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When he abruptly pulls his hand away and stands, water splashing over the sides of the tub, I instantly object.
“What are you doing?” I look up to see him wrapping a towel around his waist.
“I promised to show you the city, and that’s what we’re going to do. Even if it fucking kills me.” He looks down at my naked body, heat in his eyes. “But when we get back, you’re not going to be able to pry me off of you for the remainder of the night.”
“You promise?” I smile innocently, making no attempt to get out of the tub.
“Baby, I do more than just promise.” He smiles at me wickedly, grabbing another towel before extending his hand to me and helping me out of the bath.
***
“Well, what I tell ya?” Sebastian entwines his gloved fingers with mine as we make our way out of the restaurant and onto the rather crowded sidewalk.
“Amazing.” I rub my overly full belly, not sure if I could feel any more perfect than I do at this very moment.
Unfortunately, due to the long wait for dinner, the sun has now set and we’ve lost what little hour of daylight we thought we’d have left. But the great thing about New York is it’s even more alive at night.
Snuggling deeper into Sebastian’s side when a cold breeze whips around us, he drops my hand and wraps his arm around my shoulders as he steers me to the right and then turns again about two blocks up.
The lights of the city illuminate the buildings, and even though it’s after nine o’clock it could very well be the middle of the afternoon.
We spend the next two hours walking around, Sebastian showing me all the shops and famous landmarks I’ve only ever seen in movies. We spend a particularly long amount of time looking at all the billboards while Sebastian tells me about some of his favorite times visiting the city as a child. Of course, that was back when he lived in California and had to take a five-hour flight to get here.
“Do you miss it? California, I mean?” I ask when he falls silent next to me.
“Not as much as I used to.” He shrugs. “Though I do miss the warmer temperatures. I hate the winter.” He blows out a breath which instantly fogs from the cold.
“I don’t know. I think I like winter—sometimes anyway. I love when there’s a fresh snow and everything is covered in white. Snuggling up next to the window with a book and a cup of hot chocolate.” I smile at the thought. “But I can see how someone who isn’t used to the cold would not be as fond of it. I’ve lived here my entire life and still have a hard time adjusting when the weather changes.” I pause, quickly adding, “Do you think you’ll make it back to California someday?”
“Yeah,” he answers without hesitation. “I mean, that is if you’re up for living on the west coast.” He nudges his shoulder against mine.
“Does that mean you’re planning on including me in your future?” I say teasingly, but it’s a question I’ve been dying to ask.
“There is no part of my future that I don’t see you in, Tess.” He turns toward me, resting his gloved hand on my cheek. “You are my future.” He stares at me for a long moment before finally continuing, “For the longest time, I thought California was the only place I’d ever be happy. It was home and all I wanted to do was go back there. But that was before I met you. You’re my home now.” His words strike something deep inside of me, a reassurance I hadn’t realized I needed until this very moment. “Do I want to go back someday; yes, I’d like to. But as long as you’re by my side I’ll be happy anywhere.”
“Even if you have to endure negative temperatures?” I tease.
“Guess it just means we’ll have to stay stocked on fuzzy blankets and lots of hot chocolate.” He grins sweetly. “You’re my home, Tess,” he repeats.
“And you are mine.” I smile up at him, my body choosing that exact moment to shiver.
“Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel room and get you warmed up. It’s freezing out here. Too bad we don’t have any hot chocolate right now. Then again, I bet we can order some from room service.”
“I can think of a few ways you can warm me up pretty quickly without any type of hot beverage,” I tease, snuggling into his side as he leads us back in the direction of the hotel.
“Oh, trust me, Tess, so can I.” Something wicked crosses over his face, and my stomach instantly twists in anticipation.
We can’t get back to the hotel fast enough.
