"Do you want something to drink?"
"Water would be fine, thank you."
I bring two bottles and sit beside him. He squirms in his seat, biting his lip.
"We need to talk about earlier," I start, but he cuts me off.
"I'm not some package you try and return if you don't like it. I'm a claim-once-and-you-can't-get-rid-of-it deal. So there's no going back."
"Is that so?"
He nods earnestly, wide-eyed. "Yes."
"I didn't have any plans to try and return, boy."
"You mean it?" His voice is softer than usual, hesitant, and so unlike his boldness at the club.
It makes me realize there are so many sides of Sebastian I still don't know. Sides I want to learn about.
I cup his cheek, brushing my thumb across his skin as I say, "Yes. I mean it."
His eyes flutter closed, and he sighs like he's been waiting his whole life to hear those words.
"Why now? What changed?"
I pull my hand back, taking a moment before answering. I'm still sorting through these new feelings, and admitting them out loud isn't easy.
"I know it seems sudden, and frankly, it is. It's probably weird in your eyes too. I mean, I was your brother's husband, for fucks sake."
He looks away and asks, "Would Aziel's ghost always linger between us? Would you always see me as Aziel's little brother?"
"It's been a while since I last saw you as his brother. But I forced myself to, kept reminding myself you were his brother," I admit.
"Why?"
"Because it felt wrong."
He finally looks back at me, his eyes full of emotions I can't decipher.
"Does it still feel wrong?"
I swallow, part of me terrified, but another yearning for me to say the truth.
"No. Kissing you, being with you doesn't feel wrong."
He moves fast, climbing over my lap and claiming my mouth. I sink into the kiss, his lips soft and insistent, his tongue tangling with mine. His small frame on me feels so fucking right. How did I ever think it was wrong?
When things start to heat, I pull back. My voice drops, "We need to talk, Sebastian."
"Talking is overrated," he sasses, chasing my lips.
I chuckle and lean back. "No, boy. Wewilltalk first."
"And then?"
"And then we'll see."
He huffs, looping his arms around my neck but staying put. "Fine. But we're talking with me in your lap. It's where I belong."
