him on my behalf. No one has ever gone out of their way to do anything like that for me before.”

  “I believed, at the time, that I was helping you.” I bow my head. “I know now that you have a new path ahead of you.”

  He saw the letter in my hands in the bedroom. I know that he did.

  “Somewhere along the line, the drive to be the best homicide detective I could be was replaced with a need to do more.”

  I don’t say a word. I want him to continue.

  “About a year ago I was invited, by a friend, to attend the hiring ceremony for new recruits.” He speaks softly. “They were all starting a new chapter in their lives. I remembered what it felt like for me the day I was hired, so I talked with a few after the ceremony and handed them my card.”

  “Did you hear from any of them?” I ask out of pure curiosity.

  “Almost all of the recruits I offered my card to, called me.” His gaze travels to his cell phone that is sitting on the coffee table. “At first, it was strictly questions. They wanted to know what to expect once they came out of the academy and then it turned into more.”

  “In what way?”

  My question draws his heavy brows together. “They needed to talk to someone who had been there. They all have resources that are provided to them by the department, but they needed a friend who had been there and I became that to them.”

  “You still are, aren’t you?” I reach to grab his hand.

  “The woman you asked me about meeting. Her name is Hillary.” He looks down to where our hands are joined. “She was responding to a break and enter when the perpetrator pulled a weapon on her.”

  I see the pain in his eyes. I know her experience must have taken him back to the day he was shot. “Is she all right?”

  “He backed down.” His shoulders drop. “It was a tough experience for her. The threat of death can break a person down.”

  “I can’t imagine, “ I respond quietly.

  “Another rookie stepped into the middle of a domestic dispute and was faced with a distraught victim.” His hand grips mine tighter. “He was in a tough situation and handled it well, but it was a lot to deal with.”

  “Is he okay?” I ask, hearing the hope in my voice.

  “We meet for coffee at a diner near his place every couple of weeks to go over that day.“

  “Does that help him?”

  He nods. “I think it does. He’s been to see one of the department’s therapists which has been invaluable, but sometimes all he needs is a buddy who gets what he’s going through.”

  He makes his role in all of this sound simple and inconsequential. He’s providing his colleagues with a level of support that is invaluable.

  “There’s a program the department runs for rookies. It pairs them up with a veteran.” He kisses my knuckles, one-by-one. “You need to be a sergeant even to be considered.”

  I smile. “Lucky for you that you passed that sergeant test.”

  “I haven’t been assigned anywhere yet, and likely won’t be for months, but I want in on that program if it’s possible. I want to work with rookies during their first days on patrol. I want to help them find their rhythm. I’d like to give them a base to build on that will carry them throughout their careers. I met with the department head last week to let him know that I’m very interested.”

  “If I didn’t love you already, I’d fall in love with you at this moment.”

  “Fall into bed with me, Matilda.” His lips brush against my cheek. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

  Chapter 56

  Sebastian

  “I’ll never get enough of you, Matilda.” I press my lips to the soft skin at the center of her back. “Your body is stunning. Everything about you is beautiful.”

  “You made me feel beautiful,” she whispers as her eyelids flutter shut. “After you left I knew I’d never get over you.”

  “You never need to.” I run my lips over the curve of her bare hip. “I’ll be right here beside you, with you, until I take my last breath.”

  “You’ll never leave me again.” She slowly rolls onto her back.

  I know what she wants.

  I part her legs with my shoulders, exposing her beautiful pussy. I take a taste. “I’ll never leave you again. I can’t breathe without you.”

  Her hands fall to the top of my head.

  Nothing in this world feels as good as her fingers guiding me to her pleasure.

  “Make me come.” Her voice is strained. “Show me how much you want me.”

  I do. I lick the seam of her pussy before I circle her swollen nub with my fingertip.

  “This is heaven.” Her whispers fill the bedroom.

  No, this is.

  I suck her clit between my lips and flick it over and over again with the tip of my tongue.

  She comes fast and hard against my mouth, her cries bringing tears to the corners of my eyes.

  I feather kisses over her face while she falls from the high.

  “Fuck me.” Her soft lips press against mine. “Please.”

  I smile. “I can’t say no to that.”

  I move to open the nightstand, but the condoms aren’t there. Shit. She must have packed them up and tossed them into one of the cardboard boxes in the foyer.

  I look down at her, love reflected back to me in her vivid blue eyes. “I need to go find a condom. Don’t move.”

  Her full lips part before she kisses me again. “Don’t go. I trust you.”

  “I’m clean.” I press my cheek to hers.

  “Me too,” she whispers. “I’m on birth control. It’s safe.”

  My heart hammers against the inside of my chest. I swear to fuck she must be able to feel it against hers.

  I slide into her. The feeling of her gripping my cock without any barrier draws a low growl from somewhere deep inside of me.

  “I love you, Sebastian.” Her tender voice quakes with the words. “I’ll never stop.”

  “I’ll never stop loving you, Matilda. Never.”

  ***

  A knock at the apartment door turns us both at the same time. I look toward the microwave. It’s after midnight.

  I’m immediately on high alert.

  “Go into the bedroom, Matilda. Lock the door.”

  She starts toward the apartment door. She’s dressed in nothing but a pair of black lace panties and one of my black T-shirts. It’s too big for her and looks more like a mini-dress than a shirt, but I love that she wanted to wear it.

  She slid it on as we were putting my belongings away. In her room; next to her things.

  “I think I know who it is,” she calls back over her shoulder.

  Panic rushes over me and I stalk toward her, scooping her into my arms from behind before she reaches the door. “Let me check first. Please, Matilda.”

  She turns to face me. Realization washes over her expression. She knows that I’m thinking about the asshole that sent her the black roses. “I think it’s Maya and Julian. Maya texted me earlier. She said that Frannie told her that a tall, dark and handsome man loves me.”

  I laugh. “What did you reply to that?”

  Her lips press against my chin as her hands land on my bare chest. “I was too busy making love to that man to care about anyone else in the world.”

  I kiss her again. It’s slow and deep. My cock aches for another taste of her. I feel it harden inside my black sweatpants.

  Another series of raps from the door break our kiss.

  “Who is it?” I ask as I stare into her eyes.

  “It’s us,” Maya’s voice calls back. “Tell me you two are together, Sebastian. Tell me you love my little sister.”

  I take Matilda’s hand in mine and swing open the door. “I love this wom
an more than life itself and one day she’s going to be my wife.”

  Maya throws herself into Matilda’s arms with a squeal as Julian tugs me into a warm hug.

  “You couldn’t have done better, Sebastian.” His hand pats me on the back. “I’m happy for you. I’m happy for you both.”

  We all move back into the apartment before I close the door.

  I turn back and look at Matilda. Her smile is radiant.

  “I told you that they were meant to be together.” Maya wraps her arms around Julian. He tugs her into his side. “Look how perfect they are together.”

  “I see it, “ he says before he presses a kiss to her forehead.

  Matilda’s hand reaches for mine and I grab it. “Thank you, Maya, for bringing this man into my life. I didn’t know I could feel like this. I didn’t think I’d ever be this happy.”

  I look down at her. “This is just the beginning, Matilda. Every day after this will be better than the one before that. I promise you that.”

  “I promise I’ll love you forever, Sebastian.”

  I kiss her hand. “That’s all I need. That’s all I’ll ever need.”

  Epilogue

  6 Months Later

  Sebastian

  “You’re next.” Julian adjusts the black bow tie around his neck. “I know that Griffin and Piper are considering a date three months from now, so you need to plan fast, Sebastian. Make Tilly your wife now.”

  I dive my hand into the pocket of my black tuxedo pants. I scoop the two plain silver bands into my palm and squeeze them.

  “Don’t worry about who is next to take the plunge.” I smile as I look him over. “Enjoy your day, Julian. Focus on Maya today.”

  “You really are the best man.” His hands land on my shoulders. “Can you go check on my bride? Go see if Maya is all right.”

  I know she’s fine.

  I was with Matilda just ten minutes ago outside the hotel room where Maya is getting ready to marry the man she loves.

  The ceremony and reception will both take place in the ballroom here at The Bishop Tribeca.