I shake my head but can’t force my mouth to form words.He still doesn’t have all the information.
With so much revealed, it seems impossible for there to be more heartache, but I haven’t told him the deepest and most painful aspects of my story.I don’t know if I ever will.They hurt too much.
Grief and misery weigh like stones in my heart.
I pinch my earrings, absently checking every piercing in my right ear—which is one more than the twelve piercings in my left ear—and bite the inside of my lip.Even though I purposefully chose the smallest, simplest jewelry available for each type of piercing, each piece represents a moment I chose to keep fighting.
I’ve come this far already.I can’t quit now.
I angle my upper body toward Sebastian and wait until he turns into a brightly lit underground parking garage, parks in a VIP spot, and turns his full attention to me.After a deep breath, I barrel into the truth.
“I never fully hated you.I wanted to, but I couldn’t.Resentment, anger, heartbreak—the list of what I felt goes on and on, but hate was too hard.”
He leans an elbow on the center console and cups the side of my face in his massive hand.
“Don’t be so quick to forgive me, sweet pea.I’m already madly in love with you, but I don’t deserve your sweetness.I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you,” he rumbles.
I force my lungs to take a shuddering breath and quirk my lips in a lopsided half-grin.
“Then I’ll try to be meaner every now and then,” I jest.
He growls and leans across the vehicle until his forehead presses against mine.
“Not too mean, I hope.”His breath warms my face.“The cruelest thing would be to lose you after finally finding you again.”After an uneven breath, he slides his fingers gently into my hair.Their trembling captivates and awes me.“If you ever need space, just say so, and I’ll try to slow down or back off, but I meant it when I said everything I’ve done—everything I am—is for you, Penelope.”
My nerve endings buzz.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He brushes his lips over my brow, cheeks, and nose before sliding his hand down the side of my neck to my nape and landing a chaste peck on my temple.With reluctance in his every move, he releases me and exits the car.
I take a deep breath, but even the itchy fiery sensation of my burn scars doesn’t diminish the buzzing in my veins.When he opens my door and offers me his hand, I unbuckle and bite back a moan as the seatbelt drags across my hard nipples.
“Wait, I… I need a minute,” I say as I reach past his proffered hand to the door handle.
In true gentlemanly fashion, he backs up, let’s me shut the door, then turns and blocks the window with his wide back.
Without him in it, the car is too confining, especially with the weight of the building pressing down on the parking garage, so I twist my ring a few rotations around my finger and gently gnaw on my lip ring until the throbbing between my legs lessens and my hands no longer shake.
When I knock on the window to let Sebastian know I’m ready to exit, he opens the door and helps me out as though I didn’t just close him out of his own car without explanation, and he engulfs my hand in his.He retrieves our bags, refusing to let me carry anything, and leads me through double glass sliding doors and past the main elevators.As he punches in his code to the double doors, my brain kicks into analyzation mode.
“This is the private elevator for the penthouse.I tried to set different alerts, but none of them work.”
I study the outer keypad before stepping into the elevator and looking over the control panel.As Sebastian inputs his code and we ascend, I note the high-end fixtures and smooth ride.
The entire building screams expensive but not flashy, and as he leads me through a simple receiving area and into the penthouse, I can’t help but correlate the quality and efficiency of the construction and furniture to his method of success.
I stop three paces past the door and stare in mute shock.
This apartment isnothinglike what I expected.Sure, the open concept layout and the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows stretching across the living room, dining area, and kitchen fit the cold billionaire image, but everything else—from the kitchen appliances, furniture, decor, and everything in between—gives off a cozy, homey air.I blink and fight a wave of tears.
The odd mix of colorful comfort with the sleek nighttime cityscape as the backdrop fills me with awe.
Between the sewing machines, painting easels, messy but organized DVDs and gaming consoles, and clean yet lived in kitchen, the entire apartment feels just as welcoming and loving as the two women who no doubt run the house.
Logically, after visiting the hospital, I knew Sebastian lived with his grandmother and mother, but I never imagined he’d center his life around their comfort.
Jealousy spears through me.Not only do I wish Samuel could be half as attentive and caring for our parents as Sebastian is, but I also want to be the center of Sebastian’s universe.
