Chaos (4 page)

Everyone got to work, loading the boxes we brought from the house and packing up the tools in Sean’s and Dale’s trucks. Close to two hours later, we had everything strapped in, and from the looks of the six vehicles, I had a lot more shit than I’d thought I had.

Now it was time to get it the hell out of there.

Payton

When Sebastian had given me the key to his new house, I hadn’t been sure what to think. He had blown me away when he’d announced that he’d bought a house. Of all the things I’d been expecting him to tell me when he’d showed up at my apartment yesterday, that wasn’t it. Not that I wasn’t happy for him. I honestly believed that getting his own place, away from Conrad, would allow them to put some much-needed distance between them. At least until Sebastian could come to terms with his suspicions.

But a key. For me.

At first I’d thought he was just handing it over so that I could stop by after I picked up some groceries, something we had briefly discussed moments before he handed over the key. That wasn’t his intention, he’d informed me. The key was for me. Anytime I wanted to come over, I had a way to get in.

I wouldn’t admit this out loud, but receiving that key was better than jewelry. It held a significance that nothing else could compare to.

Especially after we’d had to spend so much time apart. For the better part of the last two weeks, the real world had intruded, and we’d found it more difficult to conjure up enough hours in the day to see each other. During the day, I went to work. In the evening, if I managed to sneak out of work early enough, Chloe and I would go visit Leif in the hospital, then return to the apartment and have a quick dinner before calling it a night. Toby had come over and stayed with Chloe a few times, and Sebastian had come over twice. Sebastian and I had quickly learned that I did not get nearly enough sleep when he was around, so we had agreed, at least for the time being, that we would spend weeknights at our own places.

But now… Now Sebastian was moving into his house, which was less than ten miles from my apartment, and the possibilities seemed nearly endless. I would get to see him whenever I wanted, and I could honestly say that I was not at all disappointed with that. If we saw each other more, I figured the temptation to stay up all night would eventually dissipate and we’d manage to sleep so that we could both work with all brain cells firing.

Then again, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough of Sebastian. When I wasn’t with him, I wanted to be. When I was with him, I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Chloe pulled the car into a space close to the front door of the superstore where we’d decided to go to pick up the things that Sebastian would need. Aside from food and kitchen gadgets, I figured he needed all sorts of stuff, and I wanted to make sure I bought things that he would like. Since I was using his credit card to fund the purchase, I also didn’t want to go overboard, although he had informed me that money was no object. I tended to disagree.

In my world, money was an object. A big one. And I was going to show Sebastian just what it was like to live in my world. He might have a ginormous house and more land than a small town, but he could still get good deals.

“Come on. Let’s do this,” Chloe said before pushing open her door and hopping from the car.

The second I’d mentioned shopping, she had been practically skipping around like a kid. Unlike me, Chloe lived to shop, and in her defense, she was even more adept at finding bargains than I was, so I figured we would make a good team.

I grabbed a shopping cart when we walked through the automatic doors, and I was surprised to see that Chloe grabbed one as well. My eyes dropped to the basket in front of her before meeting hers once again.

“What? Did you really think it would all fit in one? You’ll be lucky if we don’t need another one.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. Her words had me picturing just how many dollar signs we were going to be looking at before this was over.

The two of us started on the side of the store sectioned off with household goods. By the time we made it to the food, two hours had passed and one cart was overflowing. There were small kitchen appliances and gadgets, a few pots and pans, towels, sheets, pillows, rugs. I had even started a list of items that we figured we could find better deals on — not to mention nicer quality — online.

“Food time!” Chloe squealed, leading the charge with her empty shopping cart.

Shopping for food took us less time, but we still spent an hour going up and down every aisle until we had filled Chloe’s cart and somehow managed to squeeze a few more items into mine.

“Have you told your mom that you’re moving in with Sebastian?” Chloe asked as we pushed our carts down the cereal aisle.

I jerked my head around to look at her. “What are you talking about? I’m not moving in with him.”

Chloe smiled. “You say that now.”

“No, I say that always,” I retorted.

“Come on, Payton. He clearly wants you to move in with him.”

“He didn’t say that,” I told her, trying to recall our conversation about his new house. Never once had he mentioned me moving in.

“I think you should probably introduce him to your folks,” Chloe said, passing me as I stood rooted to the floor.

She was right, I really should introduce him to my parents. I’d given that a lot of thought recently. Other than talking to my mother on the phone almost every day since I’d returned from Vegas, something we had always done, I hadn’t gone to their house. Maybe because I feared my mother would be able to tell just how happy I was. I doubted she would figure that my new job had put the glow on my face or the spring in my step, and I really wanted to avoid an interrogation. She had just gotten over being mad at me for springing the Vegas trip on her without any notice. Regardless, Chloe was right. If I intended for this relationship to keep moving forward, I needed to introduce Sebastian to my mother and father.

As I pushed the cart down the aisle, I wondered just how they would react to him. I’d never brought a boy home to meet them. I made a mental note to text my mother to see about Sunday dinner. The thought made butterflies sprout in my stomach.

When we reached the checkout lanes at the front, I was dreading how much the purchase was going to be, and thankfully that had scattered all thoughts of Sebastian meeting my parents. There were more important things to worry about at the moment. Mainly, figuring out how I wasn’t going to max out Sebastian’s credit card with just one purchase.

“Don’t think about it. Everything we bought was a necessity. And trust me, after looking at Sebastian’s furniture, I don’t think he’s gonna care.”

I tended to side with Chloe on that part. I had been a little overwhelmed when I’d walked into Sebastian’s house to find it full of furniture. I hadn’t had time to go on a tour, but the rooms I could see did have new furniture. The living room, dining room, breakfast nook, they all sported brand new pieces that looked expensive, and I figured the rest of the house probably looked the same. The one thing I noted about the things I did see was that Sebastian’s furniture looked like it would be lived on, not used as decoration the way Conrad’s house had been. While those few rooms hadn’t been empty, I realized that he had purchased the basics, which meant eventually he would have to do some decorating. I figured he wasn’t all that worried about that just yet, which was why I had only picked out a few things that would add a little color to the place.

The woman who checked us out was friendly and efficient, talking to us the entire time she rang up the items. And when I swiped the credit card and signed my name, I refused to look at the total. Chloe whispered in my ear that it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look.

We were loading the stuff into the trunk and the backseat of Chloe’s car when she announced the final total.

“Why did you do that?” I exclaimed, recoiling when she revealed the dollar amount.

“What? I think the fact that you kept it under fifteen hundred was pretty remarkable.”

I was pretty sure I was going to have a heart attack right there in the parking lot of the superstore where I had just spent one thousand, three hundred,
forty
-seven dollars and twenty three cents.

“Holy shit,” I mumbled, forcing the last bag into the backseat and closing the door before it spilled out onto the concrete.

“If you think about it, you really did well,” Chloe assured me.

“I’ve never spent that much money in my life,” I told her.

“Well, I get the feeling that Sebastian doesn’t consider that a lot.”

We’d see about that.

We arrived at Sebastian’s to find cars and trucks parked all along the driveway, a couple backed into the four-car garage. Because we had so much to carry in, I told Chloe to pull into the garage, since that would be the closest to the kitchen. She eased into one of the empty bays and shut off the engine. Before I could get my seat belt unbuckled, Sebastian was at my door, pulling it open and smiling down at me.

“Hey, Angel,” he whispered as he stood back, allowing me to get out. “Sorry, I’m sweaty,” he said, cupping my face briefly and then pressing his lips to mine. His lip ring was cool as it pressed against my lower lip. “Do you need help with this?”

I glanced into the backseat before meeting his eyes again. “I’m so sorry. I spent over a thousand dollars. I don’t know how it was that much, but—”

Sebastian pressed his mouth to mine again, effectively cutting off my rant. “It’s good, Angel. I trust you.”

Yeah, well, I wasn’t sure I did. But now wasn’t the time to argue. I could see that the trucks in the garage were still full of Sebastian’s things, which meant the guys were unpacking. I figured I’d done enough damage, no need to get in the way of progress, too.

“We can get this stuff,” I told him, forcing a smile I didn’t feel.

“Seriously, Payton,” Sebastian said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him. “It’s all good.” He was right, he was sweaty. His navy blue T-shirt was plastered to his chest, and his hair was wet, but it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I found I liked sweaty Sebastian. He was kind of hot.

“We’re almost done with the cars out front, so we’ve just got this stuff left.” He motioned to the two trucks in the garage. The beds were full of tools and a few boxes.

I nodded. “We’ll help when we’re done putting this stuff away,” I told him, pecking him on the lips once more.

“Okay. And later, after all these people go home,” Sebastian said, leaning down until his mouth pressed against my ear, “I’ll give you a tour. We’ve got a few rooms to christen.”

Heat infused me, bubbling in my veins and rushing up to my face.

He stepped back and smiled, his thumb sliding over my cheek. “Have I mentioned that I love it when you blush?”

“Hush,” I told him and turned around to see Chloe watching us intently. Crap.

Without saying another word, I opened the back door of the car, careful to keep the items from pouring out onto the garage floor. As I set my mind on getting the car emptied and the groceries put away, I did my best not to think about the wicked promise Sebastian had made.

That wasn’t nearly as easy as it looked.

Sebastian

I have to say that moving wasn’t high on my list of things I enjoyed doing. Without the help of my friends, I doubt it would’ve been as easy as it was, either. But now that all my shit was inside my house, I realized I had a long way to go before I actually got settled in. The boxes had made it to the appropriate rooms, but that was about it.

It was late, and Sean and Dale had taken off, leaving Toby, Chloe, Aaron, and Garrett there with Payton and me. Everyone was still working, unpacking boxes and cleaning, but I was ready to call it a night. Not to sleep, but I figured everyone needed a break.

“How about pizza?” I asked as I joined the others in the kitchen, where Payton and Chloe were putting away the last of the things they’d bought at the store earlier. Once the girls had put away the food, Payton had insisted on helping to get the vehicles unloaded, which meant her purchases were still sitting in bags on the kitchen counter.

“I’m game,” Toby announced.

“You’re always game if it has to do with food,” Chloe teased him.

Payton turned around and smiled. It never ceased to amaze me that she could steal my breath with just one look. I could actually imagine walking into that kitchen to see her beautiful face every single day for the rest of my life.

“I’ll order,” Payton offered. “If y’all will tell me what you want.”

“You still have my credit card, right?” I asked, making my way over to her and putting my hands on her hips.

“Oh, crap. Yes. Let me get it.”

When Payton tried to turn away, I held her in place and waited until she met my gaze again. “I wasn’t asking for it back. Use it to pay for the pizza.”

“No way,” she insisted, shaking her head. “I’ll pay. I’ve already spent too much of your money today.” The last part she said in a whisper, but I was pretty sure everyone else in the room heard her, based on the chuckles from Chloe and Toby.

“That was stuff you bought for me, Payton.” I leaned down and pressed my lips to her ear. “Let it go.”

When I stood back up, meeting her eyes, I could see the concern was still there. I thought it was cute that she worried about how much money she’d spent today. I’d been with women who wouldn’t have thought twice about spending every penny I had, and Payton was concerned about spending a thousand dollars although she’d probably bought out half the store. Some women wouldn’t bat an eyelash at spending that amount on a fucking purse.

“What does everyone want?” I asked, looking at the other faces in the room, who were trying to pretend they weren’t paying any attention to us.

Everyone rattled off their selection, and I took Payton’s hand and led her into the foyer so I could get my cell phone. With her hand still in mine, I made my way to the stairs and dropped down onto one of the steps, pulling her until she sat in front of me, directly between my legs. I wrapped my arms around her, fumbling with my cell phone in front of her face. She leaned back and rested her head against my chest. It took a few minutes to figure out what pizza delivery place came out there, but finally I located their information and dialed the number. After I rattled off the order, I told the guy I’d pay cash when they delivered, and then I hung up the phone.

Unable to resist, I slid Payton’s hair out of the way and pressed my lips to her neck. “Thank you for being here today.”

She nodded, tilting her head slightly to give me better access to her soft, smooth skin. She smelled sweet, like vanilla, and my body hardened, thinking about sneaking her up to my bedroom and having my wicked way with her while the rest of our friends congregated in the kitchen. I knew I couldn’t, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it.

“Stay with me tonight?” I asked.

“Yes,” she whispered, her arms looping around my lower legs, her warm hands pressing against my shins. She was sitting on the step just beneath the one I was on, cradled between my legs, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to move from that spot for the rest of the night. Every muscle in my body ached from hauling boxes for the last few hours, and if it weren’t for the fact that I was starving, I probably would’ve thrown everyone out. Everyone except for Payton.

We were both silent for a moment; the only sound was the foursome in the kitchen laughing and joking. I rested my chin on the top of Payton’s head, enjoying the brief moment I had with her alone.

“I have a question for you,” Payton said a short time later, her hands sliding up and down my shins.

“What’s that?” I asked.

She tilted her head back so that she could look up at me. “Would you consider meeting my parents?”

I smiled. I couldn’t help myself. Before I’d met Payton, that sort of question would’ve thrown me for a loop. And the answer would’ve been an easy no, but for her, I found I’d do damn near anything, including meeting her parents.

“Is that what you want?”

“Yeah,” she said, lowering her head once more. “They’re gonna love you, Sebastian.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but if I intended to spend the rest of my life with this woman, which I did, then I was going to have to face her parents at some point. “Then yes, I’d love to meet them.”

“Okay,” she said simply, making my grin widen.

I loved her. That was all there was to it.

“I heard Sean and Dale say they’d be back tomorrow,” Payton said.

“Yeah. They’re moving Leif’s stuff in.”

“Which room is he taking?” she asked. I liked that she asked that question. It meant she was thinking about us.

“He’ll take one of the rooms downstairs,” I answered, pointing toward the section of the house in front of us.

“How many rooms are down here?” she inquired.

“You haven’t looked around yet?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Well, we’ll have to rectify that in a little while. How about we eat, then I’ll show you around. And maybe after that, you can join me in the shower.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

As it turned out, it was the best plan.

The pizza was delivered within thirty minutes and devoured in half that time. Chloe insisted on helping to clean up the mess before she and Toby left for the night. According to her, they were going back to her apartment. I noticed Aaron’s frown when she announced the news, and I offered to let him stay in the guest room downstairs if he wanted. Surprisingly he declined my offer, but I later learned that he and Garrett had planned to go out for a couple of hours.

Technically, since tonight would be the only night Payton and I had the house all to ourselves before Leif officially moved in, I was grateful that Aaron had passed. I wanted to spend the evening with Payton. Alone.

Payton walked everyone out while I locked up the rest of the house, making sure the garage doors were closed and the cars pulled in. We met up in the kitchen not long after, and just like earlier, I couldn’t resist the urge to touch her. Pulling her into my arms, I pressed my lips to her forehead.

I hadn’t thought about it much, but it seemed that the chaos in my head had died down considerably in the last couple of days. Maybe it was because of the move, knowing that I was taking the first step toward getting out from under Conrad’s thumb, or maybe it was because I knew I’d get to spend more time with the woman I loved. Either way, I realized that a significant amount of tension had been released, and I wasn’t as worked up as I usually was.

It was nice. It was also something I was beginning to get used to.

“Are you gonna give me the guided tour?”

“You really didn’t look around?” I asked her, finding it hard to believe that she hadn’t.

“I was waiting for you to show it to me.”

“Okay, then. What’re we waiting for?” I took her hand, linking her fingers with mine as I led her through the downstairs rooms. The place was still relatively empty, although I had managed to purchase furniture for every room. It was still missing something, but I wasn’t too worried about it at the moment.

I showed Payton the two bedrooms on the main floor. They were in a wing all their own, both equipped with oversized private bathrooms. She looked around, seemingly studying the bones of the house, because there really wasn’t much else to look at. Unlike the guesthouse I’d been staying in, there weren’t any decorations on the counters, no plants sitting in corners, no art on the walls. Nothing that really personalized the space yet.

I was hoping Payton would help me with that.

“Living room,” I said unnecessarily as we trekked back through the room that the house was pretty much centered around. “And you’ve seen the kitchen.”

“That I have,” she said.

With her in tow, I made my way to a doorway beneath the stairs. Pushing open the French doors, I stepped back and allowed her to enter. “This is my office.”

“Your office?” she asked, giving me a questioning look.

“Yep. I figured I’d need one.” I didn’t elaborate as to why. I still had to figure out how I wanted to tell her what my plans were. As it was, I’d sprung the new house on her. I wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle the newsflash that I was planning to quit working for my father and start my own business. I’d save that for another day.

“It’s nice,” she said, sliding her hand along the mahogany desk that sat in the center of the room. Aside from that, a file cabinet, matching credenza and bookcase, and an executive chair, there wasn’t anything else in the room. No pens, no paper. Not even a computer.

Yet.

When she had looked her fill, I led her back through the living room, then the kitchen, and down a hallway off the kitchen, stopping to point out the laundry room. “Just making sure you get the whole experience,” I told her when I backed her against the dryer, pressing my hips to hers before claiming her lips. When her arms came around my neck, I was hard-pressed to stop. I could imagine boosting her up onto the washing machine and fucking her until she was screaming my name.

But I withheld the urge. That could come later.

When we were both breathless, I pulled back and took her hand again. We ventured back down the hall and through two sets of doors, the last of which were made of glass. I pushed the door open and allowed Payton to walk inside before I followed.

“Holy crap.” Payton looked at me once, then around the twenty-five-hundred-square-foot room that held an indoor pool and Jacuzzi. The outer walls and ceiling were constructed of tinted glass, and one wall held sliding windows that could be opened entirely to let the outside in. “That’s a swimming pool.”

I chuckled. “That it is.”

“Inside,” she stated, as though I hadn’t noticed.

I laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You have two pools?”

“I do,” I confirmed, smiling.

“I can see why you bought the house.”

“You think it was for this?” I asked.

“It wasn’t?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m quite partial to this room. Especially if it means I can get you naked in that pool sometime in the near future.”

“Is it heated?”

“If I said yes?”

“Then I’d say what are you waiting for?”

Holy shit, the woman was going to drive me completely insane. Because I just couldn’t resist the temptation, I backed her against the glass doors, this time sliding my thigh between her legs as I resumed my position at her mouth.

When her hands reached for my T-shirt, I realized she wasn’t joking. And quite frankly, I was too horny to deny her. We’d spent the last week away from each other because Payton insisted she needed to get more sleep in order to function at work. Which meant Sunday night through Thursday night were off limits for me to stay with her.

But now that it was Friday, I had a whole week to make up for.