The Love Campaign (Romantic Revelations Series Book 1)

by Laura Marquez Diamond

  Sebastian slipped off his suit jacket. The motion made his button up shirt stretch across his chest. Her throat went dry as she watched the way his body moved, lean and powerful but also tense and uncertain. He threw the jacket over the bed and walked to the wet bar.

  He flicked on a lamp. “Can I pour you a drink?” he asked.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Mind if I grab a beer?”

  “This is your hotel room. You can do whatever you want.”

  He had been looking down at the fridge. At her last statement, he released a tiny, restrained smile as if something amusing crossed his mind.

  “What?” Jaya asked, eager to know what made his tightness loosen, even a little.

  “Do you really want to know?” he responded in a voice low and hoarse. He looked sideways at her.

  He was magnificent, so perfectly sculpted the way an angel would be, if turned into a statue. But he didn’t have the expression of an angel. His simple question belied the voice of a demanding god. His features were laden with challenge and reckless with need.

  She managed a breathless yes.

  He stood his full height before her, forgetting the drink as he searched her face. Sebastian crossed arms over his chest, biceps almost bursting through his sleeves.

  “I was thinking that if I could do what I want, it’s not a beer I would be grabbing.”

  Oh, shit. Jaya did not think this through. Her intentions tonight, if she was forced to articulate them thirty minutes ago, was simple. Apologize for how long it took her to process her grasp of the situation. Let him know that she was working on her own insecurities triggered by unresolved issues from the past. And thank him. That. Right. She could start there.

  “I had my last day at FCC two days ago. I don’t know if you heard, but I’ll begin working for Glynnis next week.”

  “I heard.”

  “Thank you, Sebastian. For putting my work in front of her.”

  “Jaya, I remember what you told me about reaching out to her yourself. Everything I sent Glynnis was about the FCC.”

  “I know. What you sent her put me on her radar. Made it easier to get time alone with someone that busy, that prestigious. Anyway, thank you. She actually liked my disastrous televised interview.”

  He snorted and opened a beer. Sebastian sat at the edge of his bed and tilted his head back to drink. Watching his Adam’s apple move through the column of his manly neck was, to Jaya’s embarrassment, utterly mesmerizing. She was staring at his throat, which he had to clear to get her attention.

  “You were saying. She liked the interview?”

  “Yeah. I finally found a mentor even nerdier than I am.”

  He smiled tenderly. “I’m glad. I’m glad it worked out and you’re moving on to your next phase. FCC will miss you, but they’ll be fine. I know you were worried about that.”

  “Not anymore. Apparently, there was a substantial donation matched by local corporations. They did it. They made the target.”

  He shrugged casually. “Good.”

  “Good?” she said. It was her turn to release a hint of secret amusement. Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as she continued. “That’s your tell, you know. The more excited and happy you are about something, the more likely you’ll say good. Just like that. Like it doesn’t matter, but actually, it means the whole damn world.”

  They looked at each other for a while. He didn’t turn away, but he didn’t make it easier for her either. Unlike the last time they were alone together, Sebastian seemed more than willing to wait. For as long as it took Jaya to speak her mind. Or unburden her soul. Or offer herself. She choked at the thought but didn’t dismiss it. This might be one of those all of the above situations. Alrighty then.

  “It was Mr. Watson who told me. He was sworn to secrecy by your agent, but the campaign chairman just loves you too much. Asking him to hold back his gushing admiration for you might have nearly killed him.”

  Sebastian hissed a derisive, “Chris,” before taking another drink.

  “Why did you do it, Sebastian? Why would you give them everything from the endorsement? That’s a lot of money.”

  “It was the right thing to do.”

  “Maybe. I believe you’re someone who’s always going to be charitable. But other places needed the money. Your beloved Hockey-For-All maybe? Or the Massachusetts organization you and Travis grew up with? Why FCC?”

  “Why do you think, Jaya?” His voice was rasping now. So low it rumbled through her body.

  “Because…” she took a deep breath and decided to be brave. “Because you knew how important it was to me. And because you knew how much I cared about those kids and their future. And because, at least I hope, because you never stopped loving me.” Her voice was shaky.

  He leaned over, elbows to knees and hands clasped. While she was speaking, he nodded as if approving her choice of menu items. As if she wasn’t declaring every lingering wish she harbored.

  Still looking at his clasped hands, Sebastian spoke. “You were ready for the next phase. Nothing should hold you back. Ever.” Finally, he looked up. “So yeah, I did it for the kids because that was important to you. You’re meant for bigger things. I wanted you to be free.”

  Her throat was so tight, so full of unspoken words and swirling emotions, but she managed to say, “And the last bit?”

  He smiled and sat back to get a better look at her. Leaning on his palms, she had a better view of him, too. A great view.

  “The part about loving you?”

  “Um-hm.” She sounded ridiculous to her ears so she pushed herself to speak words she should have found earlier. “Yes, um, that part, but only if you want to. I mean, I don’t want to pressure you into saying anything. Honestly, I came here to thank you, not put you on the spot and…”

  “Yes, Jaya. How could you even doubt that? I love you so much it hurts.”

  “Oh.”

  He snickered. “Oh.” And then he smiled slowly. That one. The smile that undid her every time because it transformed his face. It transformed the room. “That’s your tell, sweetheart. When you say that, I know you’re, how can I say this delicately?”

  “Don’t. Don’t say it delicately.” Why did she sound like she was panting?

  His long lashes suddenly seemed heavier, pulling his lids to half-mast and turning his face to pure seduction. “Jaya, when you say Oh just like that, I know you want me to bite and suck that sweet spot right under your ear.”

  “Oh,” she said again, and they both smiled. Because he was right. Of course he was.

  “Maybe we need to, um, test your theory,” she offered. She felt her cheeks heat up because there it was, a flash in his eyes that turned gray-blue intensity to midnight. Her desire was reflected on his face.

  She stood up and placed herself between his thighs. He remained sitting at the edge of the bed. They were barely touching, just the gentle strumming of his fingers at the back of her knees.

  “Jaya…” A question and a demand. Her name on his lips was both.

  “I missed you.” She said simply as her arms slid over his shoulders and he looked up. His face was lined up with her breasts, but he didn’t bury himself in her chest like she wanted. He looked at her face and blinked slowly.

  “I’m sorry about how I reacted to Noah stalking you. I’m sorry I came across as blaming you in any way. You did the right thing; you handled the problem the smartest way under the worst circumstances. I should have trusted you. Because you were right, Jaya. Everything you said, all of the ways you made decisions so that I wouldn’t bear the consequences, all of it was right. I am so sorry I didn’t see it at the time.”

  She closed her eyes as his words rushed through her like a salve. Then she bent down so their foreheads touched. “I forgive you. And I hope you’ll forgive me. For making you pay for someone else’s mistakes. I’ve been…I’ve been seeing a therapist. The way the conversation triggered me, the way words can stir bad memories, that’s not on you. By buryi
ng the abuse, I started to see it everywhere.”

  “It was still wrong to scream at you.”

  She smiled. “You can make it up to me,” she said sweetly.

  “That’s all I ever want to do.” And just like that, their lips touched. Tenderly. So achingly gentle, it made Jaya moan. The kiss was everything and not nearly enough.

  She slid her tongue across his lower lip, and he groaned. Sebastian’s hand moved to the back of her neck and his face tilted, all while nibbling and tasting. But he was holding back. She stopped kissing him and cradled his chin. His face, when he looked at her, was so vulnerable and pained, something in her cracked.

  “Sebastian, listen, please. My biggest regret these past few weeks is that I denied us the truth. Which is that I love you. I was so scared to love, I hurt the person who deserves it the most. I have a lot to make up for too. I’m going to start by saying what I say to you in my mind, in my heart, whether or not you’re in front of me. I love you.” She kissed his forehead like a blessing.

  “I love you.” Her mouth moved down to the tip of his nose.

  “I love you.” She nipped at his lower lip and ran a tongue through the seam where her teeth had grazed.

  That was it. The words that allowed Sebastian to let go. To take and give the way they were meant to. Their mouths crushed and the hand behind her neck clasped tighter. Their tongues lashed and delved as hard, desperate kisses possessed them.

  She was lodged between his powerful thighs, so enraptured by the kiss she could barely stand. It was his strength that kept her up. Sebastian’s hands were everywhere, as if he could make up for weeks of emptiness by filling his palms with the hills and valleys of her body. His lips strayed down her neck and he mumbled, “So good. I miss you, Jaya. You’re so fucking perfect.” She too mumbled delirious words into his skin. She rubbed her cheek against the stubble of his jaw and inhaled as if his aroma was her oxygen.

  Her hand grasped at his shirt, and she didn’t realize how desperately until she heard a button pop. Surprised, they pulled apart and smiled. A realization hit her.

  “Don’t you dare!” she said because he had that look. “This is the only shirt I have here,” she started to squirm, giggling as he made motions to pull at her shirt. He didn’t have to tear it off her, though. She whipped it over her head and fell into his arms again, desperate to melt into his heat.

  Holding her close, Sebastian whispered in her ear. “I can’t lose you. Do you know that, Jaya? I can’t. Don’t let me lose you again.” The naked emotion of his pleas made her realize how much he hurt. How much their connection was a gift that needed to be protected and nurtured.

  She choked on the force of her need to comfort. “You never lost me, Sebastian. I lost myself because I never really healed. But you never lost me, baby. I belong with you, and you belong with me.”

  They pressed their foreheads together. “I belong with you, and you belong with me,” Sebastian repeated gently.

  She was nodding and realized, as his hands grazed her wet cheeks, that she had been sobbing with relief, with joy, with love. Sebastian tasted her tears as he peppered her face with tender kisses.

  They resumed their desperate dance—clinging to get closer, kissing to feel deeper. The hard planes of his muscles flexed and pulsed against her hungry grasp while her own softness yielded to his strength. In a swift motion and without unlocking the clasp of their mouths, Sebastian stood up and pressed himself against her core, trapping her body between his bulging erection and his brawny hands.

  He walked her backward towards the dresser. When her buttocks reached the edge of the furniture, Sebastian turned Jaya around. They both faced the mirror, lips swollen and red, eyes wild and insatiable. He grabbed her hips and pressed his manhood against her ass. He moved his hips in circles and they both rolled their eyes back. The grinding was a promise of ecstasy to come.

  “Take your pants off,” he ordered. His hands were busy reaching around to palm and knead her bosom. Jaya shucked everything off and stood in front of the mirror. She never felt more vulnerable and more powerful. She offered Sebastian her nakedness, to feel from behind and to watch in the mirror.

  He opened his large hands and pressed hard against her breasts. “These are mine, sweetheart. Mine.” He tweaked her nipples and she pressed deeper into his palms.

  Jaya was amazed by the vision before her. She was watching a spectacle of sensuality. Sebastian’s wide shoulders framed her body and his caresses seemed to animate every surface he touched—hardening her nipples, jiggling her breasts, marking her skin. He sucked at that perfect spot under her ear and her sex tensed and throbbed.

  “You’re gonna watch, Jaya, while I take you from behind. You good with that, sweetheart? And when I make you come, I wanna see you fall apart. That beautiful mouth is going to scream my name while you take my hard cock deep.” His voice sounded like a series of husky growls, but she understood him. She understood the language of his greedy appetite. Spoken as demands and taken as an edict.

  She meowled and managed a yes full of yearning and excitement. Seeing Sebastian from behind her, pulling her hair back to fist in one hand, and releasing his massive cock with his other hand, was her most erotic fantasy come to life.

  Jaya splayed her arms forward and tilted her ass up. Sebastian hooked one arm around her waist and with his other hand, led the blunt crown of his manhood to her seam. He moved his rod up and down, spreading her juices and driving her crazy with anticipation.

  In one smooth thrust, he claimed her body, awakening every nerve ending in her deep channel. He gripped her hips and pulled almost completely out before thrusting again. Slowly and purposefully, Sebastian pistoned in controlled movements, slapping her buttocks against his groin and swirling his hips every time she took him to the hilt.

  She closed her eyes because the pleasure was too much, too powerful it threatened to overload her senses. “You’re so beautiful,” she heard Sebastian say. “Open your eyes and look how beautiful you are, Jaya.” His voice was low and strained. Their eyes locked in the mirror. His gorgeous face was stunning, made even more irresistible by lust. Her breasts bounced to the beat of his pounding. She felt lava pool to her center.

  The swirling, building sensation created ecstasy akin to pain. The strain to release and the need to prolong were at war.

  Sebastian reached over and pressed her engorged clit with his palm. Then he bent his knees to leverage himself lower and drive upward, nearly lifting her to her toes as he ground into her. She screamed. She screamed his name when her pleasure crested at an unbelievable height. His name on her lips was a cry and a prayer.

  Just as her throbbing sex started to abate its clenching pulses, Sebastian grabbed her hips and pulled her back to bounce her off his plunging hips. She built up again, this time the sensation was sharper and deeper. The vibrations at her core started as his rhythm quickened. She exploded. She watched Sebastian’s rapturous face and felt the pulsing kicks of his penis. He released a manly growl and ground into her deeper, prolonging her orgasm.

  He collapsed over her back. Her sweat-slick skin welcomed the feel of his lips continuing to worship her body even as his limbs barely held him up.

  He gently placed his chin on her back to look at both their faces in the mirror. Frantic wildness spent, at least for now, their expressions donned the sheen of contentment.

  “That was amazing,” she uttered.

  His eyes, ocean blue streaked with the sun’s silver rays, sparkled. Sebastian responded, simple and true.

  “Good.”

  EPILOGUE

  The Summer of Sebastian Beaumont’s

  first but not last Gujarati Hindu Wedding

  Jaya warned him that there would be a flashy red convertible covered in flowers and streamers. She told him about the festive music and the Indian drums, the extravagant decorations and the large crowd. But nothing prepared Sebastian for the sheer exhilaration of watching the ceremony at the Hindu temple’s parking lot wh
en Rajiv and all of the groom’s guests made the grand approach. He was told this ritual, called baraat, was the traditional procession of a groom on his way to the wedding.

  “At least it isn’t a horse and buggy, like my cousin’s. Or an elephant, which is pretty customary in India,” she had commented when explaining the tradition. “Can you imagine how much shit that would be?” His perfect girlfriend was as candid and crass as ever.

  As the sister of the groom, she was right in the middle of all the events, sitting in the fancy car with her brother and ringing a wooden bell that signified his approach. Not that it could be heard amidst the roar of happy cheers. Nonetheless, it was one of the many ways that sisters played a significant role in Gujarati Hindu weddings, so he was told.

  She was there for Rajiv and her family, taking part in numerous traditional ceremonies of food preparation and gift-giving. Last night’s garba was the only time Sebastian saw her all week as the whole wedding guest list—nearly six hundred people—took over a hotel ballroom and ate heartily, danced barefoot, and ate again. Today, she would be center stage representing the family as the person shadowing Rajiv throughout the procession and inside the mandap, a pillared space in which the wedding ritual would take place.

  She was absolutely stunning in her elaborately-jeweled sari, layered with fabrics in muted pink, deep turquoise, and golden accents. A sheer and similarly embroidered shawl wrapped over her shoulders, making her tanned skin shimmer under the hot sun. Her face glowed. Gold on her ears, hair, and neck was far more jewelry than Sebastian thought possible for anyone to wear, but she carried the ornaments well. With make-up that exaggerated her already stunning eyes and full lips, the jewelry didn’t overwhelm. It complemented what was to him the most beautiful face in the world.

  Sebastian followed the crowd and placed himself discretely at the back row. He knew the ceremony would be about two hours but he was excited. Eager. Something told him he might want to take notes. Just in case, you know, the woman of his dreams decided this is something she wanted.