Chapter Thirty-Eight - Thalia
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Thalia
“MORE FLOWERS? IS that really necessary?” I ask, smiling at him in the mirror as I put on my new diamond drop earrings he gave me for my birthday a few weeks ago.
Bash leans against the door frame, holding a bouquet of pink peonies in his hand. “God, you’re beautiful.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“I wouldn’t call it flattery, just honesty,” he says smoothly, and goose bumps prickle over my skin.
I laugh quietly, shaking my head at him in the mirror. “Go away. I need to finish getting ready, and it’s distracting having you watch me.”
Sebastian winks at me playfully. “I’d hate to distract you. Where do you want me to put the flowers?”
“Kitchen counter, please and thank you.”
He walks away, and I can’t believe this is my life. I already woke up to new flowers on the nightstand, but if he keeps bringing them home at this pace, I’m going to have more flowers than I know what to do with. I can’t tell him no, though. It’s his favorite way to show me he loves me, and the smile on his face when Sebastian hands them to me makes my heart beat like it’s the first bouquet he’s given me. I love his smile. I love living with him. I love him .
We have plans to go to Blake and Owen’s house where we’ll meet them, and Chris tonight to celebrate Chris signing his divorce papers, and I’m so happy for him. The custody issue hasn’t been settled yet, but it sounds like they are getting close to making an agreement. Sebastian’s private investigator has been looking into Allison, but we’re waiting to hear back from him.
Owen has been doing better since going home, but I think the real turning point was when he started talking with a therapist to deal with the changes in his life. He’s throwing everything into the physical therapy, determined to beat the odds with the hope he might be able to jog one day. It’s not anything like he used to be capable of, but he’s at least making goals for his new reality, and it’s giving me hope that he’ll find a new passion in life.
All I want for my brother is for him to be happy.
Bash is reclining on the bed when I walk into the bedroom to grab my shoes, and I can feel the exact second he looks at me. I spritz my new perfume that Penelope shipped me from Paris last week, and when I turn around, Sebastian is smirking as he watches me.
“What’s that look for?”
His eyes trail up over me, lingering on my chest for a few seconds. “I’m just thinking about how much I’m going to enjoy taking that dress off later.”
“If you keep looking at me like that, I don’t think it’s going to happen later.”
Sebastian gasps dramatically, clutching his heart. “Ouch, am I not enough for you? Is it because I only bought you two bouquets instead of three today? Do you want bigger earrings? Say the word, Thalia, and I’ll give it to you,” he promises, his eyes twinkling happily.
“I meant, I don’t think it’s going to happen later because you look extremely hot, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you right now,” I correct, laughing at his antics.
“Feel free to climb me like a tree,” he teases, and I feel my face flush at the reminder of what I asked him so long ago.
“I can’t believe you remember that,” I say in disbelief, and Sebastian props himself up on his elbows.
“Are you kidding? That’s one of the best things you’ve ever said to me.”
I move forward to slide onto the bed, pulling my dress up to kneel over him. “Really?” I ask, settling down in his lap.
Sebastian’s tongue wets his bottom lip as he looks at me with pure adoration and desire. “Really,” he confirms, sliding a hand up my thigh to toy with the edge of my dress. “Thalia, as much as I like the position we’re in, we need to get going before we miss dinner.”
“Are you sure we need to leave?” I ask, rocking my hips against the tent forming in his pants.
“I suppose I could eat something else for dinner,” he says, and I grin.
“What do you have in mind?” I ask, leaning over him. I don’t think we’re making it for dinner.
His hand slides up the hem of my dress, grabbing a handful of my ass to thrust up against me as I feel my pulse race. “You.”
Unable to resist the temptation of his mouth any longer, I kiss him greedily. I love kissing him. It’s like my drug. Sebastian Walker is an addiction I’m not willing to kick .
“I like the way you think,” I say against his lips, and Bash chuckles.
“Thought you might.”
He kisses me again, using his grip on my hip to grind against me, causing a delicious friction to form. I press harder against him, desperate for more as his lips trail to my neck, and Sebastian takes the opportunity to flip us, his body weight pinning me to the bed.
Sebastian plays with the strap of my dress, pulling it off to the side to reveal my breast. He smiles mischievously, using his tongue to play with the sensitive nerves in my nipple, sucking it gently into his mouth as my body arches on it’s own accord, my leg hooking around the back of his thighs to keep from separating our hips. “Sebastian,” I moan, twisting my fingers through his dark locks, desperate for more.
“Thalia, be patient,” he mumbles against my skin, kissing a path to give the other one the same treatment. I suck in a sharp breath as he resumes biting and sucking.
“Babe, please. I need more.”
This is so much better than going out to dinner.
I lose track as he plants kisses all over my body, avoiding the place I’m aching for it most, even after taking my underwear off. If I weren’t so wound up from Sebastian’s attention, I’d do my best to wipe the stupid smirk off his face by torturing him in a similar manner.
At some point, his lips return to mine, and I seize the opportunity to unbutton his shirt, my hands wandering over the toned muscles.
Sebastian stops, quickly taking the element of surprise over me to hold them above my head. “No, you don’t get to touch. Keep them up there, or I stop. ”
He’s looking at me so intensely that I have no choice but to sink back into the mattress, making sure to grab onto the pillows, because if he stops, I might kill him. Thankfully, I don’t have to as his tongue carves a path down my body, applying the perfect amount of pressure to my clit. I cry out, arching up again as he lifts his head to check to see where my hands are, and a wicked smile forms on his face as he drags his tongue up my core. He rotates between sucking my clit and fucking me with his tongue until I’m falling apart, the only thought in my head is to not move my arms.
Sebastian nudges my legs apart to settle between them, and my eyes flutter shut at the feeling of his cock sliding into me. Our moans fill the air as he pulls his hips back, snapping them forward as I instinctively wrap my legs around his hips to take him deeper. “Love…fuck, you feel so good,” he groans, and all I can do is clutch the pillow above my head.
My dress is bunched around my torso as Sebastian’s shirt hangs open, his abs flexing with every thrust.
I hope we never lose this desperate need for the other to the point where we can’t wait another second to take our clothes off.
Bash pins my wrists over my head and drops his head in the crook of my neck, his hips jerking as he finds his release, triggering mine at the same time. I struggle to catch my breath as Sebastian pants, brushing my hair tenderly out of my face.
“God, I love you,” I say, laughing softly as he unpeels his body from mine.
“Me, or my dick?” he questions, raising an eyebrow at me as he pulls his briefs up, taking off his pants before wandering into the bathroom, returning with a damp washcloth. I push my dress down over my hips, kicking it over the side of the bed.
“You’re a package deal. Good thing I don’t need to pick,” I tease, holding out my hand for the washcloth.
“Relax. I can do it.” Bash smiles, kneeling next to me, gently wiping to clean me up. He discards the washcloth, to climb back in bed next to me. I crawl into his arms, my favorite place to be.
“Thank you,” I say quietly, feeling the rise and fall of his chest.
“Are you thanking me for my magical penis?” he jokes, and I can’t resist laughing at what he just called his dick. “Ouch, Lia. You’re not supposed to laugh when we’re talking about my dick. You could really damage my pride.”
“That’s not why I’m laughing, but I’m sure you’ll get over it. I’m laughing because you just called it a magical penis,” I point out, and he chuckles.
“Well, what else would you call it? I think it is magical! Are you telling me Eric’s was better?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
I lift my head up, my jaw dropping as his cocky ass grins. “I am not answering that.”
His smile only gets wider. “Oh, so I am better in bed.”
“Shut up.” I snort, shaking my head at him, but the smile on my face tells him everything. Sebastian is better in bed.
Sebastian strokes my hair, twisting it at the ends before finding a new piece to play with. “If it makes you feel any better, you’ve always been the best sex of my life.”
“The things you do to my ego,” I tease, but it does boost my ego. Suck it, Kiera. Oops, is that immature of me? “Just remember, babe—it’s not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean.”
He scoffs. “You didn’t seem to be complaining a bit ago about the size or the motion.”
“Oh, I’m so not complaining. It was way better than going to my brother’s.” Except at the thought of food, my stomach rumbles causing Sebastian to laugh, connecting the dots immediately.
“I’ll order delivery.”
If only he was this smart all the time.
Bash disappears for a few minutes, and I take the opportunity to freshen up before slipping into one of his team shirts. It falls down to my thighs, and I twist my hair up, grabbing a clip from the bathroom. I have them stashed everywhere around the house, and it drives Sebastian nuts when he finds them in random places. My favorite place to clip them is to shelves.
He’s still only wearing briefs when I find him in the kitchen ordering pizza, and I can’t tear my eyes from the ripple of muscles in his back. He’s an incredible man who cares so much about the people in his life. I’m just lucky to be one of them.
Then my eyes linger on his tattoo.
Almost.
The one on my collarbone is written in a similar script, despite being in a different language.
“It’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” he says, turning around, catching me staring at him.
“You name-dropped, didn’t you?” I ask, shaking my head because if he got it from my favorite place—which I’m assuming he did—their normal delivery time is over an hour .
The tips of his ears turn red as he smiles sheepishly. “I might have promised them an autograph if it could be here in under a half hour. My girl is hungry; I can’t let you starve.”
“Normally, I’d say don’t do that again, but I’m so hungry, I don’t care.”
Bash gets a glass down from the cupboard, and it’s really unfair that such a normal action can look so sexy when he’s not wearing clothes. “Do you want some water?” Sebastian asks, and I nod just so I can watch him reach for another glass. Totally worth it.
“Can I ask you something?”
He looks at me, surprised I’m even asking for permission. “Of course.”
“Why did you let Kiera call you Seb? You never went by it before her, and I guess I’m just curious why you never corrected her?” I ask softly, unfortunately at the same time he takes a drink from his glass. It lodges in his throat, causing him to choke.
“Where did that come from?” Sebastian croaks out, and I tap my fingers on the counter.
“It’s something I’ve been wondering for a while. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Bash runs a hand through his hair, causing some of it to stick up more than it already was. “I don’t know why I didn’t correct her on it. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Kiera told me that she liked being the only person who called me it, so I let her. It didn’t really bother me until the last few months we were together.”
“You loved her.” I smile sadly, despite the fact I already knew this. He steps closer to me, tilting my chin up to look him in the eyes .
I can see a swirl of emotions in them, but they’re a light honey color right now. They seem to change constantly. If we ever have kids, I hope they have his eyes. They’re beautiful.
“I did,” he admits carefully, never breaking eye contact. “I did love Kiera, but I never stopped loving you . I tried so hard to get over you, but you always had me, even when you didn’t. Thalia Lewis…there is no forgetting you. I think I’ve loved you before I even knew what love really was. I might have been a little stubborn and refused to admit it at times, but being with you makes me happy in ways I don’t think I can even try to describe.”
I don’t want to cry, but it’s not often that Sebastian says stuff like this. He’s great at it when he chooses to, and before I can stop them, tears are spilling down my cheeks. I lean forward on my tiptoes, pressing my lips softly against his as my heart swells with happiness and love.
Sebastian fucking Walker is the great love of my life that I’ve been lucky enough to find.