Page 107 of Drawn Together

We looked at each other for a few seconds, and then he took my bandaged hand and kissed it.

“Everything’s going to be all right,” he said, transmitting a calm that I now know he didn’t feel.

“I don’t want to see him ever again, Sebastian,” I said in a trembling voice. “I don’t want him to touch me or even look at me ever again. The way he spoke to me…”

Sebastian took a deep breath to steady his emotions and hugged me like he knew I needed him to. “Don’t worry,” he said, smoothing my hair, “everything’s going to be all right.”

We spent the rest of the day at home. I tried to get ahead on schoolwork while taking breaks to play with Rico. Sebastian seemed more somber than usual, which I could understand, but I was happy about our moment of closeness, feeling like we’d turned a corner with our relationship. I still felt an unfamiliar mixture of disgust and fear every time I thought about Marcus, but at least Sebastian was there to give me a hug and make me feel better every single time.

That night, I knocked on his door. He told me to come in, and I found him punching his punching bag, without gloves, shirtless, seemingly so full of rage that I wondered if seeking him out had been a good idea… But when he saw me, he picked up a towel and wiped it across his face without taking his eyes off me, coming to a halt where I stood. Without warning, he bent down and kissed me, while his hands gripped my waist and pressed my back against the wall. He was furious, and I didn’t understand what could have happened, apart from the events that morning, to make him feel that way.

I could feel how aroused he was as he lifted the back of my dress and slipped it over my head, leaving me naked except for the little black bra and panties I was wearing. My breathing picked up as his hands were on my skin.

“What happened?” I asked, almost breathless, as he kissed my neck and jaw. “Sebastian,” I whispered as he brushed his free hand over my soaking-wet underwear.

“Don’t talk, Marfil,” he said quietly, shutting me up with a deep kiss.

I ran my hands up his back and chest, until I reached his neck, then pulled him to me and enjoyed the warmth of his lips, the caress of his tongue… so intimate that I melted in his arms.

He lifted me and carried me over to the couch, positioning me on top of him, and continued kissing me, although at a calmer pace. He seemed to gain control of himself as his caresses became gentler.

I wasn’t sure I liked the change in intensity.

“Can I talk now?” I whispered in his ear, kissing his lobe.

He grunted as I stuck my tongue in his ear, taking in the salty taste of his skin.

“I’ll let you do whatever you want today, Elephant.” He sighed, burying his hand in my long dark hair and pulling it back gently to meet my gaze. “You know I’d do this all day if I could, right?” he said, sitting up until the tips of my hard nipples brushed against his incredible pecs.

“You have my permission,” I said, marveling at his handsomeness, his strength and masculinity. God, I was so attracted to him, it drove me crazy…

He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, as I admired his square jawline and his Adam’s apple. I wanted to kiss him again and never stop.

“How is your hand feeling?” he asked after letting out a deep sigh.

I looked down and started fiddling with the splint.

“Stop, don’t mess with it,” he scolded me. “And put this on.” He handed me his T-shirt.

“First you get me naked and now you want to put clothes on me?” I said as he slid the shirt over my head, ignoring my weak attempts to push him away.

“I lost my head. I’m sorry,” he said, helping me into the sleeves.

I observed him, feeling something very different from the desire I felt only minutes ago. My God, I loved him. I loved him, and I couldn’t do anything to protect myself from that feeling.

“Can I ask you something?”

Sebastian let out a breath, then nodded.

“How old were you when you married Samara?”

My question took him by surprise; it took me by surprise, too, to be honest. But I needed to understand his past and what had compelled Sebastian to get married. I needed to know whether he’d truly gotten over her, what the hell had happened…

“I was twenty and she was eighteen,” he answered.

Wow… he’d been my age.

“Why didn’t it work out?”