"Time," he said as if he was tasting the word. "How much time?"
"I don't know, Matt. I just found out your true feelings for me."
He took a swig of the coffee. "All right. I can give you time, Jane. And in time, I know you will feel the same way about me that I feel about you."
Jane smiled weakly. She didn't know if she could ever love Matt the same way she had loved Jack. But one thing was for sure — she needed to know where her relationship with Sebastian was going. He was the main reason keeping her from moving forward with Matt and moving forward with her life.
* * *
Jane's thoughts were clouded as she walked home. She was so concentrated on them, that she ignored Sebastian getting out of his car as she walked into the house. She had always made a point to give him a friendly nod or wave or start up a conversation, but her thoughts were muddled and not in the right place to strike up a conversation with him.
She went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. The liquid cooled her warm throat. She glanced out the kitchen window that faced Sebastian's house, and she could see him coming across the yard. She set the water down and went to the door.
"Are you all right?" Sebastian asked, as he stepped up on the porch.
"Yeah. Sorry I didn't say hi or anything. I'm just having a really stressful day."
He nodded slowly. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."
Jane stared at him. She wanted to know where their relationship was going, so she blurted out, "Would you like to come over tonight and watch a movie?"
Sebastian hesitated. Then he said, "Okay. That sounds nice."
Jane smiled. "I'm sure we can find something to watch on the millions of channels I have. See you around seven?"
"See you then."
She walked back into the house and closed the door. She pressed her back against the wood and listened to her heart hammering in her chest. Sebastian made her feel like a young teen with a crush, and that was definitely a feeling she didn't feel towards Matt.
* * *
Sebastian sat on the couch beside Jane. She had picked a romantic comedy and was thoroughly enjoying it. Sebastian couldn't concentrate on the plot. He was preoccupied with having Jane in such close proximity.
Nothing about her had changed. It was as if time had stopped when he lost her and had magically started once again. The smell of her strawberry shampoo wafted over to him. She had always loved the smell of strawberries.
Her laugh was intoxicating, and he smiled as he stared down at her.
She glanced up at him, perhaps sensing his gaze on her. "You don't like the movie, do you?" she asked, her voice dripping with disappointment.
"It's great," he lied. He hadn't been following the plot at all, but he was enjoying just spending time with her.
A frown appeared on her pretty face, and he regretted not watching the movie. He concentrated and dipped into her thoughts. She was thinking that he didn't like her, and she regretted inviting him over. Sebastian found himself frowning as well. "Jane," he started, but he didn't finish.
Slowly, he drew her into his arms. He snaked his hand around the nape of her neck and leaned down to press his lips onto hers. He could hear her heart beat pick up its pace. His tongue parted her lips and explored her mouth. She tasted sweet, and her lips and mouth were soft like velvet. She was exactly as he remembered her, and he had an overwhelming need to possess her once again.
His fingers trailed down her throat and hovered over her breasts. He wasn't sure if she wanted him. But then she pressed her breasts into his awaiting hand, and he accepted the invitation. Her thoughts were jumbled as his thumb circled her nipple through her clothes. A soft moan escaped her lips. Sebastian pulled back and watched her in awe. His wanting of her was too great to bear any longer.
"Perhaps we should take this upstairs," he said, his voice husky with desire.
Jane swallowed hard and nodded.
* * *
Jane led the way up the steps. A million thoughts ran through her head. She had just had a birth control shot a few weeks ago, so she didn't need to worry about protection. Even with that worry out of the way, she felt her entire body shaking as they entered the bedroom.
She turned and stood before him, feeling nervous under his gaze. He stared at her for a few moments, his eyes piercing hers. "Jane," he said. His voice sent shivers down her spine. He pulled her into an embrace and kissed her sweetly. His fingertips flittered up her sides as his lips traveled to her ear. He whispered, "You're trembling."
His lips returned to hers, and his tongue forced its way into her mouth, claiming her completely. The world around them seemed to disappear as he kissed her. She clung onto his muscular arms to stay in reality. He held her close, and she felt herself gradually relaxing in his embrace.
Breaking the kiss, his fingertips grasped the hem of her dress and slowly peeled it up over her body. He tossed the dress on the floor. Jane stood before him in a lacey black bra and panties. He licked his lower lip in anticipation as his eyes swept down her form.
His fingers glided down the sides of her breasts, stomach and continued their descent. He touched her through the lacey material of her panties. Her lips parted as her breathing became labored. His fingers moved quickly and deftly, and she could feel herself getting hotter and wetter. Sebastian knew right where to touch her. Her knees soon became weak, and Sebastian held her up in his strong arms. He smiled as her breathing grew ragged. And then he released her.
Jane stood on shaky legs, watching him as he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it by the dress. Her eyes greedily looked over every inch of his chiseled body. His shoulders were broad, and his abs rippled as he moved to unbutton and remove his pants. He stood in his Calvin Klein black boxer briefs, and as he removed them, freeing his manhood, Jane's eyes widened.
He grinned and gently took her hand, wrapping her fingers around him. She tentatively stroked him back and forth. He moaned softly as his fingers moved in her hair. He gripped the nape of her neck and tilted her face up to him. "Do you want me?" he asked.
Jane swallowed hard. There was nothing she wanted more at that moment. "Yes," she managed to say.
"Tell me you want me," he demanded, his teeth nipping at her ear.
"I want you, Sebastian," she whispered.
In one swift move, his strong arms picked her up and tossed her playfully onto the bed. Slowly, he crawled up to her. She stared into his mesmerizing blue eyes. She was under his spell.
While he hovered over her, he removed her bra and panties. Jane instantly felt vulnerable under him, as she lay there naked. Sebastian sat back on his heels and said, "You're absolutely beautiful."
Jane smiled. He made her feel so safe and loved. She didn't want to wait another second to feel him inside of her. She parted her thighs, and he positioned himself between them. He rubbed his tip up and down over her nub, and it drove her wild. He continued the motion until finally she begged, "Please!"
A wicked smile swept across his lips. He entered her slowly as she cried out. A delicious warm feeling swept over her body as he gradually continued to push inch by inch while she adjusted to him. Once he was fully inside, he softly kissed her.
When their lips parted, Jane looked up at his pained expression. He looked as if he wanted to say something to her, and she thought for a second he was going to say he loved her. But the pain in his eyes was quickly replaced by desire as he thrust in and out of her, stealing her breath. The feeling was exquisite, almost more than she could bear. His fingers grasped her hips, bringing her even closer to him, and their bodies moved as one.
The tension in her slowly receded. He felt so good inside of her, and she didn't want the feeling to ever end. Her cries of passion were growing louder with every plunge, and she clasped her hand over her mouth, muting the sounds.
Sebastian quickly pulled her hand away. "No," he growled. "I want to hear you."
He pushed deep inside of her once more. She released a shudde
ring breath, her nails biting into his shoulders. She leaned up to him and kissed his mouth, his jaw and his neck. Her lips moved to his muscular chest, her teeth scraping across his collarbone.
Her hands explored his back, her nails scraping down his skin as she grew closer and closer to the edge. Her body was shaking again, but it wasn't from nerves this time.
His fingers interlocked with hers. "Yes," he hissed at her ear. His tongue darted out of his mouth, circled her ear and ended with him biting her earlobe.
He slammed into her deeper and deeper until the feeling was so overwhelming she thought she would pass out. "Sebastian," she whispered, her voice quivering.
"Let go, Jane," he whispered back.
And she did. Her back arched as a violent pleasure tore through her. She could feel his full girth as her body pulsed around him. His fingers dug into her hips as he too let himself go inside of her. His groans filled the room, and she clung onto him, afraid to let him go. She didn't want to let him go.
At last, their bliss subsided, and she lay under him, spent. He watched her carefully with a content expression on his face. He kissed her once more before slowly easing out of her. He relaxed back on the bed and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest, still trying to catch her breath.
She had never experienced an orgasm like that, and the memory of it sent a shudder through her. In the moments they had been together, she felt closer to Sebastian than she had felt with anyone since Jack. The thought terrified her. She barely knew this man. And now that they had slept together, he might not want to have anything to do with her. She had heard enough horror stories from Ashley about how men behave. She closed her eyes and felt the tears pooling in them.
* * *
Sebastian stared up at the ceiling. Having Jane in his arms was the best feeling in the world. It was as if the past few years had disappeared, and they had picked up right where they had left off. He furrowed his brows. He had almost told her he loved her. Like that wouldn't have freaked her out, he thought.
Then he felt her tears trickling onto his chest. "Hey now," he whispered. Leaning up on his elbow, he looked down at her. She was covering her face with her hands as she cried, and he quickly pulled her hands away. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"No. It's just that I've never felt like that before, and I'm scared…" her voice trailed off.
"Scared of what, Jane?"
She shook her head.
"Tell me," he demanded.
"I'm scared that I'm going to be a one-night stand," she blurted out.
He put his finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. "You would never be that to me." He kissed her tenderly. He loved her so much it hurt. He just wished he could tell her how he really felt to comfort her. "I'm not going anywhere…unless you want me to."
"I don't want you to go anywhere."
"Good," he said simply, pulling her onto his chest once more. He kissed the top of her head. If she only knew how much she meant to him. Give it time, he thought to himself.
CHAPTER 27
JANE AWOKE THE next morning in Sebastian's arms. She hadn't slept so soundly in a long time. She raised her head and looked at him. He was staring back at her. "How long have you been awake?" she asked.
"A while," he confessed. "I didn't want to wake you."
Jane smiled. She could get used to waking up beside Sebastian Alexander. She sat up, shyly hugging the sheet around her body even though he had seen everything just hours prior. "Would you like some breakfast?" she offered.
He hesitated. "Liquid diet, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. I forgot." She frowned. She would have to get used to his food restrictions. Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had a half an hour to get ready and go open the store.
"If you have to go to work, don't worry about kicking me out."
Jane stared at him. He had an eerie way of always seeming to be able to read her mind. "I have to be there in a half an hour."
He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I'll get out of your hair." He stood and gathered his clothes from the floor.
Catching a few peeks here and there, Jane watched him get dressed as she wrapped a robe around herself. Her teeth sunk into her pink lip as she thought about their lovemaking. She wished the morning didn't have to end.
Sebastian looked up at her and grinned. He walked over and pulled her into his arms. "I'll see you later," he promised. "Have a good day at work." He kissed her one last time and then walked out of the room.
Jane sat down on the edge of the bed. Sebastian had an overwhelming power over her, and she was unable to resist it. He had only been gone a few seconds, and she already missed him terribly.
She glanced at the clock again and cursed. She was going to be late. She hurried to the bathroom to get ready. When she glanced in the bathroom mirror, she saw something she rarely saw on her face especially in the mornings — a smile. And it seemed as if she just couldn't stop smiling.
* * *
As Sebastian left Jane's house, he realized he was happier than he had been in years. And he also realized he had made the right decision coming back into Jane's life.
As he crossed the yard, his pace slowed and his mood instantly changed. He halted just before the porch steps. Someone was in his house. He stood stock-still as the blood in his veins ran ice cold. Elizabeth, he thought.
He burst through the front door and stood in the foyer. His acute hearing picked up nothing, but he knew she was there. He could sense her presence.
"So Romeo finally found his Juliet," Elizabeth said, appearing in the kitchen.
Her looks hadn't changed over the centuries she had been a vampire — long blonde hair, blue-green eyes and a voluptuous figure that most girls would be envious over. "What are you doing here?" he growled.
"Oh, Sebastian. You knew I would find you eventually. Makers have the uncanny ability to always know where their children are."
He closed his eyes. Elizabeth was his maker, but certainly not by choice. The night Elizabeth had found and turned him into a vampire was a dreadful reoccurring nightmare and a painful memory he would endure for the rest of eternity. She had been so brutal and overpowering, ripping through his throat like it was putty as he cried out for mercy.
Elizabeth had confessed afterwards that she had been stalking him for weeks. An obsession had grown deep within her, and over the past few decades, Sebastian attempted to disappear from her just to detach himself from her erratic, compulsive behavior and need to hurt everyone around her.
On one of those rare excursions, he had met her, who he now had to think of as Jane. It wasn't long before Elizabeth found out about them, however. She ultimately found out everything when it concerned him. And as his relationship grew with Jane, Elizabeth grew to loathe her and tried everything to break them up.
Elizabeth tapped her long, manicured nails against the wood in the doorway, bringing him back to reality. "How long have you been living here?" she asked, looking around the room.
Sebastian stared at her. At one time, he thought he loved Elizabeth more than anything in the world, but he realized now that it was just the maker bond that a vampire feels that had made him love her. Once he had escaped her clutches, he realized his true hatred for her. "Not long," he answered.
In a split second, she crossed the room and stood before him. "I've missed you," she said, raking her fingernails down his cheek.
He recoiled from her touch.
She inched closer to him and inhaled. "I can smell her on you. She always did fancy strawberry shampoo." She licked her lips and flicked her tongue over her fangs. "Is she as good in bed as you remember?"
Sebastian stepped back from her. "Please, Elizabeth. I just found her. I don't want to lose her again. If she sees you here —."
She put up her index finger to silence him. "Oh, don't worry, my dear Sebastian. I won't shatter your precious plans." She turned and sashayed back to the kitch
en. "I'll keep on the down low until you are done with your play thing and want to come back to me."
He slumped against the wall. Now that Elizabeth knew where he was, she would be relentless in trying to make his life miserable. The only time Elizabeth had ever been happy was when he was under her power and at her beck and call.
He walked to the window and drew back the curtains. Jane's house was in full view across the yard. He still didn't know who had tried to kill Jane. And now that Elizabeth had found him, he had another reason to keep Jane safe, and it wasn't going to be easy.
* * *
It was around noon when a teenage boy entered the bookstore carrying a large bouquet of red roses in a decorative vase. Jane raised a brow, wondering if the boy was lost.
"Jane Walker?" the boy asked, setting the vase down on the front counter.
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Delivery for you, ma'am." Then the boy turned and left the store.
Jane stared at the beautiful flowers. It was one of the largest bouquets she had ever seen in her life. A small white card was sticking out amongst the roses, and she plucked it from the holder. She unfolded the card and read the words silently.
Thinking of you.
Sebastian
A wide smile crept across her face. She leaned over the counter and inhaled the lovely scent.
The bell rang above the door, and she glanced past the vase to see Ashley enter the store with their lunch in tow. "Hey, Jane." Her eyes instantly went to the roses. "Who are the flowers from?" she asked.
Jane hesitated. "Uh…they're from…Sebastian," she said, drawing the answer out. She knew an out-of-the-blue bouquet would raise questions with Ashley.
Setting the food down behind the counter, Ashley stared at her. "Did you guys…do it?" she asked.
"Shh!" Jane hushed her. There were a few people in the café side of the store, and Jane hoped they weren't within earshot of the conversation.
"Well, did you?" Ashley asked in a low whisper.
"Maybe," Jane said. Then she confessed, "Yes."
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