Page 11 of Desire

“You nearly done, sweetheart?” Sebastian questions.

“Yeah. Rayne, we’re done, aren’t we?” I ask.

“You two go on. We’ve got the tracks down, may work some on the lyrics but I don’t need you for that. Go rest those arms and Sebastian? Don’t forget what you promised.”

“I got it under control, man,” Sebastian replies.

I gather our trash and take it to the kitchenette to throw out, grabbing another bottle of water for the ride home. “C’mon, Fred and Barney, let’s go home,” I coo, clipping their leashes back on. I’m glad someone thought to take them off earlier because the two dogs have been meandering around checking everything out and I would’ve hated for either of them to get tangled or hurt.

Sebastian grabs my huge bag and takes one of the leashes. With good-byes called out to everyone, I walk beside him to his truck. He opens it and helps me inside then once my door is closed, lifts each of the dogs into the backseat. After he ensures they’re secure, he moves to the driver’s side and slides in, quickly cranking it up and rolling the windows down slightly. “Do you like them?” he softly asks once he’s maneuvered out of the parking lot and toward home.

“They’re adorable, Sebastian,” I reply, glancing back to see both of them at one window, their tongues lolling out and ears flopping thanks to the wind. “Thank you.”

“I figured that we could look for either a smaller bus or an RV and take them with us when you guys go out on tour,” he says.

“Oh, I love that idea!” I grin at him as both dogs softly woof.

A comfortable silence engulfs me, allowing my thoughts to wander. With all the time that Sebastian and I have spent together, my feelings are so strong that I’m not sure how to handle them.

“So, I figured once we got to the house, we’d let them explore the backyard for a bit. I’ve got someone coming out to put in a doggy door that will open with sensors that we’ll add to their collars. That way, we won’t have animals popping in at a whim,” he says. I giggle thinking about waking up and seeing raccoons in the kitchen digging through the trash. Or even possums. Those are some ugly-ass animals, but I know they keep bugs down, so as long as they stay outside, I’m good. “You’re picturing it, aren’t you?” he asks, glancing at me.

“Absolutely! Could you imagine going into the kitchen to see it overrun with the local wildlife?” I continue giggling as the scene grows in my head and soon, he’s joining me, his rich chuckles sending tingles through me.

“Then, we’re going to order our bedroom furniture and once we’ve done that, we’re calling your old orthopedist and seeing if they have anyone they’d recommend out here,” he states. My mood immediately sours; I don’t want to think about surgery or anything of that sort. I’d rather plan how to decorate our room while imagining spending time cuddled up with him underneath the blankets. “I mean it, Jussie. You need this done, honey.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” I murmur. The pain aspect of surgery doesn’t bother me that much; I’ve been dealing with the constant pain from the carpal tunnel for so long, I suspect it’d actually feel better to be healing pain.

He reaches over and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. “The surgery isn’t a big deal anymore. Do you really want to stop doing what you love because your hands won’t cooperate?”

“But to have both of them done at the same time, Sebastian? That will incapacitate me and inconvenience you,” I state.

“Taking care of you will be anything but an inconvenience, sweetheart. If you’re worried about it being too intimate given the fact that we’re just starting out, you need to toss that out of your head. My dad told me long ago that the real measure of a man is his willingness to take care of the woman in his life no matter what. He did that very thing when my mom fell and broke an arm and a leg. He took care of the house, her, everything.”

“That’s different,” I whisper.

“How?” he challenges, pulling into our driveway. I still want to pinch myself every time I see the house. Right now, we’re sleeping on twin-size air mattresses that he put right next to each other, so we’ve been ‘together’ but not really as we buy furniture and what-not to set it all up. We’ve had a few discussions about who is paying for what, but like I told him, if we’re both living here and he’s planning a future with us being together as a couple, then he is not footing the whole bill!

I’m not sure how to explain it to him so he actually gets it without embarrassing myself. Going to the bathroom with both hands wrapped in bandages will be challenging as hell and there’s no way I want someone I’m in love with having to take care ofthatfor me! Plus, what if my period shows up? I could see me now hollering for him to change my tampon. Nope. Not fucking happening. I’m so lost in thought that he has both dogs out and is at my door opening it before I realize that he’s pulled into the garage, parked and shut off the truck. “Let me take one,” I say, reaching for one of the leashes.

“You didn’t answer me, Jussie,” he says. “If it’s the more intimate stuff you’re worried about, I’m having a bidet installed in the master bathroom.” Dammit, now he’s a freaking mind reader!

“Yeah, that’s one of my concerns,” I admit, following him into the house. We take the dogs to the back door and let them out into the backyard. “They’re so adorable,” I tell him, leaning back into his chest when his arms wrap around my waist. “If I didn’t say it before, thank you. This is the best thing anyone’s ever done for me. You keep this up and I’m going to get spoiled.”

His breath feathers across my ear as he leans in and whispers, “My plan is to show you what you mean to me every single day. If that means you end up spoiled, I don’t give that first fuck.” Well alrighty then!

Once the dogs have done their thing, we bring them back inside and Sebastian leaves me long enough to go out to the truck and grab the stuff he got for them from the shelter. It’s not much; just enough to get us through a few days but I’m grateful they do that for their adoptees.

“Alright, boys, let’s get you two settled somewhere so we can order some furniture,” I say, clapping my hands together. Both dogs follow me into the family room and plop down in front of the fireplace. I laugh thinking of when it grows cooler and a fire is burning. Seems these two will settle in quite nicely.

Chapter Six

Justine

I don’t knowwhat kind of voodoo magic Sebastian wields, but not only did we find the bedroom furniture, he managed to get it delivered today. What does that mean for me? While he’s waiting for it to show up, I’m at the local big box department store buying sheets, pillows, and a comforter set. “While I’m here I might as well see what I can find for Fred and Barney,” I murmur to myself. By the time I’m done, the cart is overflowing, and I wonder if it was wise to send me shopping by myself.

Once my car is loaded, I head toward the house. Anticipation is bouncing in my stomach; I wonder if this is the night that we’ll make love. Our make out sessions have been almost incendiary, especially since we’ve kept it relatively innocent. I mean, I know he’s definitely packing some heat based on what I’ve felt pressing against me, but I haven’t touched it yet or even gotten my mouth on it! Knowing Sebastian, however, he’ll probably insist on waiting. The thought has me groaning knowing that we’ll be alone, onourbed.

I drive up our driveway and my imagination starts plotting for the holidays. I make a mental note to see about buying those LED outdoor lights because I can see each tree decorated with lights at least. It would thrill Hadley to pieces. Hmm, maybe some of those inflatable scenes would be a good idea as well. Suddenly, possibly being laid up recuperating doesn’t sound so bad, especially if I plan it just right. We’ve traveled everywhere as a band but having roots for the first time in forever makes me look forward to Christmas.

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