Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
NICOLO
There’s nothing wrong with a late start to the day. Not when the reason is an orgasm strong enough to warrant a nap afterwards.
Not that Sebastian lets me nap. Not that I want to nap on the floor anyway.
For one night, the hardwood was fine. We were able to make a nest out of the blankets we took from the safehouse and sleep easy enough, but I really hope Sebastian’s old bed shows up today. If not, tonight I might seriously beg him to get a hotel room until our furniture arrives.
“Rental should be here in about an hour.” Sebastian tucks his temporary phone in his pocket before he presses against my back and loops his arms around my shoulders. That’s on the list of things to do today. Get new phones. Get the internet turned on. A car, then grocery shopping.
“Anything you want me to add?” I tap my pen tip on the notebook I have flipped open. My grocery list keeps getting longer and longer but we literally have nothing in the house—not even the basic bread, eggs and milk. Unless we plan to be on a first name basis with every delivery place in a five-mile radius, we’re going to have to do some serious shopping today.
Sebastian reads over my shoulder but shakes his head. “Nah. Looks like you’ve got everything we need plus some.”
The kitchen has plenty of cabinets for dinnerware and counterspace for appliances. I really will be able to keep a little garden of fresh herbs—if not on the windowsill above the sink, on the counter in a bright patch of sunlight.
The walk-in pantry is a wet dream. Not as big as the one in our childhood home, but big enough I’ll be able to buy more than one of things I know I’ll use often.
I tip my head back and rest my head on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Do we need anything for the house?”
He rubs his scruffy jaw against mine before pressing a kiss to my temple. “I’m not sure. I think the moving company packs everything we leave behind but we’ll have to wait and see.”
I add a few miscellaneous items just in case. “I think that’s it for now.”
Sebastian tugs me away from the counter and laces his fingers with mine. “Let’s check the outside before the car gets here.”
I don’t protest when he drags me out the back door into a slightly overgrown backyard. It’s fenced in and big, with plenty of room for a dog to run free.
There’s a wooden shed in need of repair sitting in the corner, under a tree I don’t know the name of. Its trunk is fat from years of being well watered. An assortment of red, orange, and brown leaves litters the ground at its base.
“It’s cute.” I release Sebastian’s hand and wander across the deck. It doesn’t creak or make any suspicious sounds and when I lean on the balustrade it holds my weight without swaying. “If you don’t have a grill already, maybe we can get one? A cute little table to put out here. It’ll be nice in the summer.”
He leans on the rail at my side. “If you want. I’ll need to get a lawnmower or find someone to take care of this.”
It’s so fucking domestic—get a grill, a table for the deck so we can drink our morning coffee and greet the sunrise. Mow the lawn. Definitely see about repairing the shed. Maybe plant some flowers this coming spring. Build a life. Not just as brothers but as husbands, thanks to the US Marshals’ oversight.
I press my shoulder into Sebastian and he lifts his arm, tugging me close. It’s safe, easy, as familiar as breathing. I settle into the warm space against his ribcage. “Did you ever think when we were kids this would be our life?”
Sebastian snorts and shakes his head. “No. Not in a million years.”
“But it’s good, right?” I ask as I look up and search Sebastian’s face.
His smile is soft, warm, and so fucking fond my heart skips a beat. “It’s perfect.”
I press up on my tiptoes, reaching for him. Sebastian meets me halfway, his mouth slotting over mine with all the gentle care in the world.
It would be easy for him to slip me his tongue, to turn the kiss dirty while he backs me into the house so we can lose ourselves in each other for the next hour. I wouldn’t even voice a word of complaint; I love having his hands and mouth on me, even more so now that he’s willing to play with my hole.
But Sebastian keeps the kiss light, his mouth moving over mine as his arm tightens around my shoulders. I’m still breathless when he pulls back, just a little bit dizzy as he nips at my bottom lip before resting his forehead against mine. “I love you, Nicolo. So much.”
I turn and press my face into his neck as my eyes burn. He runs his hands down my back and holds me close. I can hear the thump of his strong and steady heartbeat under my ear.
The first and last time Sebastian told me he loved me, he disappeared for ten years. I know this moment is nothing like that. He’s not going to leave me, not after we just found each other. No matter what happens—whether we keep pretending to be husbands, or go back to just being brothers—Sebastian will always be a part of my life. I just really hope us being brothers doesn’t get in the way of us being more.
“Nicolo?” His voice is soft, his breath warm against my temple. “You okay?”
I nod and swallow several times before I try to talk. “I love you too.”
He nudges me backwards and tips my head back with a finger under my chin. I bite my bottom lip and blink away my tears. It’s been ten years but I still recognize the look in his eyes. The one that says he’ll burn down the whole world just to see me smile.
“I’m not sad,” I promise him. “The opposite, actually.”
I’m so fucking happy I’m either going to scream or cry, and to be honest my throat is a little sore after all the screaming I did last night.
He tugs on my bottom lip with his thumb. “Alright. I’ll take your word for it. And you know, if you’re serious about this being husbands business, we should shop for rings.”
“Really?” I breathe out.
Sebastian shrugs. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going anywhere. And I have a feeling we’re going to keep having sex so why not give it a try?”
I laugh. That’s probably not the most romantic proposal ever but it’s perfect because it’s Sebastian telling me exactly what I want to hear.
We’re here, together, and neither of us is walking away.
I hold up my hand and extend my pinky. He wraps his around mine but instead of crossing our hearts he leans in and plants a kiss on my mouth.
If this is what our forever looks like, life is going to be pretty fucking great.
“Let’s grab your list and wait out front.” Sebastian takes my hand and pulls me away from the balustrade; I stumble after him, a stupid little smile pulling at my mouth. My gaze drops to his firm ass, now that I can look without worrying about what Simon or Burke will think or say if they catch me.
He really, truly does fill out a pair of basketball shorts spectacularly.