Chapter 55

Evelyn

Sebastian lets out a long sigh, squeezing my arm tighter as he pushes our warm bodies together. “I’ve been wanting to ask what that scent is.”

“What scent?” I ask curiously.

“Your hair products.” He sticks his nose between the curls, prompting giggles to erupt from within me.

Spending an entire day in bed in Hawaii certainly wasn’t in the plans. We were supposed to be going around and experiencing the island as if we were tourists. I know all the hidden gems, the best restaurants, the quietest places, and the best clubs.

“You want to know my hair products?” I taunt.

“Hey now!”

I reach up and plant a kiss on his cheek. “For your information, it’s called Hair Milk.”

“Sounds delicious.”

“It’s for curls!”

“I’m also for curls. Does that count for anything?”

I pull away, so confused by what this man is telling me. “What does that even mean?!”

“You tell me.”

Sebastian pulls me back down, our naked skin causing friction that affects me deeply.

Our lips meet, drying my throat and spinning my mind in twenty different directions.

Breathing into one another’s space, my eyes flutter open to look at this man beside me.

“Are you regretting letting me join in on this trip?” He murmurs against my lips that sit mere inches from his.

I raise an eyebrow. “Why would I regret this?”

“Because I’m as big a jackass as you’ve always clocked me for?” He tries.

“Didn’t think I’d ever hear Sebastian Cain call himself anything other than a perfect specimen." The words barely leave my lips before he rolls on top of me. I start hitting his chest with the widest of smiles. “Hey!”

“Evelyn Peters, you know better than anyone on this planet that nothing about me is remotely perfect!”

Does he believe that about himself? How can he when he has always known exactly how to seduce me with his words and smile?

“Is that how you thought I saw you?”

His eyes wander from mine. Sebastian is more than just some pretty face. He shows me every day just how he hears me.

“I thought that we needed to play different parts,” I admit to him.

These truly are altered roles than the ones we’ve entertained since meeting. Believing that we were meant to only be stepsiblings and nothing more, seems like a universe far, far away.

“There was no world in which I’d have concealed my heart the way you expected,” he whispers into my skin, kissing up my arm slowly.

“Sebastian,” I murmur, wanting him to stop kissing me, but also never stop what he’s doing.

“That’s what I love to hear.” His voice purrs.

He takes my lips back in his, biting the bottom one and scraping his teeth against mine so gently.

I close my eyes, imagining this future for all time. Loving a man such as this never felt viable. Even believing Lucas to love me never felt quite this intense.

How do I expect the world to keep spinning without having him like this?

“You’re not perfect,” I finally tell him quietly. “That’s why I love you.”

His face pulls away, and I let my fingers slip into his own dark hair. “Not sure that makes much sense.”

My eyes scan him, wanting to memorize each freckle, dent, crease and muscle in his face. My racing heart forms a lump in my throat while I question my next words.

“Princess, if I’m not perfect, how can you love me?”

I shift, lying on my side to give him my full, undivided attention. Removing my hand from his hair, I instead prop my own head up.

“There’s no such thing as perfect.”

“Yet here we are.” He sticks his tongue out.

“We’ve been playing a game of back and forth. If things were perfect, we wouldn’t be living under the same roof in a situation neither of us expected,” I explain.

“But that’s where you’re wrong. I believe you to be the most perfect thing created.”

I snort unintentionally as his fuzzy eyebrows jump. “What?”

“I’m far from perfect. I’m human with a beating heart that cries out to keep you and others I love happy.”

He lets a half-smile appear. “That big heart of yours seems to get you in trouble.”

“Because my so-called ‘big heart’ is full for you, jackass.”

Another blue-eyed roll.

“Do you question the future, then?” I don’t mean to ask so abruptly, but the words tumble out. “How we could possibly continue to care for one another and keep others safe, too?”

“I think the only way everyone stays happy is if we just stay low.”

“But that’s not fair, is it?”

“Depends. Who’s truly benefiting from the lies? Are we happier keeping all our moves a secret, or is everyone else happier thinking we’re siblings?”

“I don’t know if it’s so simple?”

The truth I continue to circle back to is that there will never be an ideal world for us. We’re not just friends. We’re more than two people in love.

We’re so strong against naked skin that a fire could begin from the friction between us.

“Just ask me what you’re thinking, Princess.”

“Fine. Define us. What is this, and what will it continue to be?” A concrete question that can only be found with a concrete answer.

Sebastian doesn’t hesitate for even a second, pulling me into his chest again. His heart is beating that I’m worried it may explode out of him.

His lips touch mine softly, not kissing me but not pulling away. We just lie there with soft lips trying to communicate.

“Whatever you want to be is what I want.”

“Cop out,” I groan.

“No, it’s not. I know how you feel about everything, Princess.”

I give us space to study his features. Is this true, or is he only saying what he wants me to hear once again?

Because going home and leaving all of this in Hawaii kills my heart. That’s not a pain that can easily be fixed.

Sebastian takes my chin in his hand and garners my attention again. “Evelyn. Listen to me.”

I nod.

“My top priority is what is safe. I want you to continue to love me the way I love you, and in return, I’ll do all that I can to not only keep you safe but to make you happy.”

“Really?” I strain, his words colliding with my chest.

“I promise you. I’ve fought too hard for this to let you go now.”

Blue eyes remind me of the ocean: passionate, shifting, and surprising. Sebastian’s eyes are exactly that, and I take his cheek in to kiss him.

Losing him now would feel like losing part of my soul. Sebastian Cain may be a pain in the ass, but goddammit it, he’s my pain in the ass.

“I love you, Princess. I’m all in.”

That does it. The tears I’ve been holding back start to well up in my eyes now. God, this is absolutely not the time to be an emotional wreck.

His thumb strokes my skin, wiping away the largest tear.

“All that matters is if we are happy and love one another. So don’t stress, okay? Love me the way you do best.”

Sebastian turns over to his nightstand, grabbing at something I can’t see. I watch him as he returns his eyes to mine, smiling like a foolish man in love.

“Evelyn, I don’t know what exactly is meant to happen, but I know there’s only one thing I want from you.”

His fingers loosen from around the object, a wire tie from our champagne bottle exposed. “Love me with the fire and fierceness that had me fall in love with you in the first place. Put a label on it, even if it’s just with me.”

“Did you just fake propose to me?” I laugh through the growing tears.

“I told you. I’m a classy dude.”

I roll my eyes and nod at the same time. “I love you, Sebastian.”

The bushy brow raises in question, and I just shake my head at his handsome being. “That’s a yes to being my girlfriend?”

“Sebastian! Yes! Fucking kiss me already!”

“Hold on, bossy!” He takes his two hands and wraps the plastic around my index finger, which might be the most romantic thing someone has ever done. He smiles with his entire face, teeth out and eyes crunched.

“Girlfriend.”

“Boyfriend.”

I jump on top of him, tackling him with the kisses that I’ve held back on giving.

Sebastian Cain isn’t just my boyfriend. He is my love.