Page 8 of Desire

True to his word,he feeds me lunch at a little hole in the wall diner with the best iced tea I’ve ever had. Since I’m not much of a tea drinker, I was skeptical until I took a sip of his after which I promptly ordered a glass for myself. We’re now back in the truck and I’m drinking out of the to-go cup he got me when he pulls down a driveway to the next house on his list. Mature trees line the driveway giving it a romantic look but what has my breath catching in my throat is the house that suddenly appears. “It’s beautiful,” I murmur as he pulls up and parks. It’s a sprawling ranch-style house with a deep porch that wraps around the front and both sides. Either the sellers or the real estate company have staged the house because there are comfortable looking rocking chairs with brightly colored cushions, hanging baskets with lush greenery trailing out of them and a deep red door with a ‘welcome’ wreath hanging between two frosted panes of glass. It’s fucking stunning.

“I’m impressed by what we’ve seen so far,” he says, taking my hand again as we walk toward the front door. He inputs a code that he apparently got from the real estate agent and we walk inside.

Gleaming hardwood floors greet us, with glossy wainscotting that runs the length of the foyer. Instead of boring white or beige walls, each room we peer into has been painted a different color that somehow works. The kitchen has a homey, country feel yet has brand-new appliances. While I’m not the best cook in the world, that’s more because of a lack of time than desire. The few things I do cook, I do well. We inspect each room, my excitement growing deep inside because it feels like home already despite the minimal furniture that was used for staging purposes.

“This is it, sweet girl,” he states, his hand tugging me closer until he turns me to face him. “This is the house.” Before I can reply, he leans down and captures my lips with his.

Bliss.

Nirvana.

Ecstasy.

As each emotion crashes through me, I realize that while I’ve been kissed before, nothing has prepared me for Sebastian Tallo. His arms wrap around me, pulling me close until we’re wrapped around each other. The world falls away while we learn each other, the only sound in the room the soft sighs and moans each of us are making. When he breaches my mouth with his tongue, I realize that the heat factor has increased tenfold at least.

I can feel his length pressed into my abdomen and groan as my body reacts, causing a rush of wet to dampen my panties. My nipples are hard, something I know he feels since I’m now crushed against his chest. I can’t find it in me to care that we’re standing in a virtually empty house kissing as if we need it to continue living. He finally pulls back slightly, leaning his forehead against mine while we catch our breath. “Spectacular,” he whispers, his breath tickling my lips. “Somehow that exceeded every expectation I ever held.”

“We’re still here on planet Earth, right?” I ask. Because I feel as though I went far, far away. Hell, if that’s the reaction he elicits from me just by kissing me, I suspect that sex will be beyond phenomenal and wonder just how long I can wait so as not to be a slut.

“As far as I know, yes we are,” he responds before capturing my lips again. I swear I am lost to his touch, his taste. Maybe it’s because we’ve been around one another for years, but despite the newness of there being an us, it feels right. When he pulls back again, he takes my hand in his and tugs me toward the door. “Need to call the agent and put an offer on this before someone else does.”

“Really?” Not that I’m shocked, well, not too much anyhow. Sebastian is the type of man who sees what he wants and goes for it, full steam ahead.

“Yes, really. You didn’t feel it?” he questions, glancing toward me. “How it felt like we were being welcomed home? I mean, it has minimal furniture, but damn it, Jussie, it feels right.”

“No, no, I felt it too, Sebastian,” I admit. “It’s beautiful, definitely somewhere you can host those industry things you like to have, yet cozy enough to laze around in, especially that family room.”

“I’m glad you liked it too, sweetheart. Especially since it’s going to be yours as well as mine.”

I open my mouth to reply but nothing comes out. For the first time in my life, I’m absolutely speechless. Grabbing my latest bottle of water, I take a sip then try again. “Wh-what do you mean?” I ask.

“You and me, Jussie. It’s happening. I wasted too many years thinking I was too old for you and that your brother would kill me. Neither is the case and while it upsets me that so much time could’ve been spent together, this is how it was meant to be and I’m not holding back any longer.”

I’m blown away by his confession simply because I had been wishing that we had started an us years ago. “You’ve never been too old for me Sebastian. As for the other and thinking that we’ve wasted years when we could’ve been together, think of it this way, we know what we want and don’t want in life.”

He grins at me then laces our fingers together again. “I see good things for our future together, Jussie. Let’s go celebrate.” He proceeds to drive to the steakhouse that we were going to for dinner and I look at him.

“I’m not exactly dressed for our date,” I mutter. Not that I ever go out of the house without at least the basics as far as makeup goes, but I don’t have the cute shirt that I agonized over this morning with my sister, and I’m sure my hair has lost its bounce.

“You’re always going to be the most beautiful woman in the room to me, Justine.” Once he parks his truck, he puts a call in to the real estate agent and before I know what is happening or can get a word in edgewise, he’s put an offer in that’s slightly less than the asking price, simply stating that it’s a cash offer.

“This is almost impulsive for you,” I say, grinning at him when he disconnects the call after promising to go by her office to sign the paperwork on the next business day.

“How so?” he challenges as he helps me out of the truck and tucks my arm in his, pulling me close.

“We saw it less than thirty minutes ago. Hell, all we’ve done is kiss, we may not be um, compatible,” I state.

“Oh, I think we’ll be more than compatible,” he teases, winking at me. Jesus, just one glance and my panties dampen again. I resist the urge to look down at myself to make sure my jeans aren’t dark in the crotch area.

When we get inside, he gives his name to the hostess and she guides us to an intimate booth in the back. Once I’m seated, he slides in next to me. The server comes over and we order something to drink. Normally, I’d have some wine or possibly a strawberry margarita, but I want water and a soft drink. Sebastian orders himself a water as well as an iced tea. When the server returns, he brings a small carafe of water and says, “I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu. Please let me know if you’d like to know our specials for the day.”

“Thank you,” I reply before opening up the menu. “Everything looks so good. How can I be hungry with all we’ve eaten today?” I muse, glancing up at Sebastian.

“Well, we’ve traipsed through what, ten houses? I figure we’ve burned off what we ate but even if we hadn’t, I don’t care. You’ve always been perfect to me.” I blush at his words.

“I think it was ten. I kind of lost count after we saw the last one,” I reply. “Oh, look, we could get everything we like on one plate,” I state, pointing to a dinner for two that has steak, shrimp, lobster and chicken on it. Not only that, but three sides come with it and the small note indicates that they’re ‘full size’ portions.

“Let’s do that,” he says. “Now, what sides?”

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