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“What—”
“Later, Lilly. I promise, I’ll tell you later. But he doesn’t want Noemi to know... yet... and I have to respect that.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Then you’re going to have to trust me. He just needs some time.”
“To do what?”
“To find the answers he’s looking for.”
I thought I was going to lose my mind. “And what about us? Don’t we matter, Sebastian? Are we putting ourselves on hold while Dante runs off... again? You’re taking me back to Connecticut and then what? We don’t see each other for another three months while Dante swoops in and fixes everything. And what the hell is he trying to fix, anyway?”
“We’re not putting anything on hold, Princess. I’m an asshole, but I’m a man of my word. I’m doing what I told Dante I’d do. I’m taking Noemi home and I’m leaving her with Gabriel. And then you,” he tapped me on the tip of my nose, “are coming back to my place. I’m not leaving you alone. You’re mine now, Lilly Calegari, and I no longer give a fuck who has a problem with that. Including myself. I was the obstacle all along, Princess. I’m getting out of my own way.”
I pursed my lips together to keep from squealing in delight. “Okay. I’m... uh... I’m...”
“Speechless for a change?” he teased.
“Maybe.” I smiled back. “So, okay. I’ll go pack, and you can talk to Noemi, and yeah... I’ll go pack.”
I didn’t really want any of those clothes, though they were all nice, but there were a few things I didn’t want to leave behind. It took less than five minutes for me to grab what I wanted and toss it all into a large black tote bag I found in the closet.
The front of the house looked like a war zone. I stepped through the door and stopped. I think I had been running on adrenaline before. I looked around at the broken glass and shattered stone. Sebastian had been waiting by the SUV, but as soon as I stepped through the door, he came to meet me.
“Your beautiful house,” I said, choking up.
He tipped my chin up with his thumb. “It’s just a house. Stone and glass. All replaceable. The people inside are not.”
He hesitated. I thought he was going to say something else, but he looked down at the black bag I had dropped by my feet.
“Is that all?”
I shrugged. “A change of clothes, just in case, and the outfit I arrived in. After all, I was only coming for the weekend, remember?”
One corner of his mouth curved into a half smile. “That was the original plan, wasn’t it? And what a weekend it was, Miss Calegari.”
That was different. “Oh.Miss Calegari.I think I like that better thanPrincess. Does this mean I have to come up with a new name for you?Sebastianworks no more?”
Behind us, the SUV started.
“A few come to mind,” he said as he put his hand on the small of my back and escorted me down the stairs. “Master. I liked it when you called meMaster,”he whispered for only me to hear, “even if you thought you were being sarcastic at the time.”
My cheeks heated. Noemi was only a few feet away, and I wasn’t sure she would understand.
“I could get used to calling youMaster,” I said quietly so she wouldn’t hear. “Is there anything else Master would like to be called?”
Sebastian stopped walking and looked down at me. “How about chicken dick?”
I laughed out loud, but Sebastian’s expression was completely serious. “Chicken dick? Why would I call you chicken dick?”
“Because I think I love you, but unlike your brother, I thought I should tell you myself.”
I’ve read those novels, the kind that makes it seem like the world stands still when the man you love says those three words to you and...
The man I love?
I could pretend I didn’t know. That it didn’t make sense.
