Page 53 of Sebastian

He wasn’t expecting the warm embrace she locked him into, but her body pressing into his slammed overwhelming emotion into his heart and shook him to his soul.

“I’m glad the supplies helped. Whatever is in the oven smells fantastic.”

“It’s the crust for the fruit tart Emma is making,” Gage said.

“Since I’m supplying the dessert, I was hoping you guys might be up for making dinner? I’ll need to check in with Mae while the crust cools, but there are some amazing looking steaks in the fridge and I’m thinking we should put that expensive grill out on the deck to use.”

“I think we can manage that.” Sebastian loved that she wasn’t planning on disappearing into her room anytime soon. He wanted to think this was a turning point, that she’d just needed a few days to process everything that had happened. Maybe it wasn’t at all about what they had shared in the hot tub.

“A real family dinner sounds just like what the doctor ordered,” Gage smiled. “I’ll go let Nash know the plan.”

Watching Gage disappear down to the basement, Sebastian moved towards Emma, who was busy cutting the fruit up for her tart. “I love seeing you in your element.”

His arms landed on both sides of her, trapping her close to his body. He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, loving the electric shiver that ran through her.

“I owe you a big thanks for snapping me out of my funk. I’m sorry I haven’t been the best house guest since the night we arrived.”

“Emma,” he lifted one hand to her chin and gently directed her to turn and face him. Maybe not the brightest idea, now that her body was fully pressed up against his. He watched as her pupils grew large, a beautiful flush rising from her chest to her cheeks. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m just glad we get to hear that beautiful laughter of yours again.”

Her eyes searched his, before she blew out a breath.

“I need to finish prepping these strawberries, Seb.”

“I think they’ll hold for a little bit.” He stepped even closer, allowing her to feel his attraction to her.

“They won’t. And besides, we shouldn’t. What we had was fun. But we can’t be distracted right now.” She gasped as the knife hit the chopping block. Sebastian felt her body fall against his. “Oh shit.”

“Sprinkles?”

She turned back and laid her head on his chest, her one hand still tightly grabbing the other. “I just sliced my finger on your stupidly amazing professional knives.”

“Okay, don’t look. I’ve got you.” He quickly lifted her up onto the counter, and grabbed a towel from next to the sink. “I’ve got a first aid kit around here somewhere. Can I see your finger?”

“Mmm,” she was slightly swaying, and for a quick second Sebastian worried she might pass out, but she drew in a shuttered breath and steadied herself. “Okay, Em, it’s just a little cut. Keep pressure on it while I grab a bandage.”

“The cut on my other hand just stopped throbbing,” she laughed without emotion. “I hate that I’m like this.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people have a hard time with blood. Has it been like this your whole life?”

“No. It started after…after he had me.”

He gently took her hand in his, removing the towel before he applied the bandage. “I’m so sorry, Em.” Sebastian gently kissed the now-covered cut before placing her hand back in her lap.

“Thanks.” He watched her swallow thickly as he brushed the tear from her cheek. Not only did he want to kiss her in that moment, he needed to. More than he needed his next breath of air. Lowering his head towards hers, he pressed a kiss against her lips. It was soft, inviting her to control the tempo. There was just a moment of surprise for him when she pulled him closer, deepening their kiss as she wrapped her arms around him.

The timer for the oven went off, forcing them both back to reality.

“I need to get that.” She pushed against his chest, hopping down off the counter when he took a step back.

“Sprinkles…”

“Sebastian, we cannot do that again. It’s just too much for me right now.”

He watched the light dim in her eyes and the hope that filled his chest slowly bled out.

* * *

Their dinner that night had been exactly what they all needed. It was the first time since arriving that Emma sat down with the guys for an extended amount of time, and the conversation had stayed relatively light, which was exactly what he’d hoped for. While Emma joined in on the teasing and shared some stories from her time in Bell Ridge with them, Sebastian could tell that she was putting on a smile. Her eyes never regained their sparkle and her laughter was not quite as free as it had been.

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