He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in, burying his nose in my hair and breathes in the scent of me. His arms are thick and muscular, and they feel so great around mine. All I want to do then is to stay there forever, in his arms, for him to rock me back and forth and kiss me until there is nothing left in the world but him and me.
'Make the pain go away, angel,' Sebastian says after a minute, holding me by the arms and leaning back so he can look into my eyes.
I hesitate, still clutching the warm cloth in my hand. 'But your cut--'
'Forget the cut,' he says, unfurling my fingers so the cloth falls to the ground. 'You are all I need.'
His fingers lace with mine, and just the touch of his skin makes my stomach feel hot, makes my body buzz with energy and desire. I feel his erection pressing against me again as he holds me, feel each little groove of his body against me. And I want him again. My skin is numb and tingly, and I know I want him. I know I love him.
'Can I have you?' he repeats, bringing his lips down on mine. His kiss is hot and fiery, sending an ache throughout my body and leaving me wanting so much more. He moves his hands around my hips, pressing his torso to my back, and the feel of him on me is addicting, intoxicating.
'Yes,' I say as he pulls back. Then I lock eyes with his. 'Take me,' I whisper.
And he does.
I find myself gasping for breath by the time Sebastian and I finish. Everything about him is so incredibly sexy, from the taste of his lips to the gentleness of his touch to the arch of his muscle to the moans he gives me to the feel of him inside of me. My skin is still hot and sweaty and shivery, and as I slip on my underwear, I find myself watching Sebastian dress beside me, fascinated with each little movement of his body, with the muscle in his chest and the arch of his back and the little V veins his torso make. I love him, love him even when I shouldn't. He is dangerous, he's a killer, and yet, everything about him feels so right.
Once he's put on his underwear, he walks over to the couch and pushes off the cushions, then unlocks a mattress and pulls it out. He grabs some sheets and a blanket from a basket beside the couch and spreads them out across the mattress, tucking them in on either side.
'We sleep here tonight, angel,' he says quietly, shifting the pillows from the couch to the mattress.
He sits down at the edge of the bed, swinging his legs over and into the sheets. When I don't move to join him, he pats the space beside him. I sit down, my hand brushing his. Sebastian smiles a little, reaches out, and gently wraps his arms around my body, drawing me into his chest.
'You feel so good,' he whispers into my ear. I lie there beside him, in the bed, with the candles flickering throughout the huge and dark and empty living room.
I don't say anything. There aren't any words to say. There is just the feel of him.
'You're sleeping with me tonight,' he continues. 'But that means I have to keep you here. That means I have to… hold you here.' He pulls a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. 'Okay?'
I hesitate, glancing between the handcuffs and his fiery blue eyes. 'You don't trust me?' I say, not bothering to hide the hurt in my voice.
Sebastian sighs, shakes his head. 'It isn't an issue of trust, angel. People don't leave you because they don't trust you, or because you don't trust them to stay. People leave you because they don't know better, because they don't even realize they're leaving you until it's too late. And I'm not taking that risk with you,' he whispers. 'I'm not risking losing you too.'
The genuine hurt in his words is almost too much to bear. My heart aches for him, wishes I can make him better. I need him to feel okay, just like he makes me feel okay. Our relationship has always been about that; healing the other with our touches and our words. But sometimes, I doubt that I'm really healing him. Sometimes, I think no one can heal Sebastian.
'Okay,' I say, wishing I had the strength to say no. 'But don't make them tight, please?'
Sebastian smiles a little. 'Of course, angel,' he says, gently clasping the handcuff to my hand, then attaching it to the bottom of the mattress. 'Anything for you.' He kisses me when he's done, a long, drawn out kiss that sends a shiver through my body. 'Does that feel okay?' he whispers, blue eyes piercing mine.
'Yes.'
'Good.' Sebastian lies back down now, looking up at the ceiling, and I follow his lead. The ceiling is empty, nothing but white paint, but there is something beautiful in how ordinary it is. I wish I were ordinary, sometimes. I wish none of the bad things ever happened. But then I realize that being ordinary never made me all that happy either. Being ordinary never gave me any of these experiences, never made me feel as alive as Sebastian does. Being ordinary is kind of overrated.
Maybe everyone should be shards. Maybe that's the point.
'Do you think we're ever going to escape for good?' I ask after a while, not looking at him. 'Do you think Marco will ever give up?'
I hear Sebastian shake his head beside me. 'I don't know. I think we just have to hope.'
'Hoping hasn't gotten me very far,' I mutter so quietly that I don't mean for Sebastian to hear, but he must anyway, because I hear him say to himself, 'Me too.'
We're silent for a long while after that. I listen to the crickets outside, to the whirring of the fan above me, and I find myself wondering if this place is going to be my home now, if I'm ever going to get out. But at least I'm with Sebastian. At least I still have him. And for now, that's all I need.
'Angel,' he whispers after a few hours have passed, right when I'm on the verge of falling asleep.
'Yes?' I say, sitting up and turning to him.
He's not looking at me, though. His gaze is still trained on the ceiling. 'In case anything ever happens, I want you to know something. I want… I want to have a plan B.' He turns to me now, locking eyes with mine. 'Okay?'
I nod. 'Of course,' I say softly.
'You aren't going to like it,' he says, eyes on mine.
I hold my breath. Just the idea of losing him, losing anyone else, hurts too much to explain. 'Tell me.'
He sighs. He reaches out a hand and starts running his fingers through my hair, his blue eyes so soft and sad, as if he regrets something. 'Angel, I've done bad things,' he whispers. 'You know that. And you may learn some things about me soon… that just… they aren't good things. I regret them, though. Each and every one of them. But if it gets to the point where you hate me, where you're hurt inside and just want to leave me, then we need to end this. Even with the risks,' he whispers. 'And then, afterward, if you decide you need to, you can leave me forever. No questions asked. I'll let you go.' He moves in closer to me, his hot breath on my lips. 'I hope you know that, angel. I hope you know that I'll always let you go if you absolutely need to leave.'
My heart skips a beat. What is it Sebastian is hiding from me? 'What's the plan?' I say. I make sure my voice doesn't shake. I make sure I'm strong, strong for him.
'To go with Marco,' he says quietly, eyes still on mine. 'He won't kill you on sight if you tell him you have… information about me. Give me up and save yourself, angel. I need to pay for my sins sometime. You don't deserve to be pulled down with me.'
'So you want me to go to his house and kill him?' I say quietly, staring back at him, at the curve of his jaw, the deep tan of his skin. The scary thing is, I know I'll do it. I'll do anything to be happy, to be with Sebastian. I've been hurt so much before, broken to the point where I barely know who I am anymore, that I know I'll do anything I need to be happy again.
Sebastian shakes his head. 'Don't do that. Trying to hurt him at his house will only get you killed by his guards. Just give me up, angel, if something bad were ever to happen.' His eyes lock with mine. 'Can you do that for me?'
'Yes,' I say quietly, knowing it's a lie. 'I can.' But a part of me keeps wanting to ask him what exactly it is he is hiding from me, what it is that is going on, what he's holding back that could potentially ruin all of this. I tell myself it's nothing, though. Tell myself I can trust Sebastian. I
He smiles lightly, then kisses my forehead. 'Goodnight,' he says, rolling over so his back is to me. 'I love you.'
But I don't say anything. I just stare up at the ceiling, thinking and thinking. I think about happiness and what I'd do to achieve it. I think about how much pain I feel every day, and how much I want to be with Sebastian and
