Chapter 14
Sebastian
Her surprise at me knowing her name is incomparable to my shock at her knowing who I am. Knowing that I’m her neighbor. Knowing about our runs.
I thought I did an impeccable job staying invisible to her. That she was oblivious to my existence. How wrong I was. And how fortunate I am in this moment for being wrong.
Because her knowledge of me has her seeking protection in me. I know her arms clutching me is out of fear from Chris, not attraction to me. But it doesn’t matter. She’s choosing to touch me. She knows I’m safe.
It’s more than I could dream of.
But now I need to get this bastard away from my girl. Because as much as I love her touch, if it’s brought on by fear, then it’s not freely given. It’s not truly mine. And I won’t stand for anyone eliciting fear in my angel.
Given how short she is, she’s oblivious to the threatening look I shoot Chris Davis. Better men have shrunk under its intensity, but this drunk fool doesn’t seem to sense my danger.
“If anyone is taking–”
“Enough, Chris.” I emphasize his name, which hasn’t been given to me. His eyes widen, and he steps back. “Go back to the bar and sober up. Or to your little red truck. I don’t care either way. Just get away from Lizzy.”
“How do you–” he starts, but I’m already turning Lizzy and myself around.
She curls into me, balancing herself with my arms. The slight sway as she walks encourages me to tighten my grip on her. To support her. I try not to get any pleasure from her presence, from her awareness of me, but it’s like ignoring the sun. Impossible.
“It’s this one,” I tell her as I lead us to my passenger door. My silver Audi isn’t flashy like Matthias’s cars, but she still stares at it as if it were a golden chariot.
“Thank you,” she murmurs with a smile as I open the door for her. She slides inside, and I can’t help but notice how right she looks in my car. It’s like she belongs here. In my car. In my life.
I rush around the car and situate myself in the front seat quickly, not wanting to give her a chance to change her mind.
I’m about to turn the ignition on when her smell hits me.
I know the lavender scent well, having smelled her body wash countless times.
But I’ve never been afforded the luxury of smelling it on her.
Inhaling deeply, I savor every hint of her, breathing her into my lungs. The clicking of her seatbelt shakes me from my stupor. Recovering quickly, I press the ignition button and let the car roar to life.
Gliding onto the interstate, I attempt to keep my eyes on the road… but fail. My tantalizing angel beckons me with each inhale. The soft sounds cause my heart to accelerate in tune with her.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t shown up.” She sighs and fiddles with her nails.
“Of course.” The curt reply is all I manage to push out. Still unused to her presence, her attention.
“This is what I get for putting myself out there.” She drops her hands and turns to face me. “Don’t laugh, but I even bought this dress for tonight. And got on bi–” She trails off with flushed cheeks, clearly embarrassed at what she almost confessed.
Birth control. She got on birth control. That’s what she was going to say. I have to take a few deep breaths to calm down. The one thing she doesn’t need is an upset man next to her. She should always be comfortable in my presence.
“You look breathtaking in that dress. The green makes you glow. Somehow, it even makes your bangs stand out.” When she doesn’t respond immediately, I begin to get flustered.
If I made her uncomfortable with my compliments, I’ll have to punish myself, because no one is allowed to make her feel uneasy. Not even me.
“Oh, thank you…” She trails off then looks up apologetically. “I don’t know your name.” She winces as she says it, clearly feeling guilty.
“It’s Bash. Well, Sebastian, but everyone calls me Bash.” For the first time in my life, I question my nickname. Does it sound childish? Or eccentric?
“Hi, Bash. I’m Lizzy. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She extends an arm across the console. When my palm meets hers, electric shocks fly through me. I can’t hold back the shudder that overtakes me, nor the way it wakes my cock.
This is the moment I’ve dreamt of for six years. The moment I could never allow myself to hope would transpire. I revel in every second, every word, every touch.
“Lizzy, meeting you has been the highlight of my day.” I hold my breath after the accidental confession. But when she giggles and blushes, I empty my lungs.
“That should be my line. You really saved me back there. I can’t thank you enough.” The gratitude in her tone only validates my actions. I had to step in. I had no choice.
“It was really no problem. He was a miscreant, not taking no for an answer. It’s irredeemable. Prison isn’t good enough for those reprobates,” I snarl.
“You think he would’ve taken it that far?” she asks softly.
I chance a glance at her and note her pallor. Fuck, I’m scaring her. Rewinding my words in my mind, I realize where I went wrong and backtrack.
“Probably not,” I lie through my teeth. “But I’m grateful I happened to be there anyway. I’ll always protect a woman in need.”
“You’re a good guy, Bash. Your girlfriend’s a lucky girl.” She’s back to fiddling with her fingers as she says it.
At first, I think she’s making a joke about how lucky she is for being my girl, because the mere suggestion of any other woman in my life is so preposterous. Then, when I realize she’s trying to gauge if I’m single, my chest warms.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, but I know my girl is out there.” I’m careful with my words, not wanting to give away that my girl is her, but also not wanting her to think I’m holding out for someone else.
She looks at me from the corner of her eye. “Anyone specific in mind?”
I just shrug, neither confirming nor denying, when what I really want to do is pull over and persuade her to be with me.
To cater to her logical nature. Show her all the ways we’re compatible, and how well I’ll treat her.
She wouldn’t turn me down. It’d be senseless to do so.
But I can’t risk it, so I continue in silence.
Movement on the other side of the car catches my attention, and when I turn to see her feet on my dashboard, I instinctively reach over and grip her ankles.
Gently, I pull them off the dashboard with my right hand while still steering with my left.
I make sure her legs are in front of her on the ground before I turn back to the road.
“I’m sorry, but in the case of an accident, the risk of injury is astronomically higher when the passenger’s legs rest on the dashboard.
The airbag becomes a lever, and the force will travel up your spine while your body is folded at the hips.
The danger isn’t worth it.” Content with my reasoning, I nod to myself.
But then I quickly add so as to not cause her worry, “Not that I’d let you get hurt.
We won’t get into an accident. I’ve never been in a car accident. This is simply precautionary.”
“Oh. I get it. Thanks,” she mumbles. I refrain from looking at her, seeing the discomfort written on her face would be too much for me to bear.
Silence descends in the car, and I internally berate myself. I just scared her and touched her without permission. There’s no way she’ll want me now. I can’t believe I’ve done this.
“Oh no,” she huffs. “This isn’t good.”
My heart beats out of my chest. She’s done with me. She wants to get out of this car. Being around me isn’t good. She doesn’t even know most of it, and yet, she can already sense that she’s better off without me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“Huh? No, my car. I left it by the bar. How am I supposed to get it?” Her dejected tone over a problem with such a simple solution only highlights how alone she is. But not anymore. I’m here for her.
“I’ll drive you to it in the morning.” There isn’t any other option, not for her, and certainly not for me.
“No, it’s fine. I promise I wasn’t trying to guilt you. You’ve already done so much for me. I’ll figure it out.”
The insinuation that she could guilt me after all I’ve hidden from her is ludicrous. I owe her for eternity. Driving her to her car would be a privilege, not payment on my debt.
“It’s no problem. I’m heading that way in the morning anyway.” Well, I am now. It may not have been my original plan, and I’ll just turn around to follow her home to ensure her safety, but I have to convince her somehow.
“Oh. Well, in that case, thank you. I owe you one.” I can hear the smile in her voice. The way her cadence changes with her happiness is song to my soul. Her joy feeds me.
Entirely too soon, we pull into the neighborhood. Desperate for a few extra moments with her, I slow to ten under the speed limit. She can think I’m a cautious driver in neighborhoods, that’s fine with me. I need a few more seconds to bask in her presence.
“This is me,” she tells me as I pull up to her house as if I don’t know where she lives. As if I haven’t been in this house countless times. As if I don’t have every inch of it memorized.
I open my mouth to thank her. For what, I’m not sure. Being this near to her. Having her trust me enough to help her. Knowing who I am. They’re all reasons to be grateful. But thankfully, she beats me to it.
“Bash, I don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much.” She hops out of the car then hesitates before closing the door. “Are you still good to take me in the morning?”
“Yes, of course. Does ten work for you?” I try not to sound too excited about being with her again in the morning but might have failed. I don’t want to rush her in the morning, but that’s not the only reason for the later hour. I need time to mentally prepare.
She breaks out in a blinding smile. “That’s perfect. I promise I’ll be ready. Goodnight, Bash.”
She says it again, and I can hardly breathe. My name on her lips has me desperate for her. It has me fantasizing about a future where I hear her call me by name freely. Frequently.
“Goodnight, Lizzy,” I reply in a husky voice.
I wait in her driveway as she walks to her front door, only leaving once she’s safely inside.
The entire way back around the street to my house, I repeat the way she said my name.
When I park, I take a moment to inhale her scent mingled with mine, then leave the car.
In the shower, I take myself in hand and chase my release with the memory of her scent in my nose and my name on her lips.
Once I’m ready for bed, I study my Lizzy flashcards like I’m being tested on them tomorrow. Like failing means losing everything. Because I am, and it does. Tomorrow is the first day I put my knowledge into practice. I can’t risk missing anything. Not with my angel.