“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
“You’ve got to mean it, Caro. Promise me.”
“I promise I’ll try.”
His shoulders slumped with relief.
“I missed you last night,” he said.
I tried to smile but my face still felt stiff from our most recent fight.
“Shall we go to our favorite coffee shop?” I suggested, thinking neutral ground might be a good idea.
He shook his head.
“I don’t want to share you.”
We stared at each other across the kitchen table.
“Can we go to bed?” he asked. “I… I really need you, Caro. To touch you… to show you how much I love you. Please.”
It was breaking all my carefully constructed rules. What if someone saw my car in the driveway and came around? What if someone had seen Sebastian arrive? What if they saw him leave later? What if? What if? But I was tired of being afraid, and right now, I didn’t care. I needed him, too.
I stood up and held out my hand. For a second he continued to stare at me, then a huge smile lit his eyes.
We walked up the stairs hand-in-hand, each step measuring the distance from our argument.
He was surprised when I turned left into the guest room. He threw me a questioning look.
“I sleep in here now,” I said simply.
I saw him try to suppress a triumphant smile. He almost managed it.
Slowly we undressed each other, taking our time to reconnect.
He unbuttoned my shirt, pausing to kiss my chest, a little lower each time. He undid the cuffs and kissed my wrists, then let the material slide over my shoulders. I ran my hands down his chest, then tugged lightly on the hem, pulling his T-shirt over his head. I slid my hands over his skin, burying my face in his chest, breathing him in. He smelled of sunshine and the ocean.
He watched me, his eyes dark, filled with desire, as I slowly unzipped his jeans. He pushed them down his legs and stepped out of them, quickly sliding his briefs over his hips, so he stood naked before me, his love exposed.
He sank to his knees, kneeling in front of me and rested his hands on my waist, his eyes still fixed on mine. Then his eyes closed and he kissed my stomach, nuzzling me gently.
I rested one hand on his shoulder, and stroked his head with the other.
He smiled up at me then turned his attention to my zipper. Carefully, he helped me step out of my jeans and panties. He kissed my body briefly, then stood up and pulled me into a tender hug.
“Do you know how much you mean to me, how much I love you?” he whispered into my hair. “I hate fighting with you.”
“I hate it, too. Just kiss me.”
His mouth rested gently on mine and I felt the softness of his lips as they moved against me. His fingers drifted over my shoulders and down my spine where both his hands cupped my behind.
My hands trailed up over his ribs until they were twisted behind his neck, pulling his head down to deepen our kiss.
Here in this room, with our bodies entwined, I felt that I could trust this fierce love that had shattered and rebuilt my life. But outside, the world was a cold and dangerous place. I didn’t know if love would be enough, but I’d promised to try.
He bent down suddenly and quite literally swept me off my feet so I gasped. He cradled me in his arms and kissed me again.
“I’ve been meaning to do this for ages,” he said, his voice a soft murmur.
“Sebastian, you swept me off my feet our very first night together.”
He grinned.
“Yeah, but I’ve been wanting to do it properly ever since.”
Gently, he placed me on the bed and stood looking down at me, his gaze soft and loving.
“I want to kiss every inch of you,” he said.
“That sounds nice: which end are you going to start?”
He laughed lightly.
“Hmm… choices, choices. Today, I think I’ll start with your toes.”
“My toes?!”
“Sure, why not? You have beautiful feet.”