Loyal Lawyer by Lauren Runow
Chapter Nineteen
Sebastian and I leave his office and walk to the parking garage in his building before hopping in the car and heading to his home.
On the drive, all I can think about is the encounter with Lauren. I can’t imagine being in her shoes. Being pregnant with a man’s baby who is dating someone else has to be a horrible feeling. You should be basking in the planning, together as a couple, not having scheduled appointments. I wouldn’t be surprised if she views me as an intrusion in her future plans. Perhaps she’s waiting on Sebastian to have his fill of me and move on … or move back to her.
When we get to his house, Sebastian goes to change out of his suit. I go straight for Lady Featherington and Duke, who are pawing at my knees, ready to go out. I put their leashes on and grab a bag, taking them out for their walk.
Usually, Sebastian and I take them out together, but tonight, I want some fresh air for myself. I’ve been in the kitchen all day, so stretching my legs on a warm summer evening is exactly what I need to defog my brain.
The dogs are a great distraction. Duke is very protective of Lady Featherington. Every time she squats to pee, he stands at attention, as if he were blocking her from prying eyes. When she’s done, she wipes her feet on the grass and then struts forward, taking the lead with Duke on her tail. If another dog comes near them, Duke rushes forward and snarls at them, keeping them away from his lady. When he becomes distracted by a passing car, she growls at him and sets him back on his walk.
I’ve caught the two snuggled together on the sofa more than once. She always lets him eat the Kibbles ’n Bits first, which I think is because she knows he likes to devour only the soft pieces. And when he gets lost in chasing his tail, which he does often, she barks at him until his attention is diverted to something else, like a chew toy or Sebastian’s slipper, which is the only item of his that he likes to destroy.
Back at the house, I head straight to the kitchen, needing to continue keeping my mind busy and off of questioning everything, so I start heating up the dinner I prepared earlier today—the lobster bisque I planned to serve Sebastian months ago. I take it out of the Tupperware and pour it into a pot to simmer on low. I also packed two small containers of chocolate. One cocoa and one a very special blend.
When Sebastian enters the room, wearing the sexiest pair of gray sweats and a tight-fitted black shirt that shows off his ridiculously perfect physique, my insides melt at the sight of him.
I turn back to the soup and give it a final stir before shutting it off.
Sebastian comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. “You sure are quiet tonight.”
Before my mind can think, I blurt out, “Does Lauren ever ask about getting back together with you?”
He lets out a surprised huff as he holds me closer. “I knew that was what was wrong. Meeting Lauren freaked you out. That’s my fault. I shouldn’t have waited so long.”
I let out a breath and drop the back of my head to his chest. “Yes. It would be nice to have a warning next time. I would have worn something better. Maybe added some lipstick.”
“You’re perfect.”
“I came from a long day of work.”
“You’re gorgeous. No woman in the world holds a candle to you.”
“She does in so many ways. And I can’t imagine how she feels, being pregnant with your child, yet here you are … with me.”
“Hey.” He turns me around, so I’m facing him. His knuckle glides under my chin, bringing my gaze to his sincere expression. “Don’t forget that she’s the one who broke it off with me. Yeah, we started to drift and never truly clicked, but she’s the one who finally put the stop to it. She doesn’t want me, and I’m relieved. Don’t ever feel like you’re in the middle or that you’re some kind of other woman. We’re both very fine with this situation.” He pauses and smiles with a light laugh. “Actually, better than fine. It is what it is, and we’re going to co-parent, but no, there has been zero discussion on possibly getting back together.”
“But you didn’t break it off with her. You …” I pause, feeling like this is all too ridiculous. My concerns sound so childish. I put a stop to them, close my mouth, and look away.
When I don’t meet his eyes, he places his finger on the side of my face and tilts my head up.
“I don’t like to see you like this. Please, tell me what’s really on your mind. No holding back,” he says with a tone of worry.
His voice makes my heart turn into goo on an ordinary day. When it’s deep with a whisper of concern, I’m so weak to his trance that I give in.
“I just feel like I’m in the way. If I weren’t here, would you two try to make a go of it? She sure seemed to stake her claim on that when we met. Don’t you think when he’s born, you two will try to give your child a life that’s not illegitimate? One where you can shop for one crib instead of two or make a schedule of where the baby sleeps on what day and who gets to decide what pediatrician you use or where he goes to school? And her family wouldn’t be surprised to meet the baby daddy because you’d be a regular fixture in their lives. Holidays, birthdays, Sunday dinners … everything would just be as it should. But here I am, a big roadblock. That’s probably what your family will think when they meet me. Sebastian’s other woman who is keeping him from his rightful family.” I run my hand in my hair and groan. I’m so annoyed at myself for saying all that stuff, let alone actually feeling it.
His face falls as he pulls me into him. I fall into his chest as he wraps his arms around my back and head, enveloping me in a huge hug. I sink into him and feel so embarrassed.
“Hey now. That was a huge leap. I want to hear all your thoughts, even the bad ones.”
“I don’t sound crazy?” I ask, righting myself and looking up at him.
He caresses the side of my head and smiles. “Absolutely batshit.”
I groan again, but he halts me from hiding into his chest and grips me by the arms. He bends down slightly, making sure his eyes are locked in with mine.
“Amy, you’re right.”
My eyes widen as I wonder which point in particular I’m right about. I said so many things, which means this could easily have me devastated.
“None of this is how it’s supposed to happen. I hate having to pick out double of everything and relinquish some of my rights as a parent. I despise that my mother is uncomfortable with announcing to her friends that she’s expecting a grandchild because she’ll have to explain the situation. My mother is lovely, but she’s old-fashioned in some ways. And what I wouldn’t give to be able to lie in bed at night and feel my son kick. Lauren’s always texting me that she’s feeling them, but I’ve yet to, and it kills me.” He narrows his brow and seems almost pained. “All that is what I want, but there is no denying that it won’t happen with Lauren. I don’t love her. It’s as clear as that. I love you.”
My heart drops in absolute surprise. “You do?”
“Painfully so. Yes.”
I swallow, stunned and elated. My chest seems to remember how to beat again as tingles go up my spine and straight to my brain. “But we’ve haven’t been together all that long. It seems so sudden.”
He shakes his head. “You keep saying that. At your parents’ house, they asked how long we were together, and you said just two weeks, but I disagreed. Amy, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve been yours since the moment you called me by mistake. I chose you with one hundred percent of my being then. You have been my every thought, breath, and prayer. I ache when you’re not with me and smile the moment I see your face. I’ve been a damn fool, trying to win your heart, so here I am, pouring mine out to you. I am in love with you, body and soul. I know you’ve been burned by love before, and you are taking this huge leap by being with me, so I was holding back on telling you, but if there is any doubt in your head on where I stand, on where my feet have been cemented since that moment we met at Love and Lavender, then you need to hear this now. I’m yours.”
My heart is exploding in my chest as I cry out in absolute joy. I grip his face and kiss him, taking his passion and desire, his proclamation of love, and drinking it in with every fiber of my being.
Our kiss is heady and desperate. My hands are in his hair, and his are around my back, gripping me and lifting me up until my legs are wrapped around his waist, pulling me into him, never letting me go.
“Take me to the bedroom,” I say as I bite the lobe of his ear.
He moans and starts to move me away from the kitchen. Clearly, we were never meant to eat that damn bisque.
Before we’re out of the kitchen fully, I divert him back and instruct him to grab the Tupperware with the special chocolate.
“Dessert for dinner?” he asks as he climbs the stairs.
“Something like that,” I say when we reach the landing.
He kicks his bedroom door open and ushers me over to the bed. I take the container of chocolate and pop the lid. I grab a brick, rise to my knees, and offer it to him.
Sebastian arches a brow and complies. I place the morsel on his tongue, and his mouth captures my finger on the way out, sucking on it.
“I told you chocolate was an aphrodisiac. This is the original recipe used by the Mayans.”
He grins. “Baby, I don’t need any help with my libido when I’m with you.”
“I have been told my chocolate is better than sex,” I say coquettishly.
“Clearly, they’re making love to the wrong man, but I’ll make a concession.” He lifts a brick from the container and rests the chocolate against my lips. “Sex is better with chocolate.”
I part my lips and eat up the sweet and spicy delicacy, letting it melt on my tongue as his hand roams over my shirt. His fingers dance dangerously over my taut nipple, sending a wild sensation through my entire body.
He lifts my tank top, and I help him out of his T-shirt, drifting my fingers over the muscles and then leaning forward to kiss and lick everywhere I just touched.
Sebastian removes his pants and boxers and then tugs my jeans off. I shimmy out of my panties and continue to kiss and lap up and down his body, loving the warmth of his silky skin under my tongue.
He motions for me to get on all fours. My face is level with his enormous erection, and I waste no time in taking it into my mouth and licking it from base to tip, letting the salty taste of his pre-cum mix with the sweet taste of the chocolate.
His moans echo in the room, sending me into an erotic haze. I swirl my tongue in circles around the sensitive head and then glide up the vein until Sebastian’s deep voice is chanting my name. When I deep-throat him the way he loves, he nearly cries.
“Fuck, your mouth is magic.”
Warm hands snake around my head. His fingers weave into my hair, guiding my head up. He’s standing powerfully and filled with desire. I know that look. It means he’s ready to go wild beast on me.
“I need to be inside you.” His voice is hushed, his breathing hard, as he takes a condom from his end table and slides it on his thick-as-steel erection while I lie down on the bed. “I have never felt so connected to a woman before. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t breathe until I’m buried deep inside you.”
Warm, heated lips suck on the soft skin of my throat as he lies on top of me and holds my hands at our sides, squeezing them. I constrict when his mouth lowers to my breast, nipping and sucking on the tender peak, sending shivers down my body and into my very core.
Together, we raise our hands, so they’re over our heads. As he looks down at me, serious and purposeful, he nudges my legs further apart with his hips as he settles in place.
With our gazes held, he enters me. As he moves, his groin rubs against me, giving friction to my very swollen clit, and I gasp out in pleasure. My back instantly bows and arches into him. With a roll of his hips, he hits every nerve ending inside my body.
“Kiss me, Sebastian,” I plead.
He gives me what I want and kisses me hard as he fucks me, loves me, rattles me to the core.
I come with a violent scream that has the dogs barking from the bottom of the stairs.
Sebastian’s own release comes with a growl.
As we come down from our high, he discreetly removes the condom and then pulls me into his front and curls his body around mine. The sex was amazing, but this is even better. Knowing he loves me and that every emotion I’ve experienced with him is true makes me feel so alive.
I place my hand on his arm and hold it tighter against my body. With a slight turn to my head so I’m facing him as much as I can while keeping our position, I say, “I love you too, Sebastian.”
I feel his gasp against my back as he flips me over, so I’m on my back, and he’s above me, staring into my eyes. The grin that covers his face is the absolute sexiest thing I’ve ever seen on him.
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. We both smile at each other, at our realization that this is real, us. We’re doing this, and I couldn’t be happier.
When his lips touch mine in a sensual kiss, I realize I was wrong. This is the best moment of my life so far.