We stay like that for a while. Our breath syncs. The silence between us is comfortable.
When I finally pull back, my fingers grip his shirt. “Come back to bed with me,” I say softly, my eyes searching his face.
His eyes darken. “Okay,” he says. He shifts, grabbing the edge of the comforter. But I stop him. “No. I mean, your bedroom.”
His head jerks up to mine. A slow smile curls his lips. “Our bedroom.”
“You’re right. Our bedroom.”
I giggle as he scoops me up like I weigh nothing and carries me down the hall. Mr. Pickles’s collar jingles behind us.
I cling to him, inhaling his scent.
This is where I want to be.
51
SEBASTIAN
My bedroom feels different with her in it again. It feelsshared.Like even the air knows she belongs here.
I close the door behind us and gently lay her on the bed.
Every instinct screams to pull her close—but every hard-earned lesson reminds me to slow down.
Ivy turns her face to mine. Her eyes are warm. “You okay?” she asks.
I nod. “I am if you are.”
Her smile is slow. Dangerous. “I am.”
I perch on the bed, close enough to feel her warmth, but not touching her yet.
“Sebastian,” she murmurs. “You can touch me.”
I cup her jaw gently, thumb brushing along her cheek like I’m memorizing the feel of her again. The contact is electric.
She exhales, eyes fluttering shut for half a second.
I lean in, resting my forehead against hers. “This isn’t me taking,” I say quietly. “This is me choosing you.”
“Good,” she whispers. “Because I choose you too.”
She pulls me closer, our lips nearly touching. Heat builds between us.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” I murmur, my eyes flicking to hers, then dropping to her lips.
“Okay,” she says, breathless.
I lean in and kiss her, slow at first—then deeper when she opens for me with a soft sound that guts me. Fuck, she feels good. Warm. Soft. Yielding.
I tilt her head back and deepen the kiss, shifting and settling my weight onto her.
Her legs spread, welcoming me. I align our hips, hard against her. She grinds against me while her fingers tangle in my hair. Mine settle at her waist, steady and sure.
We both moan into the kiss.
We’re a tangle of limbs and heat, connection, and the unmistakable pull of two people who have been circling each other.
