“What do you need? How do I help?” He asked.
Sabrina looked at him incredulously, eyes going to his lips. “How are you real?” She asked.
Cesare had found some wounded part of her, pulling it out and inspecting it here on the beach in plain sight of everyone watching. Her stomach prickled at the feeling of being exposed; vulnerable to whatever came out of his mouth next.
Cesare, sensing her inner conflict, glanced around long enough to determine they could still speak without being overheard. “I want you. All of you. Which means taking care of all of you.”
Sabrina swallowed the ache in her throat and the butterflies in her stomach.
Cesare looked down at their gloved hands and the seal pup in front of them. “You’ve devoted so much of your life to taking care of the world around you. You deserve the same thing, and I want to provide that. So, what do you need? How do I make this easier?” He asked sincerely.
“I want you to kiss me.” She answered, her eyes going misty.
It was at that moment Travis cleared his throat awkwardly from behind them.
“I found the crate.” He muttered.
Sabrina closed her eyes in mortification and pulled away from Cesare. She was a professional, literally in the middle of a rescue response. What was she thinking? She frowned. She was thinking about very pretty words coming out of the tree of a man beside her and his sugar-daddy dick.
Travis took a step back. “I think we might need some more stuff from the van, so I’ll be back.” He said as he retreated.
“No, I’m sorry, Travis. There’s no need, I promise.” She assured, standing up without making eye contact with Cesare. “Let’s get this little guy in the crate. The sooner we get him back to the refuge, the sooner we can start feeding him. Travis, if you can play crowd control with the helpful citizens coming over, that would be much appreciated.”
A group of five on-lookers were now headed their way with visible intent, and anything drawing her focus away from the seal pup right now was a hindrance.
“Cesare, can you open the top of the crate, please? I’m going to try to use a blanket with our friend here, and then place him directly into the crate. He’s so weak I’m not sure we need the net.”
“His claws still look pretty sharp to me.” Cesare answered, sounding concerned.
Sabrina finally turned to face Cesare.
He watched her silently.
Sabrina nodded. “You’re not wrong, but my wheelhouse.”
He gave her a wordless nod and opened the top of the crate. It took some careful maneuvering, but she managed to nudge the abandoned pup onto a thick blanket, wrapping the seal like a mini burrito. He rolled onto his back and attempted to swipe razor-sharp paws at her, but Sabrina evaded his claws and found it to be a positive sign of healthy survival instincts.
“There we are. Don’t worry, you’re going to be just fine.” She reassured the seal as Cesare shut the top door of the crate.
“I can carry the crate.” Cesare offered, lifting it as he spoke, holding it as if it weighed nothing.
Sabrina couldn’t help looking at his muscled biceps and forearms flexing as he held the crate with comfortable ease. She’d held that very crate often enough to know just how heavy it was, and the ease with which he picked it up made her feel warm and flushed all over again. She blinked, only to realize he’d caught her staring. She blushed, looking away. “That sounds good.”
“Sabrina.” He coaxed gently.
She closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself once again before turning back to face him.
“I don’t know what you’re feeling ashamed about, but you don’t need to be.” Cesare spoke evenly as they walked back to the van. “We’re both adults. I enjoy looking at you, and I like that you seem to enjoy looking at me too.”
“I know that.” She answered, irritated at how meek she sounded.
“Then why does your face look the way it does?” He asked pointedly, a slight Italian lilt accenting his speech.
“Because I’m working. I shouldn’t be thinking about your muscles while we’re working.” She answered, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice.
“I think that’s an excellent thing to be thinking about.” Cesare grinned.
Sabrina gave him a disgruntled side-eye, but said nothing more.
