Page 60 of Sebastian

“Here,” he laughed. “Let’s sit over on that log and catch our breath. The altitude up here can make the hike really tough.”

“Oh yeah,” she panted while she sat, thankful to rest her aching legs. They’d driven out to the trail at the back part of Sebastian’s property, and Emma originally thought they were just going to take a leisurely stroll. She couldn’t have been more wrong. “You seem…real out of…breath.”

“This is my happy place, Em. I’ve spent months out here at a time, it doesn’t take my body as long to get used to it.” He took a sip from his water bottle before handing it to her. She didn’t even care if she looked like a feral cat, snatching it from his hands and gulping the cold liquid down.

“How much further do we have to go?”

“Are you really not having a good time?” His face was a mixture of surprise and concern.

“It’s just not my cup of tea. But maybe when we get to this mysterious place you’re taking me to, I’ll feel different.”

“Oh, you definitely will.” The mischievous smile that broke out across his face had her heart fluttering. Or maybe that was just the first sign she was actually headed for cardiac arrest.

“We’re about ten minutes away.” He put his hand out in front of her and she grabbed on, shrieking when he pulled her up into his chest. She couldn’t help but stand on her tiptoes and kiss him.

“Thanks for putting up with my attitude.”

“Your sass is one of my favorite things about you.” He wrapped his arms around her bottom and squeezed. “This bubble booty of yours coming in at a close second.”

“Sebastian!” She playfully shoved away from him, turning to run up the trail head. Only, her running was more like a brisk walk, and he easily caught up. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Sebastian lifted her off the ground and put her over his shoulder, pinching her bottom and making her burst out with laughter.

“Okay, okay, I surrender!” she laughed. “Put me down, Seb! I know I’m too heavy to carry the rest of the way!”

“Too heavy? Are you trying to insult me? You’re like a feather, Sprinkles. And besides, I will happily hold on to you until we reach our destination.” Apparently, holding on to her meant having his hands spread across her ass, but she wasn’t complaining.

“What is that noise?” Emma asked a few minutes later as Sebastian set her back down on her feet.

“That, beautiful, is the reason we’re here.” He laced his fingers through hers and led her to the edge of the path. Her heart skipped a beat. The forest opened up in front of them and revealed the source of the noise.

“A hot spring? You have a natural hot spring on your property?”

“Yep. It was this very hot spring that sealed the deal for me. This land was my first big purchase when I left the Navy. I love it here.”

“I can see why. The view is…” she held her breath as she looked beyond the small pool of water. The woods surrounding them opened up into a clearing, and with the elevation, there was a gorgeous view of the valley below.

“Stunning.” He finished her sentence, but when she turned to look at him, he wasn’t enjoying the scenery. He was staring at her, and she immediately felt a flush rush from her chest up to her cheeks.

“I want to get in so badly, but I didn’t bring a suit. You should have told me,” she whined playfully.

“I brought something for you to wear,” he winked, slinging the backpack off his shoulder and unzipping the top compartment. He held out a faded gray shirt with NAVY printed on the front in bold letters.

“That’ll do,” she smiled, grabbing the shirt and heading behind a cluster of bushes.

“You could change out here, Sprinkles.”

“Not a chance!” she replied, flustered by his immediate laughter.

Emma slipped off her shirt and bra, then her pants and underwear. She had no plans of slipping into his shirt, although it felt so soft and smelled like him. Maybe she would wear it after their dip. For now, she was going to get into that hot spring naked as the day she was born, hoping Sebastian would understand exactly what she was trying to communicate without words. Now, she just had to swallow her nerves and actually make it back around the shrubs she was hiding behind.

Despite begin a confident woman, Emma was struggling with walking from behind the damn bush and strutting her stuff in front of Sebastian. She didn’t want him to worry that she regretted what happened the night before, or that she was going to fall apart at the tiniest mention of Marco.

“Turn around,” she called out, not ready for him to see her. Being naked under the moonlight after the biggest emotion-dump of her life was one thing. Being naked, in the full sunlight of day, after a vigorous round of flirtation was another.

“Why?” Sebastian asked.

“Because I want to surprise you with something. Now turn around and no peeking.”

His only response was a small laugh, but as Emma looked over the edge of the shrub that was concealing her completely naked state, she watched him comply with her request. What a gentleman. Her stomach turned into a million butterflies as she tiptoed over to the edge of the hot spring and let her body sink into the warm water.

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