Page 49 of The Coffee Shop

My heart stops.

No,is the only word going through my head. It plays over and over on repeat. What did I say to him?“Fuck off, Seb.” No, no, no.That willnotbe the last thing I say to that man. It won’t. It can’t.Hecan’t be-I take aim and fire. One, two, three, my shots precise.

Four, five, six.

As much as I hate to take a life, these men stole our girl. I know they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, orworse, and Sebastian?Fuck.

Eleven, twelve, I lose count,all of them.

The room goes silent and my heart pounds. I look down and see Leena looking up at me, her hair all disheveled, her bright eyes wide and watering with relief. Because she doesn’tknow.

I’m barely aware that I’m shaking and the weapon I’m holding suddenly feels heavy in my hands. I should feel relieved that this is over, that Leena is safe. But I don’t. I don’t feel anything. I feel… numb.

Like the air I am breathing isn’t enough anymore. Like nothing will ever be enough.

I waver on my feet, staring down into the room and seeing nothing.

And then Sebastian steps through the door.

He’s limping, and he’s covered in cuts and blood, but he. Is.Alive.

His weapon is raised as he sweeps the room before heading straight for Leena.

I fall forward, dropping to my knees as I grasp the guardrail for my fucking life. I hang my head and close my eyes,refusingto let the tears fall.They won’t fucking fall.

He’s here.

We’re still in this.

I stay there for a long moment until I can breathe again, then I slowly make my way down the stairs.

By the time I reach them, Sebastian has already released Leena and she has thrown herself into his arms, sobbing.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here. We’re here now,” he whispers softly into her hair and I can see the moisture in his eyes as he looks up at me. “I was already heading down from the tower when it hit. I’m alright,” he reaches out a hand and I stumble forward, taking it and letting him pull me into their embrace. I wrap one arm around each of them, gripping them so tightly that I might never let go.

Sebastian pulls back slowly, brushing his thumb over Leena’s cheek. “Are you okay?” he asks her, scanning her face for any sign of injury.

“I am now. They didn’t touch me. I’m okay,” she says and we both breathe out a sigh of relief before he presses his lips to hers. More tears roll down her face before he pulls away.

“And you-” Sebastian barks out, anger in his voice, but I cut him off, grabbing him by the back of the neck and slamming my lips against his.

His body goes rigid because after all this time, aftereverything we’ve done together, I’ve never kissed him. That night with Leena, he took a chance on us. Now it’s my turn.

And nothing else in the world seems more…right.

After a moment, I feel his body relax, feel his lips part and I gasp in approval, unable to help the smile tugging at my lips. At first, he’s hesitant. We both are. Then our lips begin to move and soon we are frantic as we taste each other for the first time,needingeach other. Needingmore.

I can’t believe I’ve ever gone a day without kissing this man, but I know I won’t be making that mistake again. His lips are rough, his kiss desperate, as he takes my mouth with his.

When we are both out of breath, I pull back and lean my forehead against his.

“I thought I lost you,” I whisper against his lips, breathing him in.

“You’ll never lose me,” he says, then takes my lips again.

When we finally part and look down at Leena, she is crying even harder now. I’m suddenly concerned all over again.

“I love you,” she says quickly between her sobs. “I love both of you. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while but I… I…” she sniffles, then works to compose herself. “I know my life is… complicated, and I know I don’t have much to give, but I don’t want this to be over. Because I can’t live without you. Without both of you,” she says, looking between us with pleading eyes. “Please tell me you want me too. Please tell me this isn’t just in my head, that we can do this. That we can be together,all of us.” That last part is barely a whisper, but I hear it, and no words couldever make me happier.

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