“That was the dream at one time.” I pick up the beer but place it down again before taking a drink.
We’re talking about a part of me that I’ve kept close to the vest for years. I could have lied to Cooper when he asked if I always wanted to be a cop, but I didn’t see the purpose in that. He’s a child. The least he can expect from the adults he interacts with is honesty.
I knew there was a good chance Matilda would bring it up.
“Is it still the dream?” she asks quietly. “Do you still think about becoming a lawyer?”
I rake a hand through my hair. “It crosses my mind from time-to-time.”
“Do you ever think about going for it?” She glances over my shoulder toward the bar and the dozens of people gathered there.
“Going back to school?” I chuckle. “I wasn’t a model student the first time around.”
She bites the corner of her bottom lip. “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything,” I whisper as I rest my hand on the table near hers. I want to reach out and scoop it into mine before she makes her confession.
“At least once a week someone asks me if I want to be a veterinarian.” She looks down at the table. “Sometimes it’s a person who comes into the clinic with their pet. A lot of the men I’ve dated have asked me. My parents still ask me. It’s one of those questions that I’m asked so often that I can sense when it’s coming.”
I listen intently, sensing that she’s exposing a part of herself to me.
“When I was a kid my parents would take my sisters and me to this animal retreat near San Francisco. It’s called the New Springs Pet Retreat.” She fingers the zipper on her sweater. “Maya and Frannie didn’t get the appeal. They’d pet the animals and beg to go home. I begged to stay.”
“You’ve always loved animals,” I state. It’s not a question because the answer is obvious.
“My dad is allergic to almost everything.” She sighs. “So we could never have a pet of our own, but at New Springs I would spend hours caring for the animals, feeding them, and talking to them. It was my heaven. I spent every single day of my summer vacations volunteering there until I graduated from college.”
“That’s why you became a vet assistant?” I take a sip of my beer.
“It was the next best thing to my dream job.”
“Working at the retreat full-time?” I question with a cock of my brow.
She shakes her head. “Owing it. Running it.”
“You can’t do that from New York,” I point out.
“The couple who owned it when I was a kid sold it three years ago.” She runs her fingertip along the surface of the table in a circle. “That was right around the time I graduated. I decided I needed a change, so I moved to New York.”
“The point of my very long-winded story…” She huffs out a laugh. “My point is that I had a dream but it fell through, so I found a new dream to be passionate about. I don’t need to chase after the obvious brass ring to be fulfilled. I don’t want to be a vet. I’ve never wanted to be a vet. I’m happy standing next to the vets to help them do what they love.”
“That’s what’s important, isn’t it?” I ask. “Personal fulfillment?”
“I think so.” She shrugs. “Maybe you’re not meant to work with the district attorney’s office helping them put criminals away. Maybe you’re supposed to be in that office getting the job done. If being a detective isn’t your backup dream, you owe it to yourself to pursue what you really want.”
She’s what I really want right now. I look at her gorgeous face. “Do you have any other dreams, Matilda?”
“A few,” she says simply. “Do you?”
I stare at her lips. “Many.”
“Tell me one,” she whispers as she leans even closer.
“I’d rather show you.” My voice is husky and low.
Her gaze drops to my mouth as she wets her bottom lip with a swipe of her tongue. “Show me.”
I do.
I push every reservation I’ve had to the side when I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, lean forward and press my mouth to hers for a soft kiss.
Chapter 28
Tilly
I weave my fingers into his hair to deepen the kiss. He groans into my mouth in response and all I want to do is crawl into his lap.
At this moment I don’t care about Maya or Julian, any of the people around us, or what happens tomorrow.
Nothing exists but this man and me.
His kiss is everything I imagined it would be. It’s tender yet demanding, soft and sensual and the way his tongue flicks over my bottom lip to tempt me to let him in makes my entire body weak.
A loud crash breaks us apart but not before Sebastian trails his lips over my cheek.
I catch his eye for a brief second and I see the same lust I feel reflected back in his gaze.
“For fuck’s sake,” he says under his breath as he looks over at the bar.
Another even louder crash draws many of the bar’s patrons to their feet, including Sebastian. It’s obvious from the drunken cheers and litany of curse words filling the air that there’s either a fight in progress or one is about to happen.
“You both need to calm the hell down, or I’m going to call the cops.” An angry woman’s voice rises above the noise.
“I fucking dare you.” A man’s gruff voice responds.
“I should do something.” Sebastian reaches for my hand to draw my knuckles to his mouth. He kisses them softly. “Don’t move. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
I sit in place for a total of ten seconds before I follow behind him. The crowd that’s gathered near the bar parts as he pushes his way through.
I watch as he grabs the shirt collar of a man half his size. “What the hell is going on here?”
“I was…I was…I wanted to help her,” he stutters as he looks up at Sebastian, his thumb jerking toward the bartender.
“This is none of your business, asshole.” Another much larger man steps closer to Sebastian as the smaller man scurries away. The crowd let’s out a collective “hell yeah” in response.
“I’m NYPD, so it is my business.” Sebastian’s hand dips into his pants pocket to tug something out. I assume it’s his badge since I saw him slide it in there after Cooper handed it back to him.
“I have one of those too.” The obviously drunk man spits out as he runs a hand over his shaved head. “I got it for five bucks from a guy in Times Square. It’s a pussy magnet, isn’t it?”
Sebastian shakes his head as he pockets his badge and turns to face the man directly. They’re the same height, likely the same weight but the man’s arms are crossed over his chest in a stance that says he’s itching to fight whoever gets in his way.
“Leave now, or I’ll arrest you.” Sebastian’s tone is laced with frustration.
“For what?” The man laughs. “Trying to pick up a woman?”
Sebastian eyes the crowd. “I doubt like hell any woman in here wants anything to do with you so get lost.”
A sharp poke to his shoulder sends Sebastian’s hands in the air. “Do not touch me.”
“Or what?” The man slurs as he jabs his index finger into Sebastian’s shoulder again.
“Do you want to spend the night in lockup?”
“I want to beat the shit out of you, pretty boy.”
That lures a round of whistles from the crowd. Several people step back giving Sebastian and the man more room.
“I’m giving you one last chance to walk out of here now.” Sebastian turns to the bartender. “What’s the damage? Did he break anything?”
“A couple of beer bottles and a glass.” She shrugs it off from where she’s standing behind the bar. “I just want him gone.”
“Get out.” Sebastian grabs the man by the bicep. “Go home and sleep it off.”
My breath catches in my chest when the man spins around and pushes Sebastian back.
His hand lands on the corner of the bar to anchor hi
s stance but not before the man attempts to punch him.
Sebastian darts out of the way warning the man to step back. He does and stumbles.
He recovers quickly and I have to close my eyes the second I see his fist connect with Sebastian’s face.
I hear the crowd cheer and when I open my eyes again, the man is pinned to the floor on his chest. His left arm is twisted behind him in Sebastian’s grasp as he reads the drunken bastard his rights.
I catch a glimpse of Sebastian’s face when he volleys a gaze in my direction.
Blood is trailing from his nose onto his pristine white shirt. He smiles at me and I feel my breath catch in my throat.
There’s no way in hell I’m ever going to forget our first kiss.
Chapter 29
Tilly
I stand to the side as Sebastian talks to two police officers in uniforms. They arrived within minutes after the fight ended.
Sebastian hauled the guy who had hit him to his feet and handed him over to one of the officers who placed handcuffs on him. By that time, the drunken jerk was sobbing about how sorry he was and that he didn’t want his parents to find out what he’d done.
I listened to the bartender explain that she was the one who called 9-1-1 to report that a policeman had been punched in her bar. The squad car came screaming down the street with the siren blaring and lights flashing.
“Just throw him in lockup overnight, Tim.” Sebastian pats the back of one of the uniformed officers as the other leads the handcuffed man out of the bar. “He needs to sober up.”
“It looks like he got you pretty good.” Tim raises his chin. “Do you need to be checked out?”
Sebastian shakes it off with a wave of his hand in the air. “No broken bones. It’s just a little blood.”
It’s more than a little. The blood that trailed onto his shirt also splattered on the lapels of his jacket. He wiped most of the blood from his face with a few paper napkins the bartender handed him.
Tim turns toward the doorway. “You’re a better man than me, Detective. I wouldn’t let him off so easy.”
Sebastian chuckles. “I’m considering sending him my dry cleaning bill.”
“I feel like I should take care of that for you.” The bartender takes a few steps so she’s standing next to Sebastian as Tim leaves. “None of this would have happened if you weren’t defending my honor. I’m Chelsie by the way.”
Sebastian’s gaze skims her face. She’s cute. Her hair is red, her body curvy. She’s definitely the same type physically as Wendy.
“It’s my job to step in if I notice a disturbance.” He swipes another napkin under his nose. “You should think about security if this is a regular occurrence.”
“I’m just about to close up for the night.” She looks around the bar. A lot of the patrons cleared out after the fight, but there are still a few people lingering. “You can stay for a beer. Consider it a thank-you. We’ll talk about those extra security measures.”
Seriously? Is she hitting on him right now?
He looks past her shoulder to lock eyes with me. “I have plans.”
“You can’t break them?” She steps closer to him. “The beer would be on the house and I live upstairs. You can get cleaned up before I thank you for what you did tonight.”
He smiles at me. “I can’t break them. I’m going home with the beautiful woman I live with.”
She steals a glance over her shoulder at me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were with someone. My mistake.”
“No harm, no foul.” He strums his fingers on the top of the bar before he walks past her, reaching out to me. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I place my hand in his. “I’m all for that.”
***
The looks Sebastian got on the subway weren’t shocking to me. New York City is filled with one unexpected visual surprise after another, but a tall, handsome man in a suit covered in blood splatter will draw more than a few stunned glances and whispers.
We sat next to each other on the train as Sebastian talked to his lieutenant on the phone about what had happened at the bar.
Judging from what I could hear of Sebastian’s side of the call, she had been notified by one of the uniformed officers of the fight. He laughed it off and explained to her that the man who had hit him was drunk.
He assured her that he didn’t need to see a doctor and then he told her he’d see her the day after tomorrow.
The entire time he spoke with her he held my trembling hand.
I’m still shaking as we walk into the foyer of our apartment.
“Are you cold?” It’s the second time he’s asked me that. The first time was on the subway platform when we were waiting for the train. He was ready to slide his suit jacket off to drape over my shoulders, but I’d insisted that I was okay.
“No. I’m fine,” I say under my breath as I wait for him to unlock the apartment door.
He motions for me to go first and I do. He flicks on the light switch and the room fills with the warm glow from the chandelier above the dining room table. “What a night.”
I look back at him. The skin around his nose is starting to bruise. “Maybe you should use an ice pack on your nose. I keep one in the freezer.”
“I saw it the other day.” He slides his suit jacket from his body. “It’s next to the container of ice cream that expired two years ago.”
I know he’s trying to make me smile, but it’s not going to work. The image of him being hit keeps running on an endless loop in my mind.
“I need to shower.” His hands make quick work of the buttons of his dress shirt. “I’ll wash the shirt tomorrow and drop off the suit at the dry cleaner.”
I look down at the bloodied clothes on the floor. “Why aren’t you pressing charges?”
He rubs his jaw. “He meant no harm.”
I almost laugh. “He punched you in the face. He meant to harm you.”
He maintains eye contact, never wavering. “He’s young, Matilda. He was drunk. He’s a first-year med student at Columbia with no prior arrests. I’m not going to fuck up that kid’s life because he’s a lightweight who can’t handle a few beers.”
“So he gets a free pass?” I hear the indignation in my voice. “It’s fine now to punch someone in the face? You can assault a police officer and walk away?”
“I’ll drop by his dorm room in a couple of days to remind him to keep his fists to himself.” He unbuckles his belt. “If he were a repeat offender, he would be in front of a judge tonight.”
Frustration tenses my neck. I reach back to squeeze it, my hand still shaking.
“Let me.” He rounds me in an instant, his large hand leaping to my neck. His touch is soft and gentle. “You’re still shaking.”
I am. I clench my hands together, but it does little to stop the quivering. “It’s been a long day.”
His hand slows. “Shower with me, Matilda.”
My heart hammers inside my chest, a rhythm I’ve never felt before. I don’t turn to look at him. “I don’t think that’s a …”
“Good idea?” he questions. “Why not?”
Because we had a twenty-second kiss that transported me to a place I’ve never been before where I felt safe and wanted. It thrilled me and scared me.
“You’ve seen me naked,” he says in a dangerously low tone. “I’ve seen you practically naked.”
I spin on my heel, leaving his hand dangling in the air. “Tonight felt like a lot, Sebastian.”
“The kiss or the punch?” His blue eyes sear into me.
“All of it,” I admit. “I’m still processing it all.”
“I understand,” he says in a calm and controlled tone. “Tomorrow our kiss is the only thing I’m going to remember about tonight.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, warding off my warring emotions. I want to cry and laugh, scream and hurl something at the wall out of anger. I hate that someone hurt him and love that he can see so much potential in others, even if
they don’t deserve it.
“I’ll be in the shower.” He unzips his pants. “The invitation to join me is still on the table. It will help you relax and you have my word that we won’t do anything you’re not ready for. You set the pace. I follow your lead.”
I nod as I rub my chin. “I’ll wait here.”
“I understand.” He leans forward to sweep his lips over my forehead. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I stand in silence as he walks toward the main bathroom, leaving me wondering if I should throw caution to the wind and follow him.
Chapter 30
Sebastian
I let the warm water run over my face. It hurts like hell. I checked out my reflection in the mirror before I stepped into the shower. My nose is already swollen; light bruising shadows the skin in the center of my face.
Luckily, I have a scheduled day off tomorrow. By the time I walk into the squad room again, I’ll be mostly healed.
Listening to the people I work with chiding me over taking a punch to the face isn’t on my bucket list.
I turn so the water hits my back, sharp needles of warmth that take the edge off.
I open my eyes when I hear the groan of the hinges on the bathroom door.
“Sebastian?” Matilda’s voice calls through the steam. “I’m here.”
My cock stiffens instantly, curving up toward my navel. I grab the base, squeezing it hard. I almost moan.
“Come in,” I say hoarsely, my voice lost somewhere in my throat as I think about the sight of her nude body.
Christ. I’ve dreamed about this. I’ve fucking fantasized about this night-after-night. I’ve blown my load too many times to count while thinking about touching her.
The glass shower door opens, and she’s there.
My hand reaches out to her and she takes it.
I rake her over as she steps closer to me.
Her tits are round perfection with pink nipples that are already hardened into tight points.
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