Page 116 of Release Me

“I didn’t,” I admit, watching him move over to the bathtub and turn on the faucet. I stare at the stream of water as it starts to steam, and my brain shifts between the present in the past in rapid flashes that steal my breath.

“Hey,” Sebastian murmurs, suddenly standing in front of me. “You okay?”

I swallow hard, pushing down the lump of emotion in my throat. “I think so.”

“You don’t have to be,” he reminds me, reaching up to remove the hair tie holding my dirty tresses in a sad ponytail. I tilt my head back, leaning into his touch as he massages my scalp. “You can be sad and scared and angry. You can be whatever you need to be with me.”

The deep timbre of his voice and the gentleness of his hands makes me feel safe enough to surrender to the memories I’ve been pushing away for days.

“I was running a bath when they came. At first it was just Vince, and I was naked, and the way he looked at me just made me feel…dirty.”

“He won’t ever lay eyes on you again. He’ll never make you feel that way again.”

His breath is a warm caress over my face, and I revel in it, allowing it to make me feel brave enough to tell Sebastian about the conversation Vince and I had on Thanksgiving. I open my eyes and settle a solemn gaze on Sebastian’s face.

“The way he made me feel that day paled in comparison to how he made me feel on Thanksgiving.”

Sebastian’s brows pull together. “What do you mean? I thought you two didn’t talk.”

“I lied.”

“Why?”

“Because Vince knew my real name, and he knew about my past. He used that information to make me believe that we slept together at a party I couldn’t remember going to, let alone working at.”

I know now that the information Vince used to manipulate me, including the details about my scar, were given to him by Beau. Sebastian explained their connection to me a few days after the incident, telling me all about how a chance meeting at a party thrown by their shared drug dealer led to them discovering the link between Vince and Sebastian and Beau and me.

The sigh Sebastian lets out is heavy, world weary, and I feel bad for dropping this bomb on him when he’s been living in an extended state of stress for weeks now.

“That fucking bastard. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was ashamed, Sebastian. I felt like my past was closing in on all sides and it was going to cost me everything, that it was going to cost me you.”

Rain clouds descend over his face, turning his eyes stormy as he caresses my cheek with gentle fingertips. “When I fell in love with you, I chose to love all of you. Your past. Your present. Your future. All of it. I don’t care what you’ve done or who you’ve been with. Who’s hurt you or who you’ve hurt. You’re mine, Nadia, and there’s nothing in this world you could do or have done that would make me stop loving you.”

I’m so sick of crying. It feels like it’s all I do these days, but there’s no stopping the happy tears that slip out of the corner of my eyes because of Sebastian’s words. He brushes each one away with the pads of his thumbs and leans in to take my mouth in a kiss that wants to turn deeper even though we both know we can’t let it. Sebastian breaks first, pulling away with a regretful smile.

“Let’s get your hair washed, precious.”

The offer is too tempting for me to delay it any further, so I slide off the counter gingerly and lift my arms in a silent request for Sebastian to remove my t-shirt. He obliges, making quick work of my clothes and then stripping down himself. Moments later, we’re both soaking in the warm water of the bath. My back to Sebastian’s front as he lathers shampoo in his hands and scrubs my scalp clean.

“Mhmmm,” I hum, leaning back into his touch. “That feels so good.”

Sebastian’s dick pulses against my thigh, and I laugh, which makes it pulse again. “Nadia,” he growls, his voice a mix of admonishment and desire. “Behave, please.”

“I’m not doing anything!”

“You’re moaning and squirming around in my lap. You know that shit makes my dick hard.”

“Me breathing makes your dick hard, Sebastian.”

He kisses my shoulder. “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“I miss sex,” I murmur breathlessly. “Being on pelvic rest sucks.”

“It does.” His hands trail down my body until they come to rest on my stomach. “But it’ll all be worth it when this little one comes into the world safe and sound, right?”

“Right,” I agree, resting my head against his shoulder and closing my eyes.

---