by Sarah Peis
“Hello, little darling,” Elle said, kneeling in front of me, talking to my stomach.
I put my hand up, and they fell silent. “I’m leaving Pepper’s. Well, kind of. I’ll still be working for the club, doing office work instead.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you,” Elle said, getting up but still eyeing my belly.
The other girls chimed in, everyone telling me they were glad I was getting out of there. I hoped they didn’t think my dislike of the club had anything to do with them, because I would miss everyone. We’d become a little family, and I knew they always had my back and I had theirs.
“And guess what? Smitty just got fired,” I said, grinning. It was always good to follow bad news with good news.
Their response was similar to the girls outside as everyone started hooting and hollering. They grew even louder when I told them how it all went down.
“Just when you think that man couldn’t get any better, he goes and kicks out the weasel,” Tia said, a dreamy look on her face.
“I know.” I sighed, most likely sporting a similar expression.
The rest of the night was boring compared to how it started. I served a lot of rowdy eejits, and the girls killed it onstage. Sebastian was around as promised, and every time I looked up, he was watching me.
That might sound creepy, but to me it was everything. And it made me feel safe and cared for, two things I hadn’t felt in a long time.
When the night was finally over, I couldn’t run out of there fast enough. Sebastian helped me up onto his bike, and I got as close as I could, leaving no space between us. He put his hand on my leg before starting the bike, giving me a reassuring squeeze.
I held on tight and enjoyed the ride instead of doing what I really wanted, which was letting my hands wander. When we pulled up in front of my house, I was squirming on the seat, holding Sebastian in a tight grip.
He signaled for me to get off, his bemused expression floating over me once I was standing next to the bike. “Enjoy the ride?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. We should do it again soon.”
“No doubt we will,” he said and kicked the stand down. Once the bike was safely parked in my driveway, Sebastian caught my hand and walked us to the front door.
I’d barely closed the door behind us when he was on me, pressing my back against the closest wall. His eyes filled with love and desire, his hands roamed my body as if mapping every inch.
“I didn’t think I could ever feel about another person the way I feel about you,” Sebastian said against my cheek, his voice a husky whisper. “But you’re a part of me now, one I couldn’t survive without.”
My legs went soft, my breathing stalled, and my voice broke when I said, “Ditto.”
“Ahem, did you forget about the other person in your house?” Stella interrupted us.
I squeaked and pushed at Sebastian to let me go. He chuckled but stepped back, releasing me.
“Sorry, Stella,” I said, my face hot with embarrassment.
“Guess this is my cue to go home,” she said, grinning at us.
After waving goodbye, she left, closing the door softly behind her. I went to the window to make sure she got inside her car safely. Once she was gone, I turned back to Sebastian.
His hair was disheveled, and he looked ready to charge me. Which he did, not breaking stride until he had me back against the wall. “Now where were we?”
Sebastian pulled my leg up to his hip and pressed himself against me. His head descended, and he took my mouth in a slow, drugging kiss, one I never wanted to end.
He lifted me up, and I wound my legs around him and held on tight, his lips never leaving mine. When we broke apart, we were holding on to each other like Luca did to the last jellybean in the jar.
“Let’s take this somewhere else,” Sebastian said, not wanting a repeat of the last time we couldn’t wait to jump each other. We were in a similar position in front of the door when Luca stumbled out of his room.
He screamed when he saw us because he thought Sebastian was attacking me. Well, he kind of was, but it was the good kind of attack. And it took me over an hour to calm Luca down enough for him to fall asleep. He still eyed Sebastian suspiciously every time he touched me, three days later.
Sebastian walked us into my bedroom, closing the door and turning the lock. My kids knew how to open doors, so locking them was the only thing we could do.
“Never thought I’d have to sneak around again,” he said, his voice a velvet murmur.
Joy bubbled in my laugh, and my heart was full to bursting. An invisible thread pulled me closer to him, connecting us heart and soul.
He was looking down at me with reverence, our lips almost touching. “And I don’t even care. Because as long as I’m with you, nothing else matters.”
“I love you,” I said, my throat thick with emotion.
His arms tightened around me, and my lips instinctively found their way to his. We clawed at each other to get closer, our mouths clashing, our tongues dueling. My legs clamped around him, and I wished there were fewer clothes between us.
Forever reading me right, Sebastian eased me down onto the bed before stepping back. “I’ll never get enough of looking at you.” His eyes roamed my body.
Since I wanted nothing more than to please him, I wiggled out of my jeans, the horizontal position making it easier to pull them off. I sat up, taking off my shirt, a sense of urgency to my movements. I should have been a lot better versed in taking my clothes off after working at a strip club for over a year, but my movements were jerky and unpracticed.
Sebastian watched me with hungry eyes, pulling his T-shirt over his head. I licked my lips, my eyes glued to his body. The hard ridges of his stomach looked more pronounced in the low light of my bedside lamp, and the sharp contours of his face gave his already masculine appearance an edge.
I hoped I would never lose the feeling of unwrapping a present every time he took his clothes off. My heart took a flying leap when he pushed his jeans off, leaving him in nothing but his boxers.
He kneeled on the bed, his big body coming down on top of mine, his hands braced next to my head. Our mouths met in a soul-bending kiss as his hands mapped my body.
He eased the cup of my bra aside, and his lips brushed my nipples. I wound my arms around him, holding him close, craving each touch of his hands and caress of his lips.
I was alight with the need to be close to him, his touch hypnotizing me, making every cell of my body tingle.
But the feeling was much more than desire; it was love and need.
His lips traced a path down my body, making me burn with passion. He devoured me, his kisses drugging, his hands searching. The telltale crinkle of foil nearly made me weep with relief, the need to be connected to him all-consuming.
And when I didn’t think I could take anymore, he entered me with an aching slowness. There was a dreamy intimacy to our lovemaking that I’d never experienced before.
We groaned in unison, our mouths clashing, our bodies moving against each other in perfect harmony.
He took me to the height of passion, my body his completely. A deep feeling of peace surrounded me, and I came with quivering lips, my eyes locked on his. He soon followed me, his gaze never leaving mine.
And when we curled up in bed together—unfortunately in our pajamas, because kids—I knew I had everything I could ever need in my house at that moment.
My last waking thought before I drifted into sleep safely cocooned in his arms was that everything that happened to me in my life was worth it if this was where my path had taken me. And I’d go through it all again if it would lead me to him in the end.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Luca,” I called through the huge office, sure the guys downstairs would be able to hear me.
“It wasn’t me,” my son yelled back.
I looked at the ceiling, hoping for divine intervention. Or a donut. I’d settle for the latter in a heartbeat
.
The last few weeks had been like living a dream. Or someone else’s life. I’d finished out my two weeks at Pepper’s and started working in the office four days ago. Turned out the club owned a few buildings in town, one of them housing a tattoo shop downstairs and their offices upstairs.
I had my own space, right next to Sebastian’s office. He was looking for someone to replace him as head of security at Pepper’s so he could take over as the MC’s security firm. He had more experience in that space than anyone else, and he could mostly keep normal working hours.
Talon had cleared out an office, and the guys had turned it into a playroom for the kids. It was opposite my room, and I had a clear path to look inside from behind my desk. Luca and Lena were currently playing with Talon, who was taking an extended lunch break that so far had lasted two hours.
I eyed the mess of sticky tape on my desk again and sighed. On the grand scale of things, sticky-taping my mouse, drawers, and keyboard wasn’t the worst.
But since he had to understand that I was serious when I asked him to stay away from the contents of my desk drawers, I got up to talk to him.
“Hey.” Sebastian came inside as I was rounding my desk.
My breath hitched and my heart broke out in an embarrassing dance routine. My feelings for him seemed to intensify the more we saw each other instead of tapering down to normal, sane levels.
“I thought you were out on a job,” I said, making my way to him.
He pulled me close as soon as I was within reach and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. “Everything was fine, and I missed you, so I came back.”
I wound my arms around his neck and sank my hands into his hair, brushing through the silky strands.
“Missed you too,” I whispered against his lips and kissed him.
“Stop with the kissing already,” Talon complained from the playroom. “Did you forget this is an office?”
I leaned around Sebastian, watching Talon pretend to drink tea from a cup that was half the size of his hand. He was also wearing a gold tiara and pink bracelets.
“I didn’t, but you seem to. Don’t you have work to do?” I asked, struggling to hold back the laughter.
“Is that glitter on your face?” Sebastian asked, turning us so we were facing Lena and Talon. Luca was still in hiding.
“As a matter of fact, it is,” Talon said, putting his middle finger on the side of his cup, discreetly flipping Sebastian off.
“Excellent. Since you’re watching the kids, you won’t mind if I take Nora out for a bit, right?” Sebastian asked.
“You got an hour. Then I have to meet with one of our suppliers over in Butler,” Talon said, taking another pretend sip from his cup.
“Let me just have a chat with Luca first,” I said and walked into the room.
Luca was hiding under the blanket on the couch, the big lump unmistakable.
I sat down next to him and tapped his legs. “Don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Shmorry, Mommy,” he mumbled from underneath the blanket.
“It’s okay. But no more going through my desk drawers.”
He pulled the blankets back and nodded. “Okay.”
I leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I’m just going out with Sebastian. Talon is going to play with you.”
“Where you going?” he asked.
I looked to Sebastian, who was sitting on the floor next to Talon, Lena standing in front of him, putting glitter in his hair. He’d be finding glitter for the next week if he didn’t stop her soon.
“I’m not sure. But we won’t be gone long, promise,” I said, getting up.
Luca nodded, pulling a Superman comic out from underneath him. He was already lost in a world of superheroes by the time I stood up.
Lena was even less concerned about me leaving, fighting me off when I tried to kiss her goodbye.
“No kissing,” she said, wagging her finger at me.
I grinned at her and blew a kiss instead. She grudgingly accepted it before getting back to her tea party.
Sebastian took my hand and walked me out to his bike, handing me my helmet. “So where are we going?” I asked when I sat behind him on the seat.
“It’s a surprise,” he said before putting his own helmet on.
We drove to the outskirts of Humptulips and turned onto a dirt road. All that was out here were fields and trees and a few farms. I recognized the area, since Stella and Mason lived out this way. I could never remember which dirt road to turn down to get to their place, but I’d been a few times. The kids loved going since Mason had a soft spot for animals and rescued them, meaning his farm was better than going to the zoo.
I watched with interest as we pulled up to an old farmhouse. There was a big shed off to the right, and the two-story house was nestled between huge trees on one side and empty fields on the other.
We parked in front of the porch steps leading up to the front door. I climbed off and removed my helmet, looking around. The ground was covered in long grass and weeds, but the buildings looked to be in good shape.
“Where are we?” I asked once Sebastian had taken off his helmet as well.
“Do you like it?” he asked, a tentative smile on his face.
Why is he shifting from foot to foot?
“It’s beautiful. But what are we doing here?”
“I made an offer on it, and they accepted this morning,” he said, watching me for a reaction.
My eyes went wide, and I stared at him. “You bought it?”
“I did, right after I sold my apartment in Chicago.”
“When did you put it on the market?” I asked, astonished that he would be able to sell it so quickly and ecstatic that he did. It finally sank in that he was really staying.
“Seven weeks ago. The sale went through four days ago. I made the offer on this place right after.”
“Seven weeks ago?” I asked, my voice a few octaves higher than usual.
“It’s in a great location, and I’ve renovated it. Got a good price for it. And my money goes a lot further out here than it does in Chicago.”
I swallowed, looking around again. “But it’s a lot of land. That would have cost a lot, even in Humptulips.”
“I’ve always worked, never really spent much. Never had anything I wanted to spend it on. Now I do, so I figured why wait?”
He took my hand, pulling it up and kissing my palm. “I know you’re not there yet, but I want you to think about moving in when you’re ready. There’s five bedrooms, and the kids would love it out here.”
They definitely would. It was perfect, and I could see how amazing it would look with a little TLC.
“This is amazing, Sebastian,” I said, my voice wavering. “And it means the world to me that you included us when you made the decision to buy it.”
“Of course I did. I love you, and I don’t ever want to be without you. You’re part of my life now. You and the kids.”
I threw myself at him, Sebastian catching me and taking a step back to steady us. “Does that mean you like it?”
He sounded hesitant, and I looked up at him with wide eyes. “I love it.”
“I know I should have talked to you first, but I saw it and thought it was perfect. I made the offer the day it came on the market.”
“It’s your money. You don’t have to ask me before spending it,” I said, placing a kiss on his chest.
“I want you to be comfortable here. If you don’t like it, I’m sure we can sell it again. It’s in a great location and comes with a lot of land.”
I held him tighter. “Don’t you dare sell my dream house.”
He grinned, his body relaxing into me. “Just wait until you meet the neighbors.”
“The neighbors? Why? Do I know them?”
He nodded over my shoulder, and I released him and turned around. Mason and Stella came walking across the field, followed by a rooster, a pig, and a dog.
Stella was the first to reach me and shri
eked, pulling me into a hug. “We’re going to be neighbors.”
I chuckled, jumping up and down with her or risk getting my arms pulled out of their sockets. “I just found out.”
Mason shook Sebastian’s hand and greeted me with a kiss to my cheek. “Does this mean I have to find a new tenant?”
I flushed at everyone’s attention. “Not yet. We’ll give it a few months first.”
“A few months?” Sebastian grumbled. “You mean a few weeks.”
I raised my brows. “Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to rush me?”
“A few weeks is plenty of time to get used to the idea of living together,” he said, looking serious.
If I didn’t have two little humans to think about, I would jump at the chance to move in with him. But I had a responsibility to not rush this.
“Can we see the inside?” Stella asked, linking her arm with mine. “And I agree, a few weeks is plenty of time.”
I elbowed her, but she dodged me by contorting her body. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am. That’s why I’m telling you to give it a few weeks to think about it. You’re basically living together already anyway.”
We followed the guys inside and I stopped, thinking Sebastian couldn’t have chosen a more perfect house. The bottom floor housed the kitchen, living room, laundry, and a bathroom, with a big wooden staircase to the right of the door.
The living room and kitchen were one big room, taking up almost the entire bottom floor. Big windows looked out over the mountains on one side and the trees on the other. The kitchen had seen better days, but it was huge and had a rustic charm with its wooden cabinets.
“I’ll give you a hand to replace the kitchen if you want,” Mason said.
“I hope he means he’ll help once he’s finished his own house,” Stella whispered for only me to hear.
I chuckled, and we explored the rest of the house. The bedrooms were upstairs and all a decent size. The master bedroom had its own bathroom and a huge walk-in closet. The view was even more spectacular from up there.
“What do you think?” Sebastian asked, stopping next to me.
