Page 98 of No Pucking Way
“Does there have to be a reason?” His breath was soft against my hair. “You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be cared for. And I don’t think anyone has taken care of you for a long time.”
The flames danced in the distance, casting Sebastian's beautiful face in harsh, flickering angles as we sat in the backseat of his car.
“I wish I’d been there to take care of you,” he whispered. “But I’m going to now.”
My gaze was drawn out to the flames racing across the outside of the building. My heart raced and my breaths came in shallow gasps, panic threatening to overwhelm me as I watched my apartment burn.
"Hey," Sebastian said softly, reaching over and resting his hand on mine. His touch was warm, grounding, and my breathing began to slow. "I want to tell you about something, Kennedy. About when we–whenIwas a teenager.”
“I’m listening.”
“I had this odd fascination with fire.” His lips parted in a playful smile. “Well, I was a bit of a pyro. I loved building campfires, watching the way the flames would lick at the logs and dance in the night."
His words painted pictures in my mind, momentarily distracting me from the chaos outside. For a second, I could imagine the flames outside were a bonfire, something fun and deliberate, not the sheer chaos unfolding outside.
"If we'd known each other back then, I would've built you the most beautiful fire, Kennedy," he continued. "We would've been wrapped up in blankets, staying warm and cozy on a winter night. And I’d have kissed you like this.”
He leaned forward, and I was already smiling at the thought when his lips brushed mine. As he kissed me, slowly and tenderly, I felt the tension in my body begin to ease.
“Can I remind you how alive you are?” He whispered to me. “How much you’re grounded in this body… how you’re here with me.”
“Yes,” I whispered, surprised to hear my voice come out husky.
Sebastian's eyes met mine, filled with concern and desire. He slowly moved his hand to my sleep pants, fingertips grazing my waist before he slid inside. "Is this okay?" he asked gently, his voice laced with genuine care.
"Yeah," I replied, my heart pounding for a different reason now.
He teased his fingers across my mound as he brushed against my panties until his fingers circled my now aching clit. Something about having him touch me through my panties, which began to cling to me as I grew wet, felt irresistible, knowing how slow he was going to take things. My hips jerked against his hand, and he smiled. The flames danced in his eyes, reflected from outside, and I started to look again.
“Look at me,” he whispered before I could turn away. His other hand caught my chin and held my face still, forcing me to make eye contact with him. Then he leaned forward and captured my lips with his in a hard, wild kiss.
His fingers slid beneath the fabric, touching me intimately. The world around us seemed to fade away as he played my clit, circling my folds, teasing inside me with two fingers.
I began to thrash against the seat, and he dragged my pants and panties down with one hand, exposing my thighs and my now wet pussy to the cool air of his car. I was too greedy now to care, my hips bucking against his hand as he worked two fingers inside me, his thumb circling my clit. Intensity sang across my skin, and I threw my head back.
“Sebastian,” I moaned, and he captured my lips with his as if he wanted to swallow my moans.
Sebastian stroked me to the edge, until my thighs were shaking. When I moaned, he captured my mouth with his, his tongue sliding inside my mouth as his fingers fucked me wildly.
As our tongues tangled together, I tumbled over into a powerful orgasm. Waves of pleasure washed over me. My core squeezed around his fingers, pulsing around him hungrily. He watched me with a look of pleasure on his face, as if making me come was the most satisfying experience.
Slowly, as I came back to earth, I realized I had briefly forgotten about the burning ruins of my life outside the car.
Despite the comfort I found in Sebastian's touch, tears welled up in my eyes as reality set back in. My home was gone, swallowed by the flames.
I sobbed into Sebastian's shoulder, feeling his strong arms wrap around me. I still couldn’t smell his scent over the smoke that clung to us both, and it made me feel as if I were lost in a dream again. I needed every bit of Sebastian right now—his body against mine, his deep, soothing voice, his comforting scent.
"Shh," he whispered. "Let's get you out of here. I'm going to take you home."
I nodded silently, tears still streaming down my face. “I don’t have a home.”
“You’ll always have me, Kennedy. And that means you’ll always have a home.”
Sebastian started the car and began driving away from the wreckage of my life. The journey was a blur, my mind lost in memories of the home I'd lost and the fear that had gripped me when I first saw the flames. Sure, my apartment was small and grungy; I got ding-dong-ditched by an annoying group of tweens on at least a monthly basis, and one of my neighbors let her dog pee on my car. Baxter the beagle had a strong preference for the driver’s side front tire.
But still. I cried, thinking that I would never go back there.
The car came to a stop, and I realized we’d pulled into the garage below their condo building. Sebastian got out and walked around to my side, opening the door and scooping me up into his arms.