by Iona Rose
“So what are you saying Sebastian?” I ask.
“I’m saying I’m willing to try if you are. But that we should take things slow, keep it casual for now and see how it goes. And we both need to learn to separate business from pleasure.”
I feel myself nodding.
“Yeah. That makes sense,” I say.
“You sound disappointed,” Sebastian says.
“I’m not,” I lie.
“Yes. You are,” he says. “If this stands any chance of working, then we have to be honest with each other. I know you were hoping for more. Some grand gesture where I sweep you off your feet and we run off into the sunset together. But I’m just not ready for that Kimberley. Once bitten and twice shy and all that.”
“Ok,” I say, nodding. “I get it. But if we’re being honest, then I need to say something. If we have any chance of making it work, you have to find a way to forgive me for leaving you. Because if you can’t do that, then that will always be hanging over us.”
“I know. I can’t promise I can do that yet though. Which is why I said we need to take things slowly. I can promise I will try though. Is that enough for you Kimberley? Because if it isn’t, then say now.”
I think about it for a moment. Is it enough? I really hope so because although the merger was a good business move, for me, that was never really what this was about. I came back here for Sebastian. There I said it. Can I do this knowing he might never forgive me?
If I want him back, then I guess I’ll have to. I can’t wave a magic wand and make him forgive me. But I can show him that I’m serious about us. I can show him that every day until he sees it for himself and then surely he’ll forgive me.
I feel myself nodding and I start to smile. Of course it’s enough. It’s better than anything I could have expected. Even Matt told me I was wasting my time. That Sebastian would never come around and I should just move on. But here he is willing to try.
“Yes,” I say. “It’s enough that you’re here with me and you’re willing to try.”
He leans closer and kisses me and any remaining doubts I have float away. His words tell me he’s not ready to forgive me, but his kiss tells me something else entirely. His kiss tells me he’ll never ever let me go again.
I move closer to him, pulling his body against mine. I need to feel every part of him touching every part of me so I can convince myself this is real. I can feel his hard cock pressing against me, and what started out as a tender kiss soon becomes deeper, more passionate. I can feel my body responding to Sebastian as his hands roam over my bare skin. My clit throbs and although it feels tender and sore, I don’t care. I need to have Sebastian. Now.
I push him onto his back and roll with him, still kissing him. I lay on top of him, my tongue probing into his mouth. His hands move up and down my back, onto my ass. He is breathing heavier now, and I know he’s as ready for this as I am. I push myself up so I am straddling him. I move my hips, rubbing my dripping wet pussy over his cock and he gasps. I grin down at him and then I reach behind myself and take his cock in my fist. I work him, listening to the way his breathing hitches.
When he moans my name, I feel my pussy clench, produced a rush of warm liquid and I have to have him inside of me right now. I lift my hips and run the tip of his cock through my lips, letting him feel just how wet for him I am. He moans again and I line him up with my pussy and push myself back down, taking him inside of me. I wince slightly as my already raw pussy stretches to accommodate his huge cock.
I begin to move up and down, slowly at first, teasing him. He brings his hand down and works my clit with his fingers as I move. His touch makes me wince as my sensitive clit throbs. The pain of having him touch me again so soon recedes quickly, leaving behind a fiery feeling of such intense pleasure I feel myself throwing my head back.
My hips start to move quicker of their own accord as I feel my climax building. I can feel Sebastian’s cock rubbing against my g-spot and his fingers work me effortlessly, sending my body into over drive.
“Oh my God, Sebastian, don’t stop,” I shout as he thrusts his hips with mine, making each stroke deeper.
My orgasm hits me like a blinding wave that’s so intense that for a moment I can’t breathe, can’t think. It fires through my whole body, sending me wild, setting nerves firing everywhere. I freeze, paralysed for a moment as Sebastian continues to thrust, his probing fingers making my clit sing. The release floods me, warm waves of pleasure cascading through my body, my pussy clenching and flooding. Sebastian moans as my pussy tightens around him and then he’s coming too, his warm seed filling me, uniting us in our mutual pleasure.
I come back to myself as Sebastian’s cock slips out of me and I move to lay beside him. I rest my head on his chest, feeling it moving up and down. I move my fingers over his chest and stomach, loving the taut muscular feel to it.
“Is that slow enough for you?” I whisper when I’ve got my breath back.
He gives a soft laugh and squeezes my hand. I’m starting to fall back to sleep when I feel Sebastian shift. I open my eyes and look up at him. He smiles at me and kisses the tip of my nose.
“I should go,” he says.
I nod my head, reminding myself we’re taking it slow. I don’t want him to go, but I don’t want to look like some desperate woman who can’t let Sebastian out of my sight for two minutes. That’s not the way to get him back. The way to get him back is just by being myself, and if it wasn’t for our history, I’d want him to go. I’d want to leave him wanting more.
I shuffle back so my head is on the pillow and smile at Sebastian,
“I guess I’ll see you at the office in a couple of hours,” I say.
Chapter Fifteen
Sebastian
It’s been two weeks since Kimberley and I talked. We’re still taking things slowly, but it’s going well so far. We’ve seen each other a few times each week and it’s been nice. Like old times but different. We’ve both changed a lot, but I think the changes have all been for the better. We’ve grown up a bit, got more worldly, but ultimately, we’re the same people and we still have that same connection we had all of those years ago. We just communicate a lot more openly now.
For now, we’ve agreed to keep our arrangement between just us until we’re both sure this is what we really want. It’s going to be hard to keep up the charade today at my parents’ house, but it’s a Sunday tradition that we all spend the day together as a family and Kimberley and I have both been busy with work and haven’t managed to see each other since Thursday. We’ve texted and called each other but it’s not the same. So I have invited Kimberley to come to the house and spend the day with us. It won’t seem that unusual; Kimberley knows my whole family well and my mum has never objected to us bringing friends along before. She’ll be happy to see Kimberley, I know that much, I’m just worried she’ll read too much into it and create a lot of pressure for us.
I park my car up and head up to the house. Within seconds of stepping in, I know inviting Kimberley to join us was a mistake. My mum greets me with a knowing smile and Matt and Callie both give me big cheesy grins and thumbs ups as I take a seat in the lounge. Only my dad seems oblivious to what’s going on. He glances up from his paper and greets me and then goes back to reading.
“What?” I say to Matt and Callie after I say hi to my dad.
“Nothing,” Callie giggles.
“We’re just pleased to see you,” Matt puts in. “Is that a crime now?”
“Stop it,” mum chastises them. She turns her focus onto Matt. “You didn’t get this abuse when you brought Callie here did you?”
“No,” Matt says. “But I didn’t try to pretend we were just friend’s did I?”
“And I’m not pretending,” I insist. “It is possible for two people of the opposite sex to be friends you know. I mean I’ve brought Bernie here before and there was no fanfare.”
“I’m not saying it’s not possible for you to be just friends with a woman Seb.
I’m saying it’s not possible for you to be just friends with Kimberley,” Matt teases me.
The doorbell goes and mum hurries off to answer it.
“Stop it now. Both of you,” I hiss when I hear my mum greeting Kimberley.
“Hi Kimberley,” Matt says, standing up to hug her. “I can’t believe Seb didn’t pick you up.”
Kimberley raises an eyebrow.
“And there was me thinking it’s not the 1900s and I’m perfectly capable of driving myself somewhere. How silly of me.”
Matt laughs and Kimberley grins at him. She can handle his taunting so much better than I ever could. Matt introduces her to Callie. Callie hugs her and Kimberley sits down beside her. They chat away like they’ve known each other for years. I was a little worried Callie would be cold to her after she said she doesn’t sound like a nice person, but obviously Matt has convinced her I’m the asshole rather than Kimberley.
I can’t help but watch Kimberley as she chats. My eyes are drawn to her and I’m hyper aware of every little move she makes, every time she laughs. I catch myself staring and look away quickly, but not before Matt and mum have noticed.
I am saved from any further embarrassment for now when Chance comes in.
“About time,” dad says to him, finally putting his paper down now everyone has arrived.
“Hey it’s not like I was out socialising dad,” Chance says. “I’ve been in the office working on a new design.”
“No work talk,” mum cautions him.
He holds his hands up and laughs.
“Right, well then call dad off,” he says.
“Carlton,” mum says in a warning voice. “You work him too hard. How will he ever meet a nice girl if he’s tied to the office all day every day?”
“Well Sebastian managed it,” Matt says.
The heat didn’t stay off me for long. I glare at him and he laughs.
“Right. Enough. Dinner before you all end up killing each other,” mum laughs.
We go through to the dining room and mum brings the food through. There’s enough for double the amount of people as always. Kimberley is talking to my dad, telling him about how she managed to land her job. I notice mum doesn’t tell her off for talking about work, but I don’t comment on it.
“Is this the first time you’ve met Kimberley?” mum asks Callie.
She nods her head.
“Ah she’s like one of the family. Growing up, her and Sebastian were inseparable. They practically lived at each other’s houses.”
“Ok, enough,” I say.
Mum ignores me and carries on.
“We were planning on going away one Christmas. Kimberley’s parents wouldn’t let her come because they said Christmas was for family. Sebastian refused to eat for days until eventually, we just gave up on the idea and didn’t go away.”
“Mum, really. No one cares,” I say, feeling myself blushing. “We were just kids then.”
“But now you’re both all grown up and you’ve found your way back to each other. Just like I always knew you would.”
Everyone is listening to mum reminiscing now and I feel myself blushing more.
“Do you think we could talk about something else? Like literally anything else?” I say. “Isn’t it about time you started bothering Callie to make you a grandma or something?”
It’s Callie’s turn to blush and Matt glares at me. I give him an innocent smile. My mum smiles at my dad.
“That’s why Carlton built us this house. He said it was too big when I told him about the home I dreamed of, but I insisted it wasn’t. I wanted it to be big enough so that when you three grew up and had kids of your own, there was always enough room for everyone to stay over. I wanted the house to be full of love and laughter and children.”
“I think you might be waiting a while before that happens,” Matt laughs. “Callie and I are happy as we are for now, Chance is married to the job. And well, Sebastian is single.”
He puts single in air quotes which I choose to ignore. Kimberley tenses up beside me but it’s only for a second and then she relaxes again and I think maybe I imagined it.
“Would you excuse me for a second?” Kimberley says, standing up.
I didn’t imagine it. I glare at Matt as Kimberley leaves the room.
“Nice,” I say.
“Oh come on Seb. She can’t be upset because I said you were single when the two of you are both pretending you’re not back together.”
I keep glaring at him and he shakes his head.
“Let me go talk to her,” he says.
“No. I’ll go,” I say.
I get up and head out after Kimberley. I find her coming back towards the dining room.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
“I’m fine,” she smiles. “I just needed to use the bathroom. Any reason you felt the need to follow me?”
“I … I thought you were upset because Matt said I was single,” I admit.
Kimberley laughs.
“Matt doesn’t think you’re single. He just wants to hear you admit it,” she says. “And no, I’m not upset by his comments. Seriously Sebastian, you have to stop letting him get under your skin the way he does. That’s why he winds you up.”
I smile and shake my head.
“Yeah. You’re right. Come on, we’d better get back before they plan our whole wedding and name our first born,” I say.
Kimberley laughs and follows me back to the dining room. We retake our seats. The atmosphere in the room has changed. No one seems to quite know what to say. Kimberley kicks me under the table and gives me a pointed look. I know what she wants. She wants me to make a joke and bring back the happy atmosphere. Instead, I decide to go with something else. Something I think Kimberley will approve of just as much as if I’d made a joke.
“Ok, it’s time to come clean,” I say.
I glance at Kimberley, knowing that she’ll know where I’m going with this. She gives me a little nod, letting me know she’s good for me to tell them.
“Kimberley and I are giving things another chance.”
The table erupts with everyone having something to say about it. I hold my hands up and wait until the questions stop.
“We’re taking things slow, which is why we weren’t going to say anything yet, because we don’t want you all to make a big deal out of it.”
“If that’s what you want son, then it won’t be a big deal,” my mum says.
She beams at me as she says it and I can’t help but laugh. The whole family are obviously pleased to hear that Kimberley and I are giving things another go. And I think I’m finally ready to forgive her for the past. I look at her and she smiles at me, her face flushed, happy.
When dinner is finished, Callie gets up and offers to start the dishes. Kimberley stands up saying she’ll help her. Matt shakes his head and gets up.
“I’ll help her. You just relax Kimberley. It’s been too long since you were here, catch up with everyone. Make the most of it though. Next time you come, you’re definitely on dish washing duty.”
Kimberley laughs. We go through to the lounge where Kimberley entertains everyone with stories about the screw ups she made along the way at work before finally getting to where she is now. A lot of her stories are new to me too and I find myself relaxing and laughing along with everyone else. Matt and Callie come back in mid way through the stories.
“Does anyone want a cocktail?” mum asks.
“Not for me thanks,” Kimberley says. “I’m driving.”
“Get Sebastian to drop you off. Have a drink,” Chance says.
“I’m happy to drop you off,” I say.
Kimberley shakes her head.
“No honestly, I’m fine,” she smiles.
I decline too as I’m driving. Matt and Callie came in a cab and Chance decides to leave the car. He goes off to make drinks for everyone else. I wonder briefly if I’ve upset Kimberley somehow; she seemed so adamant she didn’t want me to drive her home. She laun
ches into another story, and as she talks, she slips her hand into mine. Ok, I’m being paranoid. She’s not upset with me, she just doesn’t want a drink. I smile to myself. I’m acting like she’s some kind of alcoholic or something. She’s allowed to pass on a drink without me thinking I’ve somehow pissed her off.
We sit chatting for a bit longer. After a couple of hours have passed, Kimberley turns to me and smiles.
“I’m really hot. Do you fancy a bit of air?” she says.
I nod and get up and we excuse ourselves. I lead Kimberley through the conservatory and out into the back garden.
“Are you ok?” I ask her.
She smiles at me.
“Yeah,” she says. “I was just a bit hot.”
She takes my hand and we walk down the garden. The garden is big enough to get lost in. Large manicured lawns sprawl on either side of the winding path we walk down. Flower beds line it on either side and the air is alive with the scent of various flowers.
“I always loved your garden,” Kimberley smiles. “We used to spend hours out here. Do you remember?”
“I remember,” I say. “Oh my God, do you remember that night we decided to camp out here?”
Kimberley laughs.
“And it absolutely lashed down. How long did we last?”
“Less than an hour,” I laugh.
I lead Kimberley onto a small gravel path that leads off the main path and take her through the shrubbery. It opens out on a clear area with a bench and a small creek trickling by.
“Remember this place?” I smile.
“Oh how could I forget it? It was our spot,” Kimberley smiles.
We sit down on the bench, each lost in our memories. I remember Kimberley and I always used to come and sit on this bench and watch the sun go down together. We’d spend hours sitting here kissing, chatting laughing, planning our futures together.
The sun is beginning to go down now, casting long shadows over the garden, and creating a beautiful orange sky.
