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Taylor was still in the tub. The forceful whir of the jets echoed through the bathroom, and he leaned against the doorway, taking a long sip of wine as he studied her. Tears continued to course over the high slopes of her cheeks, but their frequency had slowed. Fear and misery still haunted her eyes, stamping her beautiful features as she hugged her knees to her chest. Sensing him, her head snapped up and he regarded her shudder with no small measure of displeasure. If she were smart, she would take his previous warnings about not avoiding his touch to heart.
Sebastian crossed the room in slow, easy strides and settled onto the edge of the tub. His gaze burned into her for a long moment before he offered her the glass.
“Drink this,” he ordered softly.
Taylor stared at him. Her bottom lip trembled. Apprehension lined her face, but she accepted the wine and lifted it with shaky hands. He waited until she’d taken several sips before speaking again.
“Are you finished yet?” Confusion stretched across her face, along with a renewed wave of fear and uncertainty. Fighting down a sigh, he clenched his teeth for a brief second. “Are you done bathing?”
She nodded. “Y-yes.”
“Good,” he said, standing. “Finish your drink and meet me in the bedroom. I’ll be waiting.”
The small keening noise that broke from her throat was not lost on him. His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Sebastian considered asking her if she wanted a reason to be afraid. His fists coiled at his sides. Somehow, he managed to regain a fragile hold on his temper and strode from the room. His jaw was still working with anger, tensing and unclenching when she inched past the bathroom door. Motioning her forward, he indicated to the side of the bed. Taylor’s neck strained with a visible swallow, but she lowered her eyes and took a reluctant seat beside him.
“I won’t tolerate this,” he warned. “You’re damn lucky that scene in the kitchen is all you got. It’s over and I suggest you move forward.” He lifted her chin, turning her face and forcing her eyes to his. “If you continue to act like a beaten dog, sweetheart, I am going to give you a good reason.”
“P-please don’t,” she whispered, refusing to meet his stare.
Sebastian cocked his head. “Don’t what, Taylor?”
“Please don’t be mad at me anymore.” Her last word broke on a heavy sob. Shuddering, she tried to tug free of his grasp, but he held tight.
“Look at me.”
He waited until her eyes hesitantly flickered to his. Probing their teary depths, he searched for ways of understanding. There was still an undeniable hint of fear lingering in those wide grey pools, but the pain and heartbreak lurking there made his chest ache. Still holding her wounded stare, he slid his hand across her face to cradle the back of her skull. Her eyes drifted shut as he brushed his lips across hers in gentle experimentation.
Taylor relaxed some. Her slender body slackened beneath his slow administrations, and her hands fluttered over his arms as if seeking to deepen the contact. Pulling back, Sebastian captured one of her hands and placed it against his chest. She glanced up, her curiosity and confusion evident.
“Do you feel that?” he whispered. “No matter how mad I get—no matter what I might say or do, my heart still beats for you. It will always beat for you, Taylor. Never doubt that.”
The gratitude in her eyes was humbling and, at the moment, it was far more than he deserved.
“I’m so sorry, Sebastian. I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”
Placing his hand over hers, he held it. “I know, and we are going to get through this—together. I’m not giving up on you, Taylor. I will always do everything in my power to protect you and keep you safe, even if that means from your family. You can build a life with me. I will be your family now, and I will give you what you need.”
“But…I love them,” she whispered.
Her words were like a stinging slap to the face. Stiffening slightly, he forced a nod. “I know, Taylor, but they don’t love you.” She flinched as if struck and opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head. “No. That may hurt, but you are too close to the situation to see it. You don’t force people you care about into those types of situations. You could have lost everything. You could have gone to prison because of them. That isn’t love. It’s selfishness and deception, and I won’t stand for it.”
“They didn’t mean--”
Sebastian tamped down a growl. She still wasn’t listening. Tightening his hold on her hand, he cut her off. “They didn’t mean to what, Taylor? Lie to you? Use you? No,” he said. “You and your family are done. Cross me and you will regret it. I suggest you wise up and accept what I’m offering.”
“I didn’t mean it like that!”
His eyes snapped into darkening slits. Rage threatened to bubble forth. “Lose the tone and explain,” he growled, “and do so quickly. Whatever patience I had with this situation is gone.”
Taylor swallowed. He was glad to see his words hit home before he had to use something else to make the point. She hung her head, the telltale glint of tears welling again. “I just—I don’t want you to hate them. They are a part of me, Sebastian, and they are all I’ve ever known. Besides you, they are all I have left.”
“It’s too late for that,” he snapped. “And this wedge, the issues they are causing between us, is not helping their cause. I am done, Taylor, and so is this discussion. Get dressed.” He stood and strode toward the door.
“Sebastian…”
Spinning on his heel, he confronted her with a cold stare. “Think very hard before you speak,” he interrupted. “In all of this, I’ve heard nothing about what I offered. I’m not sure what that says about your feelings for me, but I only have your best intentions at heart. There is nothing left to discuss,” he said, his voice softening. “But you need to decide. Are you going to continue to be used and lied to, or are we going to start our own family?”
Taylor’s face crumpled. Bracing himself, he lifted his chin as she stood and crossed the room. She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face against the side of his neck. His eyes closed as her lips pressed against his skin.
“I didn’t mean it like
that,” she whispered. “You’ve already given me everything, and you just keep giving me more. You’ve shown me glimpses of the life I’ve always wished I’d known. I want that so bad, and I want it with you.”
Her words were like a soothing balm. Nodding, he threaded his fingers through her sable locks. He tugged them, pulling her face back to meet his. “Then let me give it to you, Taylor. Let me be the one to make you happy. I will give you everything.”
“Everything?” she asked, lifting a brow.
A low groan rumbled in his throat as she ran her hands up his chest and pressed against him in eager supplication. Her hips rolled across his. Using his hold on her hair, Sebastian wrenched her head back to kiss the underside of her chin. “Anything,” he promised.
VIII.
Taylor threw her hands into the air, leaping out of the way, as the boys barreled through the house at top speed. Mia trailed behind them, her chubby legs pumping in a furious bid to keep up with her cousin. The house had been a whirlwind of excitement and activity ever since they’d arrived, but there was a sense of comfort in the chaos. She didn’t know if it was the holidays or the past two weeks in general, but she’d never felt happier or more at peace with her life. Between long, romantic candlelight dinners, cuddling on the couch, and baking mass amounts of cookies together, she’d fallen even more in love with Sebastian. Promises of forever fell from his lips every time they touched. There was a complete and utter sense of love, an adoration that shone in his eyes that assured they were not just empty words, but truth. For the first time in a long time—maybe forever—she was home, truly home.
The soft glow of Christmas lights branched through the house, adding extra ambiance to the cheer. A loud squeal erupted near the foyer, and Monique shook her head, still chopping onions on the island counter beside her.
“I swear that child has the most powerful set of lungs I’ve ever heard,” she mused with a laugh. “And she saves it all for here.”
