Page 5 of Sebastian

“Mom and Dad want us to quit and work here.”

“Would that be so bad?” he asked, kicking his boot toe into the dirt. “I mean, you’d be back here. I’m back here.”

Em took his hand and tugged, walking toward the maze. It wasn’t cold like their first night in the maze. It was a perfectly lovely summer evening. When she stopped, still holding his hand, she looked up at him. That impossibly tall, wide figure making her feel like a doll.

“Maybe you should sit, and I’ll stand,” she smiled. He smirked, taking his seat on the stone bench. He opened his knees, and Em stood between them.

“You’re not coming home, are you?”

“Yes, I am. I just have this one case we’re working, and then I’ll come home. I want to finish this. It’s a series of bank robberies, and I want to catch these guys and end my career on a high note.” She couldn’t tell him all the details. She couldn’t tell him that she’d received death threats for her investigation of the robberies or that she was close to finding who was responsible.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said, exhaling.

Em twisted her body to the side, taking a seat on one of his thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly. When she pulled back, the sweet, innocent seventeen-year-old was gone. In his place was a hard, wide man. His face had a scruffy growth of hair, his eyes intense with longing and burning.

“Come to my cottage,” she whispered. He stared at her, holding her tightly to his own aching body.

“Em, you need to be sure, babe. If we go back to your cottage, we’re declaring to everyone that we mean something to one another. They’ll all know our business.” She looked at him, grateful that he understood her need for privacy.

“You’re right. They will know.”

Emelia could feel the eyes of everyone on them as they walked hand in hand toward her cottage. She knew that they all understood now what their relationship was. Hand in hand, they walked out of the maze and toward her cottage. They could feel the eyes of everyone on them, but neither turned back to acknowledge it. Inside her cottage, the nerves were eating her alive.

Now, all she had to do was tell him.

CHAPTER THREE

“I won’t be mad if you want to back out, Em,” he said quietly, taking a seat on her sofa. She shook her head, smiling at him.

“I am nervous, but not because of what you probably think. Sebastian? How many women have you been with?”

Sebastian stared at her, bells and whistles going off in his brain. His conscience was screaming conflicting thoughts at him. Don’t tell her the truth. Tell the truth. Don’t tell her the truth.

In the end, he did what he needed to do.

“Probably thirteen. Maybe fourteen. I only saw one woman more than once. We never really dated. We just liked one another’s company. I’m ashamed to say it, Em, but most were one-time only. I always used protection, and I was honest with them.”

“You don’t have to explain,” she blushed. “That wasn’t why I was asking.”

“Then why?” he asked, scooting closer to her.

“I’ve never been with anyone, Sebastian.” He stared at her, blinking several times and swallowing. “If that matters to you, I don’t know what to say. I can’t change it. I just couldn’t give myself to someone knowing that you were the man I was meant to be with.”

“Em,” he choked out. “You’re fucking beautiful, baby. Are you telling me the men in D.C. didn’t approach you?”

“Oh, they approached me,” she laughed. “Usually when I was with my sisters. I think they thought we were a novelty and might be able to get all four of us together. Sometimes, Maddie, Mags, and Ellie would try to fix me up with someone, but I just couldn’t do it. I started lying to them about seeing someone.”

“Em, baby, why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come and see me so we could make this official?”

“I didn’t want to pressure you, Sebastian. I know that men need more time than women, and I wanted you to be sure of this. Of us.”

Sebastian stood, shoving his hands through his hair. He turned back, staring at the woman he knew would be his wife. Never touched. Never made love to. She waited for him. Him.

“I’m going to make love to you, Emelia Stanton. When we’re done, we’ll go to dinner with the family and let them all know that when you finish this last case, we’re going to be married. You and me. There will never be another man that touches you. Never.”

She smiled up at him, nodding.

“I know what to do,” she said shyly. “I’m a grown woman. I know what’s supposed to happen, what I need to do. I just don’t have any practice with it.”