I stare up at him. “Sebastian…”
“I chased every lead I could find,” he continues quietly. “Most of them went nowhere.” His thumb brushes along my cheekbone, and I smile at him because I think it’s cute how he needs to be touching me in some way.
“How did you find me?” I ask. It probably doesn’t really matter, but I’d like to know.
“A friend of mine, Caiden Grey, has deep connections all over the place and was able to track you to St. Killian. He also saw that someone else was trying to get intel on you.” Sebastian’s mouth pulls tight. “I’ll know more tomorrow, but I assume that was Nathan. Anyway, as soon as I knew your location, I packed a bag and caught the next flight.”
Emotion rises in my chest so quickly it almost hurts. “You came here just to find me? That was the only reason?”
“I came here because you belong to me,” he says simply. “I have every letter, every tape, every single thought I recorded about you in storage back in my hometown, and I can’t wait to take you there one day.”
“Tristan said we shouldn’t visit,” I say cheekily, and that makes Sebastian frown.
“I’m going to have to beat his ass now, and I hope you know that,” he admonishes me, but he’s touching my face and neck so tenderly, I know he doesn’t mean it.
A surprised laugh escapes me before I can stop it. After everything that’s happened tonight, the sound feels strange coming out of my mouth. Sebastian watches me like the laugh is the best thing he’s heard in his life.
Then his mouth lowers to mine.
The kiss is slow and unhurried.
He brushes his lips against mine once, twice, like he’s savoring the feeling. His hands move through my hair, down my back, across my waist.
He kisses me again, deeper now, and I melt into him without thinking.
“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he murmurs between kisses.
My fingers slide into the back of his hair.
“You’re intense,” I whisper. “I love it.”
“You have no idea, baby. But I’m going to show you tonight.”
Before I can respond, his hands move to my hips, and he lifts me effortlessly. My legs wrap instinctively around his waist.
His forehead rests briefly against mine.
“I mean what I said,” he says quietly. “You’re going to live with me. First here, starting tonight. I’ll have your things moved tomorrow. Then we’ll find a place wherever you want. Anything you want.”
I open my mouth, and I’m not even going to protest. After tonight, I don’t want to be away from Sebastian. I want to be with him as much as possible. We have so much catching up to do, and I don't want to waste another second.
I don’t get a chance to say any of that because he’s still pleading his case. “I’m not sleeping away from you,” he continues. “Now that you know everything, there’s no reason for us to be apart.”
His hand slides up to cradle the back of my head when he says, “I simply do not wish to be away from you for any reason. And I need to be close to you all the time.”
Something in the way he says the words makes my stomach flip.
My fingers curl into the front of his shirt, tugging him closer.
“How close?” I ask quietly.
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I need to be inside of you, baby.” His fingers hook into the hem of my dress, and when his eyes flick up to mine in silent question, I lift my arms.
I’m ready for this. I’m ready for him.
I expect him to undress me. I expect him to work as fast as he can until we’re both naked because he’s looking at me like he’s been starving for this moment.
But he doesn’t take my dress off. Instead, he lets his hands wander over every contour of my body.
