Seb (17 page)

“Behave yourself,” I admonished, giggling when he kissed my neck as his arms circled me.

“You weren’t saying that earlier.” He nipped my earlobe with his teeth.

No, earlier I’d been begging for more. Which he gladly gave.

“But that was playtime,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. “Now it’s work time.”

“Well,” he said, lifting my hair so his mouth could have unhindered access to my neck, “how ‘bout you work and I’ll play?”

Hmmm, that did sound like a plan. Especially since his other hand was splayed out on my belly, teasing the button of my shorts. “As much as I’d love to indulge, I can’t afford to get distracted. I want tonight to be perfect.”

He turned me in his arms until I was facing him. “It will be perfect, baby. Don’t worry about a thing. They’ll love you.”

I bit my lip, trying to avoid looking him in the eye. I was afraid if I did, he would be able to tell how anxious I was about impressing his family. “Thanks, but just because you lo—”

I blushed when I caught my near-slip. We definitely weren’t at the point of dropping the L-bomb, and experience had taught me there was no faster way to scare off a man.

Clearing my throat, I tried to collect myself while I hoped he’d let me off the hook. “Just because you like me doesn’t mean they will.”

His hands cradled my face, giving me no choice but to look at him. “I fell for you because you’re fearless, Skylar. You walked into my office that day, knew what you wanted, and no matter how many people had turned you down before, you were determined I would be the one to say yes.”

And that single word had changed everything. Now I woke up looking forward to the day instead of dreading it. I had a purpose again, beyond caring for my uncle, and I loved every minute I got to spend with Seb.

“And I have never regretted saying yes to you,” he whispered as his lips brushed mine. “I know what we have, how good it is, and nothing any of my brothers could say to me would change how I feel about you, so stop worrying so much.”

He was right—I was being ridiculous. It wasn’t like me to experience social anxiety. I loved meeting new people. Even as a child, my mom had called me her little social butterfly, so I just had to decide to treat Seb’s family as I would anyone else.

“Okay.” I took a deep breath as I planted my hands on his chest. “I’m sorry for making such a big deal of this. I’m just being silly.”

“You’re not being silly,” he said, grinning, before he dropped a kiss on my cheek. “I love that you’re so worked up about this. It shows that you care.”

“Of course I care.”

“About me?” His eyes lingered on mine, and I could tell he needed some reassurance.

“You know I do.” I weighed my words carefully before I said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way about someone.” If I were being totally honest, I would have told him I’d never fallen this hard or fast. My previous relationships had been more of a slow build than a sudden combustion.

“Tell me more,” he said, that sexy full mouth tipping up at the corner.

That a man as hot and successful as Seb—who appeared on TV every week, for crying out loud—could need
my
reassurance was hard for me to believe. Putting it all out there was difficult for me, but being guarded hadn’t served me well in the past, so I was determined to be more daring with him. “When I’m not with you, I want to be.”

“Go on,” he said, twisting my long hair around his hand so he could tip my head back, giving him access to my neck.

“I think about you way more than I should.” I sighed contentedly as he zeroed in on that spot that always made me melt.

“Uh huh…”

His mouth was working its magic, making me question why I shouldn’t drag him into the bedroom for a quickie. “Um, I…” It was tough to think straight when he was doing
that
. “I want…”
Everything. I want everything with you.
But I couldn’t say that. “To be good for you and to you.”

“You are,” he said, spinning me around so he could boost me up on the counter. “Believe me.” He moved between my open legs as he continued working on my neck while pushing up my cotton tank so he could have access to my breasts. He’d convinced me not to put my bra back on after we got out of the shower. Now I knew why. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me… maybe ever.”

I held my breath, gripping his shoulders, not because he was masterfully manipulating my body—though he was—but because his soft words were claiming my heart. I kissed his neck as I made peace with the fact the cake would have to wait. We had more pressing issues to tend to, like the hard shaft between my legs begging for some attention.

“You mean that?” I whispered.

“I mean every word I say to you, baby.”

“Show me.”

He tipped his head back, his blue eyes filled with a mix of lust and satisfaction that he’d worn me down. “You sure? What about the cake?”

“It can wait.”

He chuckled before scooping me into his arms and carrying me to the bedroom. “Damn right it can, but I can’t.”

***

Seb’s family couldn’t have been any more wonderful. They ribbed each other mercilessly at dinner, often being chided by Mac’s mother Mary for their behavior, but they all treated me as though I were already a part of the family. Except for Brody. He was more reserved, often drawing strange looks from his brothers because apparently it wasn’t like him to be so quiet. He tried to brush it off, claiming he was tired, stressed, had a lot on his mind, but I didn’t think they bought it. I remembered Seb telling me that Brody was having a hard time letting go of his ex-girlfriend, and I suspected that was the cause of his melancholy mood, so I tried not to take it personally.

“Dinner was fantastic,” Jaci said, bumping my hip with hers as we stacked the dishes in the dishwasher.

She was a sweet southern belle who seemed able to keep her handsome fiancé in line with just a look. I was impressed by her technique. Aside from Ryker, who was a little more refined than his younger brothers, the men still had a wild streak.

“Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit,” I said, accepting dishes from Mac to soak in the sink. “Seb grilled everything.”

Mac laughed. “Seb’s idea of cooking is throwing a frozen hamburger on the grill and calling it a day. He may have marinated and grilled the fish and shrimp, but the twice baked potatoes and grilled veggie salad was all you.”

“Guilty as charged,” I said, raising my hand with a smile.

“And this cake,” Mac said, pointing at my chocolate layer cake. “If it tastes as good as it looks, we could sell this thing. Don’t you think, Jaci?”

“Definitely,” Jaci said, adding soap to the dishwasher.

I felt a little self-conscious about telling the girls why I’d made it, but since they were Seb’s family, I knew they would understand. “Seb told me his mother used to make it for them and he hadn’t had it since she passed. When he was kind enough to invite my uncle and landlady over for dinner, I made it for him. He liked it.” I shrugged. “So I thought I’d make it again tonight. No big deal.”

“It is a big deal, trust me,” Mac said, touching my arm. “Seb isn’t used to the women in his life doing nice things for him. It’s usually the other way around.”

I was surprised to hear that since everyone said Emma had been such a sweetheart. I felt I was dangerously close to probing into forbidden territory again, but Mac beat me to it.

“Don’t get me wrong, Emma was a nice enough girl, but—” She clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Has he told you about her, or am I way out of line bringing her up?”

“No, he’s told me about her.” I wouldn’t have dared ask Mac about Emma, but I hoped she’d want to indulge in a little girl talk.

“Then you know he was crushed when she left?” Mac sighed before wiping the counter down with a damp rag. “I swear, I wanted to track her down myself just to scratch her eyes out for bailing on Seb the way she did. He’d been so good to her. He didn’t deserve that.”

I bit my lip as I prepared a pot of coffee, hoping she wasn’t finished sharing.

“She left him a note if you can believe that,” Mac said, sounding exasperated. “A Dear John letter! Who the hell does that?”

“Did he ever try to track her down?” Jaci asked.

I could have kissed her for asking because I was dying to know.

“No, his brothers convinced him to just let her go. If she didn’t want to be with him anymore, he was better off without her as far as we were all concerned.” Looking thoughtful, Mac said, “It didn’t make a lot of sense though. It seemed like she was really into Seb. If anything, he was the one trying to take it slow while she wanted to move in with him and get that ring on her finger.”

“Maybe that was the problem.” I didn’t think I was overstepping if I didn’t ask questions. “Maybe she thought Seb was a commitment-phobe and that’s why she bailed.”

“He’s not, you know. I know it may seem like that since he’s never been big on relationships, but I honestly believe he’s just been waiting for the right girl,” Mac said, giving me a pointed look.

I appreciated her assurance, but I didn’t need it. I wasn’t questioning whether Seb was serious about us. I knew he was.

“In fact, we had a great talk up at our cottage a few months ago,” Mac said. “He was pretty down after what happened with Amy. Said he needed to take a break from the whole dating scene to regroup and figure out what he really wanted.”

“Makes sense,” I said. “I think we all need to take a little time to lick our wounds after a bad breakup.”

“Yeah, but I was worried he was so disillusioned he was going to shut down completely.”

“You mean the way Brody is?” Jaci asked, crossing her arms as she leaned her hip against the breakfast bar.

Mac rested her palm against her forehead. “That guy is my next project. I swear, I have to worry about them more than my own sons.”

I thought it was cute that they all thought of Mac as a big sister. It was obvious how much they loved and respected her. I hoped if things continued progressing with Seb, they would one day feel that way about me. Being a part of a big, loud, loving family would be amazing, especially since it had just been my uncle and me for so long.

“But about Seb,” Mac said, leaning in as though she was sharing a secret. “I’ve known him a long time, and I have never seen him light up the way he does with you.”

I felt a sudden burst of heat in my cheeks. Could that possibly be true, or was it just wishful thinking on her part, hoping Seb had finally found someone who could make him happy?

“I don’t mean to embarrass you,” Mac said, squeezing my arm. “I just thought you should know.”

I bit my lip. “Thank you. That’s really sweet of you to say.”

She gave me a quick hug. “Anyone who can make my brother-in-law happy has a friend for life in me. Just know that.”

I was too overcome to say anything, so I just gave her another hug to let her know how much her approval meant to me.

Skylar

Seb had to go out of town overnight to check out a car he was interested in buying. He’d invited me to go with him, but I decided to stay home in case my uncle needed me. He seemed to be responding well to the new medication and was even getting out more with Mrs. Ryan, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

So I was taking advantage of my free evening to spend a little time with Jarod. We’d talked on the phone several times, and he’d caught me up on his latest date from hell, but I was looking forward to a little one-on-one time to nurture our new friendship.

I hadn’t told Seb about my plans earlier when he called to check in. I figured I’d tell him when he got back and I could wrap my arms around him while assuring him my time with Jarod had been entirely innocent.

“Tell me about the new guy,” Jarod said, cutting his steak.

I’d felt bad when I told Jarod I was seeing someone, especially since I’d claimed I didn’t have time for a relationship when we met. But I couldn’t in good conscience build a friendship with him unless he knew I was taken.

“He’s amazing.” I bit my tongue when I realized how insensitive gushing about my new relationship was when Jarod was having such a hard time finding someone he was interested in.

“That’s all you’re going to tell me?” He lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve been pretty tight-lipped about him. Is he a troll or what?”

I laughed before bringing my wine glass to my lips. “No, definitely not.”

“So what’s his deal?”

It was a fair question, but I wasn’t sure how much I should tell Jarod. Once the shows I’d appeared in started airing, it would be common knowledge that we were a couple, but the fact that Seb was a minor celebrity made me careful about respecting his privacy. “He, um, works on cars.”

“A mechanic?”

“Sort of.”

He laughed. “What the hell? Is it because I’m a cop that you don’t want to tell me anything about him? He’s not into organized crime, is he?”

Jarod was smiling, but I couldn’t afford to give him the wrong impression. The last thing Seb needed was some nosy cop poking around in his business because of me. “No, nothing like that.” I took a deep breath. “He has a reality TV show.”

He rolled his eyes before leaning back in his chair, looking appalled. “A reality TV star? Please tell me you’re joking.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the implication that Seb was some pathetic fame-whore who’d do anything for five minutes in the spotlight. “His name’s Seb Steele. He has a show—”

“Seb?” He looked stunned as he shook his head. “Really?”

“Yeah, you know him?”

“I’ve met him a few times. I know his brother Kane. He’s SWAT.”

“Oh, right.” I knew Kane was on the police force, but since he was in a different division and Tampa had a large force, it hadn’t occurred to me they would know each other. I popped a bite of calamari in my mouth, but learning that Jarod was friends with one of Seb’s brothers had killed my appetite.

“Kane’s a great guy,” he said, watching me carefully, as though he’d sensed the change in my mood.

“Yeah, I’ve only met him once, but he seemed nice.” I reached for water instead of wine to wash down the food that felt as though it was lodged in my throat. “Um, you said you’d met Seb?”