Chapter 47 A Proper Date #2
Sebastian’s eyes darkened as he looked at her, still illuminated by the candlelight from the terrace. “Harper.”
“What?”
“Dance with me,” he said suddenly.
Harper’s breath caught. “Here?”
“Here.” Sebastian held out his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it.
He pulled her closer, one hand settling at her waist while the other held hers against his chest. They began to move to the music, slow and intimate, their bodies pressed together from chest to thigh.
“Better than I imagined,” Sebastian murmured against her ear, and Harper did indeed sigh at the contact.
“What did you imagine?” she asked, her free hand sliding up to rest at the nape of his neck.
“This.” His hand traced down her spine, following the curve of her lower back. “The way you fit against me. The way you smell.” His lips found her throat, pressing a soft kiss there. “The way your pulse races when I touch you here.”
Harper’s head fell back slightly, giving him better access. “Sebastian.”
“I’ve been thinking about you all week,” he continued, his voice low and rough.
Sebastian’s hands began to explore her back, tracing patterns on her skin. “The way you challenge me, the way you look at me like you can see right through all the charm to whatever’s underneath.”
They weren’t really dancing anymore, just swaying together in the dim light, lost in each other.
“What’s underneath?” Harper asked, her voice softer now.
Sebastian pulled back to look at her, his hands framing her face. “Someone who wants you more than he’s ever wanted anything.”
The raw honesty in his voice made Harper’s knees weak. “Show me,” she said.
Sebastian’s smile was wicked and tender at once. “With pleasure.”
They moved through the house slowly, Harper’s heels clicking softly on the hardwood, their joined hands the only point of contact.
The familiar minimalist spaces felt different now—charged with intention instead of casual visits or hurried encounters.
Sebastian paused at the base of the stairs, turning to look at her.
“You sure about this?” he asked quietly. “I mean… Us. Whatever we’re calling it.”
Harper looked directly at him. “I’m sure that I want to find out what happens when we stop overthinking everything.”
“That’s terrifyingly unlike you.”
“I know.” She smiled, something genuine crossing her face. “You’re a terrible influence.”
Sebastian’s thumb traced across her knuckles. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“You always do.”
They climbed the stairs together, and Harper found herself noticing details she’d missed before—photographs on the walls, the way the city lights filtered through the windows, how Sebastian’s shoulders carried less tension than usual.
His bedroom was exactly as Harper remembered it—understated luxury that somehow managed to feel warm and personal. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the terrace they’d just left, and soft lighting made everything feel golden and dreamlike.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about you too,” Harper said, backing him toward the bed.
“Have you now?” Sebastian’s hands tangled in her hair. “What exactly have you been thinking about?”
“How I want to see if I can completely wreck that composure of yours,” she said, pushing him down onto the mattress.
Sebastian’s laugh was breathless. “Harper, do you have any idea what you do to me when you talk like that?”
“I have some theories,” she said, straddling him, her fingers making quick work of his shirt. “But I’d rather have proof.”
“You want proof?” His hands slid up her thighs, voice dropping to that rough register that made her pulse quicken.
“Yes,” she said, leaning down to bite his shoulder. “Lots of it.”
What followed was intense and intimate, all heat and hunger and desperate kisses. Harper took control the way she always wanted to—completely, confidently, driving them both toward the edge with a precision that left Sebastian completely undone.
“God, Harper,” he said, settling back to take a better look at her. “You’re incredible, you know that?”
“I do know that,” Harper said with characteristic directness. “But I like hearing you say it anyway,” she breathed against his skin.
He laughed, “Modest as always.”
“Now stop talking and let me ruin you properly,” she teased.
“Okay, but fair warning, I’m going to ruin you right back,” he said, flipping them so she was beneath him. “Since you seem so interested in wrecking things tonight.”
When they finally collapsed together, breathing hard and thoroughly satisfied, Harper curled against Sebastian’s side with a satisfied smile.
“So,” she said. “How was that for a proper date?”
Sebastian laughed, the sound low and content. “We skipped dessert.”
“Speak for yourself,” Harper said, deadpan.
He looked scandalized, then delighted. “Remind me to take you out in public never.”
She smiled, “This is the part where I remind you we’re supposed to be keeping this quiet anyway.”
“I know.” He reached up, brushing her cheek. “We’ll be careful. Besides, maybe I like keeping you all to myself for now.”
“Me too,” Harper whispered.
They lay there in silence, the air between them soft and full. She rested her head on his shoulder, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
Outside, the string lights continued to twinkle, and for the first time in weeks, Harper felt like they had found something that was entirely theirs.