Virtue & Vanity (50 page)

“Isabelle,” he said in a mild voice as I pushed myself to speak further.

“Then I saw my mother.” I swallowed. “I looked and I saw her standing there with a gun.” The feeling of desperation and nausea returned to my system and all I could feel were his gentle hands that tried to soothe me as I sobbed into his chest.

“It’s okay. It was just a dream,” he whispered endlessly and when I gathered the courage to look at him, I was welcomed by his warm and captivating emerald gaze.

I took a deep breath to put myself together. “She killed you, Sebastian.” Despite my efforts my voice cracked. “She wanted to shoot me, but you pushed me away and she...”

He smirked, caressing my hot cheek and I stared at him in disbelief. “It looks to me like I’m the hero who saved my damsel in distress.” He winked at me, doing his best to cheer me up, but I was so shaken that I couldn’t laugh even if I wanted to.

“It’s not funny,” I said in a light voice. “Aren’t you at least upset by the fact that you died?”

The moment I asked the question, I realized how ridiculous I was being. Sebastian started laughing so hard that his face reddened a bit.

When the laughter subsided he tried to restore his serious expression, but miserably failed since he still stared at me with teasing amusement. “I am terribly upset, sweet. I won’t rest until the justice is served. Weren’t there any dream police that arrested the perpetrator?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t dreamt long enough.” I was still quite serious.

He shook his head, that delicious smirk wouldn’t leave his lips. “I was joking. Why are you still so upset?”

I blushed. “I just... I don’t want to lose you.”

“Shh.” He started rocking me in his arms for the longest time without saying a word. “You’re not going to lose me, Isabelle.” He laid small kisses on my hot forehead and repeated the words I needed to hear. “I promise that you’re not going to lose me. As a matter of fact, I think you might have a problem. You’re stuck with me for eternity.” His voice was filled with relief and happiness. “Now, since I technically saved your life, I think I deserve a little reward from my princess,” he teased me.

He positioned his lips only a fracture of an inch from mine, letting me know exactly what kind of a reward he expected.

Finally, I managed to relax a little and smile. “It was just a dream, so technically—” I started speaking but he silenced me with a long kiss.

I closed my eyes, letting myself go and enjoying the connection like never before. I thought I had lost him and even though none of it had been real, I had learned a valuable lesson. Instead of taking what we had for granted, I needed to settle into each moment and enjoy it to the fullest. As the fire of the kiss subsided, he caressed my face, whispering small reassurances and laying small kisses on the residues of tears on my face. I kept my eyes closed, focusing on his touch and the silky softness of his voice.

He brought his lips to my ear and I could sense he was smiling. “Technically, princess, I love you more than words can express and I would take a bullet for you any day,” he said in a firm whisper and squeezed my hand. I winced to chase away the images from the nightmare and his grip on my hand tightened as he began soothing me again. “Don’t worry, love. Nobody can hurt us. Nothing can destroy what we have.” He chuckled lightly. “They can try, but they will fail.”

Guided by his convincing words, I opened my eyes and took in the beautiful features of his face, wondering if his skin was as soft as it seemed. Suddenly, I longed to touch him, to feel that he was real under my fingers so I cautiously leaned my hand on his face and his lips curved into a light smile as I caressed his cheeks and ran my fingers through his thick, black hair. Instinctively, our bodies came closer and Sebastian closed his eyes and started breathing deeply as my hands slid down his muscled arms, his smooth, bronze that felt so warm, soft, and inviting. For the first time, I explored his body with the desire to get to know it. I brushed my fingers along his knuckles and then, shyly, rested my hand against his hot chest.

His mesmerizing eyes snapped open and illuminated me with their brightness. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I smiled and looked away as my hand started touching him in a circular motion; discovering all the muscles that graced his handsome body. He kissed my forehead and tilted up my chin, leveling our eyes again.

“I know this is mean, but I hope you have a bad dream every night if it makes you act this way.” He brushed his lips against mine and I tried to look down again but he wouldn’t let me. “No.” He held his hand on my face. “No shame, Isabelle.” I gasped as his hand slid down, brushing against the edge of my breast, marking a path down my abdomen until it gently rested on my hip. “There is nothing dishonest or immoral in the way you make me feel. This…” He caressed my cheek, confronting me with the brightest shade of piercing emerald green. “Nothing in this world is more right than this, love.” he whispered and kissed me again.

A smile danced on his face and although completely uncertain about what I was doing, I felt encouraged enough to continue touching him. As I guided my touch lower, I felt his skin tense under my fingers. I paused when I reached his lower abdomen and I could tell he was holding back from something. When I moved my fingers, his smile widened and he took a deep breath. Curious about his reaction, I continued brushing my fingers against his firm skin and he took me by complete surprise when he started laughing, at first suppressed and then with full force. I had just found his weak spot.

“You’re ticklish?!” I whispered excitedly and continued with the sweet torture.

Instead of replying, he just continued laughing and trying to take hold of my hands in order to restrain me but I didn’t give in that easily. Our little battle continued, until he decided to take over control and before I knew it he pulled me in a tight embrace, turning me on my back until he was victoriously lying on top of me and I stilled underneath him.

He gazed at me almost like he discovered something new. “Not so brave now, are you?” he asked in a playful voice and I shook my head, smiling at him. He chuckled and slowly lowered his head until his nose touched mine and a pleasant shiver caused by the feeling of this closeness rushed through me. “You started a war, love.” I could feel the breeze of his captivating breath that filled me with excitement.

“Did I?” I said in the smallest whisper.

“Oh, you most certainly did because now,” he smirked, enjoying this little game and keeping me in suspense, “I want to find out where you’re ticklish.”

Before I got the slightest chance to process his words, he started touching the side of my belly and I started laughing like crazy, trying to escape his decisive touch, but when I realized he had no intention of letting that happen, I started pleading with him.

“Okay, okay.” I couldn’t even speak from laughter. “Please no more. Stop! Sebastian!” I shrieked and he finally stopped when I called out his name.

Trapped in each other’s embrace, we shared one of those special moments I wanted to entirely pour myself in. His lips trembled above mine and I observed as his eyes filled with something powerful and intense. There was a lightning in his eyes and thunder in my heart. The tension neither of us could fight was rising with each passing second. Then, just as his lips brushed against mine in a prelude of another kiss, he let out a harsh breath and whispered a phrase which left me bare and defenseless. “I love you, Isabelle.” With those words, his soft lips brushed against mine with fragile tenderness, worshipping me in a way I could not comprehend. After a while, he started deepening the kiss until my senses were taken over by the taste of mint and something sweet that pulled me closer to him, trapping me in the strangest delirium and a mental frenzy. He continued kissing me hungrily, invitingly, almost desperately—like he needed me. When the storm of his kiss subsided, I kept my eyes closed as his lips once again trembled against mine and I heard it again. A soft, aching and disarming
I love you.

Only this time, it didn’t come from his lips, it came from mine.

Never before did it feel so beautiful to fall asleep in his protective embrace because I knew he was right.
No one could touch this.

Chapter Forty-Nine

“Time to wake up, sunshine.” I heard a soft voice whispering in my ears and when I opened my eyes I was in for a surprise.

Sebastian was sitting on the bed, dressed in casual jeans and a black sweater. He never went to work dressed like that and when I glanced at the clock, I noticed it was way past the time he would normally go to the office. It was also unusual for me to wake up that late, but because of the tormenting nightmare from the night before, I’d needed some extra sleep.

“Good morning.” Still sleepy, I stretched my arms and looked at him in confusion.

Noticing that his appearance baffled me, he smiled secretively. “Why don’t you get ready and come downstairs? I have something to show you,” he teased, adding some fuel to the fire of mystery.

The moment he was gone, I didn’t waste any time and I quickly took a shower and got dressed. The curiosity was getting the best of me, but I still took the time to apply some light make up and my favorite perfume.
You want to impress him.
The voice in my head teased but I ignored it, rushing to get downstairs. I was almost sure what the surprise was about, but I really hadn’t expected him to put much effort into it.

The moment I stepped into the dining room, I was astonished when I saw the table and the decorations on the curtains. Sebastian gazed at me with excitement, taking in my initial reaction to seeing the space he had decorated so meticulously. An incredible feeling of happiness warmed up my heart when I noticed the big plate in the middle of the table which was filled with probably a dozen of pancakes. There were two candles with numbers two and zero on the top. Tears of joy teased my eyes when I realized Sebastian had made me a pancake birthday cake for my twentieth birthday. I was at a loss of words and all I could do was smile. Feeling grateful for all the trouble he had put into this, I approached him with the intention of telling him that nobody had ever done that for me but the display of emotions was simply too strong and it took over me.

Sebastian laughed and embraced me. Then he took a step back and looked straight into my eyes.

“Happy birthday, love,” he whispered and kissed me with so much tenderness that made me even more sentimental.

By the time the kiss ended and he looked at me again, I was an emotional mess.

“Thank you,” I said with so much power in my voice, making it clear that I was thanking him for more than just this.

He looked at me sweetly and caressed my cheek. “You didn’t think I would forget, did you?” I shook my head but my cheeks blushed, giving away the truth. “Liar,” he accused in a playful tone and I chuckled.

Instead of teasing me further, he became slightly serious and lit up the two candles.

“It’s time to make a wish.” He smiled and led me towards the table.

I closed my eyes, focusing on the incredible bliss that was gifted by his presence and I swallowed when I remembered that scary dream and the possibility that I might have to live without him. When I blew out the candles and finally made a wish, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. I knew exactly what I wanted and needed.
I wished for him to never leave my side.

Opening my eyes, I met his shiny green ones and he winked at me, remaining silent like he simply enjoyed the sight in front of him and I could see he was happy.

“This is a wonderful surprise, Sebastian,” I spoke from the bottom of my heart.

He smirked and something lit up in his eyes. “I’m glad you like it, sweetness, but this is only a little introduction. The real surprise is yet to come.”

And he was right. He turned the day into perfection, treating me like a princess and giving me the best birthday a girl could ask for. After we had breakfast together, he continued with his series of surprises and no matter how hard I tried to get him to let me in on his plans, his lips remained sealed.

Out of all the scenarios that were going through my mind, I wasn’t even close to discovering the real deal. Contrary to all of my expectations, he took me to the zoo and I felt like a child all over again, remembering the one and only time I went with my family. It was one of the very rare beautiful memories from my childhood.

Since it was a cold autumn day in the middle of the week, there weren’t that much visitors and it felt like we had the entire zoo to ourselves. Just like any other normal couple, we walked through the imposing park, holding hands, observing different kinds of animals and admiring their natural, yet amazing performances. I became aware that the simplicity of little magical moments such as occasional glances or small kisses that accentuated the bond we shared made me feel whole, completely carefree and happy. This was one of the most beautiful days in my life and I was going to enjoy it to the fullest.

When we entered the section with monkeys from all around the world, it turned out we came just in time for the show as two of them started jumping around the cage. They climbed the ropes with incredible speed and for a moment, it seemed they forgot who was chasing whom because both of them ran away from each other. The scene was hilarious.

“I bet they have no idea how funny they are to us,” I concluded, still laughing.

Sebastian arched his eyebrows. “Maybe that’s exactly how they feel about humans. I bet they’re making fun of us when we’re not watching.”

I chuckled at his silliness and as our gazes met, we leaned in for another kiss, but the moment was interrupted by a loud thump on the glass. Both of us turned towards the cage at the same time and we saw a little monkey looking at us and kissing the glass. Sebastian laughed with so much force that the two monkeys chasing each other stopped their little game and looked towards him. It was both cute and amusing. We started walking away but the monkey that held onto the glass continued following us and Sebastian smirked, looking at him and then at me.

“I think you have a new admirer, sweet. He seems to like you,” he said in a joking voice.

“Don’t be silly.” I playfully hit his shoulder, feeling grateful that there weren’t any people around us and if it wasn’t enough, the monkey started producing sounds which almost resembled a mocking laughter.

It was more than both Sebastian and I could take. We spent at least five minutes standing next to that cage, enjoying the spectacle. He just wouldn’t move away from that glass and my jaw already hurt from laughter, but the more I laughed, the more he goofed around.

“I think it’s best to take you away from this little Casanova before he steals you away from me,” Sebastian teased and placed his hand on the small of my back. “I’m sorry little buddy but she’s taken.” He laid a soft kiss on my forehead and I laughed again when he actually winked at the monkey who looked after us as we walked away. “Plus, she’s a bit too old for you. Just turned twenty today,” he whispered, sparing a final glance at the little confused animal that still stared after us.

“Hey.” I gave him an offended look once we were outside. “Twenty is not old, mister.”

Sebastian chuckled. “If you say so.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean? If I’m old, you’re ancient.” I decided to tease him about the age gap of seven years between us.

As expected, he didn’t take it too kindly. “Just who are you calling ancient?” He pretended to be terribly offended by my remark.

“Well I don’t see anyone else standing here so...” I raised my head, defying him with a wide smile.

“That’s it.” He took a step towards me and smirked. “I think I’m going to have to throw you to the lions.”

As I took a few steps back from him, I couldn’t take my eyes away from his. I got carried away by their mesmerizing emerald glow that burst with joy.

“Very well, Mr. Everett.” I was still stepping back and he smiled as if he knew what I was about to say. “But you’re going to have to catch me first.”

Before I even finished the sentence, I started running, but he caught up with me almost right away, wrapping me in his arms. “Who is ancient now, Mrs. Everett?” he joked, while I was still trying to catch my breath.

“I’m sorry.” I looked at him sweetly and his attempt to suppress a smile was very evident. “Please, don’t throw me to the lions.”

“Hmm...” He narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know.”

“Pretty please? I promise I’ll behave.” I smiled, winking at him and it seemed to have been the last straw that pushed him to lower his lips on mine.

Normally, I would have been worried with the possibility that there might be people who could see us, but at that moment my mind was vacant and the only thing I could focus on was the power of the emotion I felt for him.
Nobody else. Only him.

“I think I’ll let you off the hook.” He caressed my cheek after the kiss. “Besides, you’re too cute to be discarded of that easily.”

I remained silent and lay my head on his chest because I wanted to enjoy his solace just for a moment. Not long after that, it was getting dark and I thought that we headed home, but Sebastian had other plans.

We ended up in a small Greek restaurant, walking distance from the zoo. The atmosphere was very exotic with the dim lights, traditional Greek music and statues of exposed men and women posing in various revealing positions. The first word that came to mind as an association to the mysteriously romantic air that lurked in that restaurant was
aphrodisiac
. It didn’t look like usual place Sebastian would visit but I had decided not to think about that.

We were seated next to the window and as I turned to look outside, the statue of a naked woman that seemed to be looking over our table caught my eye. I looked away and focused my eyes on Sebastian who gazed at me with a teasing expression on his face.

I blushed. “I’ve never been in a Greek restaurant before,” I admitted, trying to start a conversation but it sounded almost like I wanted to justify my surprise at the surrounding.

Sebastian smiled widely. “I like their food,” he looked around and returned then returned the penetrating green gaze on me, “and their culture. I think you’ll like it, too.” He cleared his throat. “The food, I mean.” He winked, prolonging my torture.

Luckily, before I managed to say anything, the waiter approached our table, carrying a plate with two small shot glasses filled with transparent liquor.

When the waiter lit up the candle on the table and left, I was curious about the liquor in the glass. I took it in my hand and realized it was icy cold.

“What is that?” I asked curiously.

“It’s called
ouzo
. Traditional Greek aperitif,” Sebastian replied.

He seemed to know a lot about their culture. Maybe he did have a habit of coming in this restaurant after all.

“Do you come here often?” I asked while bringing the small glass to my nose and smelling its content.

I wondered if he ever brought girls there, but of course I wasn’t going to ask him that. By the way he looked and smiled at me, I could tell that I didn’t need to ask him because the devil knew exactly what was going through my mind.

“Actually, it’s my first time here as well. But I’ve been to Greece.”

Silly me, of course he had been to Greece. “It must be beautiful there,” I said with a pinch of jealousy.

“It is,” he confirmed. “It’s one of the most beautiful countries I’ve visited. Lots of ouzo, great food, ancient cities, the sun and the beach...beautiful girls,” he said with a wink.

“Sounds like everything a man can possibly wish for,” I interrupted him, thinking out loud.

His eyebrows arched as he smiled and there was a spark in his eyes. “I wouldn’t say that. As a man who has traveled the world, I can say that there is no place I would rather be right now than right here with you,” he spoke with determination and reached for my hand.

I blushed and swallowed, trying to steady the sudden fast beating of my heart. “Not even Greece?” I teased.

“Not even Greece.” He kept looking straight into my eyes and I melted under his burning gaze. “Now, I would like to make a toast for my birthday girl,” he said in a cheerful tone and reached for his own glass of ouzo. “For many more beautiful birthdays to come.”

We raised our glasses and made a toast. Deciding to block my still very present resentment towards alcohol, I closed my eyes and drank the entire small glass at once.
Big mistake!
I grimaced and my throat burned from the strong liquor. When I looked at Sebastian, I saw that he was trying to suppress his laughter. What surprised me even more was that his glass remained almost full.

“You’re supposed to drink it slowly,” he whispered and managed to get serious after a while. “Are you okay?” He had to have noticed that the grimace on my face was getting worse by the second.

I nodded even though I still wasn’t feeling the best. “I thought that...” I started explaining but the waiter appeared at our table, ready to take our order.

Since I still hadn’t look at the menu and even if I had it wouldn’t have helped because I didn’t know anything about their food, I allowed Sebastian to make the decision for me. He ordered a special meat platter for two, some extra
tzatziki
sauce, two glasses of wine and then, he glanced at me with a smile and added that the lady would also like to have a glass of water.