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His wealth? His power?
Or…Me?
I finish my meal, and wander through to the living room, needing something to occupy me for the evening—so I don’t go down that dangerous path wondering what Sebastian meant.
I find myself drawn to the piano, taking a seat on the bench. I haven’t played in a while, with everything that’s been going on, but just like usual, all it takes it me resting my fingers on the keys to feel suddenly centered again. More like myself.
You can’t lie to an instrument. There’s no betraying wood and ivory.
Taking a deep breath, I start playing without even thinking about it. The first notes of “Both Sides Now” fill the air and it’s not long before I’m softly singing the words, letting myself wallow in the melancholy emotions that wash over me. The music sweeps me away, and as the final notes ring out, I open my eyes again. Somehow, I’m not surprised to find Sebastian watching me, leaning in the doorway, his expression inscrutable.
I feel that ache in my chest again.
This isn’t the first time he’s watched me singing at the piano. I remember the first time, when we’d only just met. I was sure of everything back then. I had a plan.
Now, I know there’s no planning when it comes to this man. No logic, or rational thought.
And I can tell, he feels the same.
“What was that song?” he asks quietly.
“Joni Mitchell.” I reply. “It’s about how you can never really know what love means.”
“Romantic.” Sebastian’s lip curls, sarcastic, but I shrug.
“I think it is. Knowing that the one you love can hurt you but loving them all the same.”
It’s not until the words leave me mouth that I realize I could be describing the two of us. I look away, blushing, but Sebastian slowly moves closer, until he’s standing at my side. He rests a hand on my shoulder, sweeping my hair back, and I tense.
He pauses. “Are you scared of me?”
I glance up at him and feel the spike of adrenalin kick through my veins. “Yes,” I admit, even though the truth isn’t quite so simple.
I’m not just scared of him, but what I’ll do with him. Even now, after everything, the touch of his hand on my body makes me ache.
Wanting more.
Sebastian arches an eyebrow, still looking down at me, where I’m seated on the piano stool. “Funny. I should be the one who’s scared. You schemed and planned my destruction. You fooled me.”
Is that pain I see in his eyes? Or just hatred and desire?
“You deserved it.” I reply.
Sebastian gives a bitter laugh at that. “Yes, I did. And you came to make me pay for my sins. An angel of justice.”
“Or the devil you’ve been running from,” I reply.
His lips twist in a sad, aching smile. “Maybe we died in the crash, after all,” he muses, his voice almost a whisper. His hand trails over my shoulder again, caressing the bare slope of my neck, making me shiver. “To be stuck here with you, in this torment… Hating you. Wanting you. Maybe this really is hell.”
Yes.
Relief crashes through me, that he understands exactly how I feel.
Relief—and desire.
Sebastian yanks me closer, and then his lips are on mine in a cold, punishing kiss. I moan against him to feel his mouth again, heat racing through my body as his hands grip my shoulders, and his tongue plunges deep, commanding me. Devouring me.
This is the madness I’ve been craving. The insanity that pulls me under in an instant, with no regard for the truth.
