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Sebastian cursed under his breath. “Hold on, sunshine.”
The world spun even more as he scooped me off my feet and marched into the house. Seconds later, he was depositing me carefully on a squashy sofa. He dashed off, returning with a glass of water. “Here. Drink some water.”
I did as he instructed, grateful when the dizziness subsided.
Sebastian was kneeling in front of me, worry etched all over his face. “Sunshine, can you tell me what’s wrong?”
I gave a slightly hysterical laugh. “What’s wrong? We’re supposed to be taking things slow, Seb, and you’re talking about buying me a house? We haven’t even slept together since you’ve been back, and you’re leaping straight to moving in together?”
Relief and amusement flickered over Sebastian’s face as he lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to my fingers. “Sunshine, I’m not asking you to move in with me. And I’m buying a house for me because I need somewhere to live, not for you.”
“Oh.” Embarrassment flooded me, my cheeks burning. “Then why did you say that stuff about the kitchen and yarn storage?”
“Because I want you to be comfortable here,” he said simply. “And while I’m not asking you to move in, I won’t deny that I hope it’s in our future. It doesn’t make sense to buy a home that won’t suit you too. But if you’re not comfortable with the idea, we can put a pin in it for now. If that means we buy a new place when you are ready, that’s fine too, but I’d still like your opinion on wherever I decide on. It’s important to me that you’re happy.”
“You’ve thought about our future?”
“Of course I have.” He kissed my fingers again. “Matty, you are my future. I suspect you’re starting to believe that too, otherwise your brain wouldn’t have jumped on the idea that I was asking you to move in.”
“You can’t blame me for jumping to conclusions,” I said helplessly.
“I don’t. And believe me, if I thought for a second you’d say yes, then I’d ask you to move in in a heartbeat. But that’s not what we should be focusing on right now.”
Right now, what I was focusing on was the fact his lips were only a few inches from mine. If I leaned forwards, would he kiss me?
Was I ready for that?
Before I could decide, Sebastian was leaping to his feet and pulling me up. “Come on, let’s go explore.”
Chapter 33
Sebastian
By the time we reached the second floor, I was relieved to see some colour had returned to Matty’s cheeks. His pulse was still elevated, thrumming temptingly in his neck.
The more time I spent with Matty, the harder it was getting to keep my fangs retracted. It probably didn’t help that I hadn’t fed since Argentina, but like there, I couldn’t bring myself to drink blood that wasn’t Matty’s, especially given how often I was around him. I imagined it was like a human trying to persuade themselves they were truly satisfied with a few lettuce leaves, when a juicy steak followed by a sumptuous chocolate cake were also on the menu.
Matty was far more than sustenance to me, so there was no way I was going to raise the subject with him. He’d feel obligated, and I didn’t want that. So I was either going to have to get over myself and drink donated blood, or wait it out.
I was letting Matty explore the house, stepping in with suggestions about what we could use the rooms for if he seemed unsure. The estate agent had tried to insist on accompanying us, but a dash of compulsion had had her handing me the keys and telling us to take our time.
I hadn’t been lying when I’d said I wasn’t expecting him to move in with me straight away, but I couldn’t picture any of these rooms without Matty in them. I hadn’t lived anywhere long enough to call it home in centuries.
Now that I was ready to, I wanted the man I loved to make it a home with me. I wanted him to choose the colours of the walls, add whatever pillows and blankets he’d crocheted in the master bedroom, buy every kitchen gadget under the sun so he could bake to his heart’s content.
But there was one big thing Matty wanted in the future that we hadn’t discussed since our return. This next room though…it was the perfect opportunity to address it.
I’d spent a lot of time talking about this with my therapist. He’d informed me that we wouldn’t be able to move past this block if I didn’t make Matty aware of it.
The guy might irritate me, but he knew his stuff.
My breath caught as Matty opened the door next to the master bedroom.
He stepped into the space, a large bay window letting the late winter sunlight spill in. “Another guest room?”
I cleared my throat, my heart pounding in my ears. “Actually, I was thinking this would make an ideal nursery.”
Matty spun around, his mouth falling open. “A nursery?”
