“So ready.” The truth of it surprises me.
We make it exactly three steps from the shop before the dam breaks. I grab the front of his jacket and pull him down to meet my lips. The surprise lasts maybe a heartbeat before his arms come around me, solid and sure.
He turns us, pressing me gently against the car, his body sheltering mine from the evening breeze. His arms bracket my head, and I feel safer than I have in weeks. The kiss deepens, everything we couldn’t say in the storeroom pouring out in the language of touch.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard, fog from our breath mingling in the cold air between us.
“Want to... you know, get out of here?” I raise my eyebrows, trying for suggestive and probably landing somewhere closer to hopeful.
His chuckle rumbles through his chest where it’s pressed against mine. “Only if you’re sure.”
I pull back just enough to hold his gaze, letting him see everything I’ve been too scared to show before. “I couldn’t be more sure.”
He opens the passenger door with old-fashioned gallantry, and I sink into the familiar seat. His car still smells the same—leather and coffee and him. We drive in comfortable silence, hands linked over the center console, soft jazz playing on the radio.
I squeeze his fingers, my heart doing acrobatics that have nothing to do with inflammation or medication side effects. This is something different, something I’ve been running from for so long I’d forgotten what it felt like to stop.
This is love. Real, messy, complicated, worth-fighting-for love.
And for the first time in months, I’m not afraid of it.
CHAPTER 28
Sebastian
The click of the lock behind us sends electricity through the air. Flick’s hands find my shoulders, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt as she rises on her toes. I meet her halfway, our lips connecting with a need that’s been building since we left the shop.
It felt like it took forever to get from Knit Happens to my place. And the only reason we’re here and not at her condo is because this was closer.
“God, I’ve missed this,” she breathes against my mouth. “Missed you.”
I press her gently against the door, one hand bracing against the wood while the other finds her waist. “It’s been too long.”
“Upstairs,” she whispers against my mouth, her voice a husky command that sends my pulse racing.
We stumble over each other’s feet in our haste, leaving a breadcrumb trail of clothes as we climb the steps. Her skin glows under the soft hallway light, eyes dark with desire.
By the time we reach my bedroom, it feels like we’re the only two people left in the universe. The world outside these walls has ceased to exist. It’s just us, passion, and urgency riding us hard in our want for each other.
Flick sits on the edge of the bed, pulling me toward her. My hands move of their own accord, gliding over her shoulders and down her arms.
She scoots back on the bed and reaches her hand out to me, and I join her, the contours of our bodies melding together in perfect harmony.
This scenario, this moment… This isit.
Pure perfection.
Shifting to the side, I cup her face. “I love you, Flick.”
She kisses my palm. “I love you, Sebastian.”
I grin, realizing that I’m expecting Cat to come in meowing and ruin the moment. We’re at my place, though—which is odd. We’ll probably need to go over to Flick’s in a bit to check on Cat and feed her.
Maybe one day, there won’t be any shuffling back and forth, though. Maybe it’ll be me, Flick, and Cat, all living together under one roof.
“What are you smiling about?” Flick teases.
“Just thinking,” I admit. “About everything.”
