“I hope he rots in hell,” Star said, her hands braced on her hips, a scowl on her face.
Tia leaned down and hugged me, pressing my face into her teased-out hair that was doused in hairspray. I coughed as soon as my nose made contact. “At least now you’re safe, honey.”
I pulled back and looked at the girls, deciding this was the best time to tell them about changing jobs. “I need to tell you something.”
“Oh. My. God. You’re pregnant,” Elle screeched, eyeing my belly.
“Are you getting married?” Tia asked at the same time, releasing me and jumping up and down, clapping her hands.
“Did you finally decide to change your conditioner?” Star asked, blinking at me.
“Hello, little darling,” Elle said, kneeling in front of me, talking to my stomach.
I put my hand up, and they fell silent. “I’m leaving Pepper’s. Well, kind of. I’ll still be working for the club, doing office work instead.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you,” Elle said, getting up but still eyeing my belly.
The other girls chimed in, everyone telling me they were glad I was getting out of there. I hoped they didn’t think my dislike of the club had anything to do with them, because I would miss everyone. We’d become a little family, and I knew they always had my back and I had theirs.
“And guess what? Smitty just got fired,” I said, grinning. It was always good to follow bad news with good news.
Their response was similar to the girls outside as everyone started hooting and hollering. They grew even louder when I told them how it all went down.
“Just when you think that man couldn’t get any better, he goes and kicks out the weasel,” Tia said, a dreamy look on her face.
“I know.” I sighed, most likely sporting a similar expression.
The rest of the night was boring compared to how it started. I served a lot of rowdy eejits, and the girls killed it onstage. Sebastian was around as promised, and every time I looked up, he was watching me.
That might sound creepy, but to me it was everything. And it made me feel safe and cared for, two things I hadn’t felt in a long time.
When the night was finally over, I couldn’t run out of there fast enough. Sebastian helped me up onto his bike, and I got as close as I could, leaving no space between us. He put his hand on my leg before starting the bike, giving me a reassuring squeeze.
I held on tight and enjoyed the ride instead of doing what I really wanted, which was letting my hands wander. When we pulled up in front of my house, I was squirming on the seat, holding Sebastian in a tight grip.
He signaled for me to get off, his bemused expression floating over me once I was standing next to the bike. “Enjoy the ride?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. We should do it again soon.”
“No doubt we will,” he said and kicked the stand down. Once the bike was safely parked in my driveway, Sebastian caught my hand and walked us to the front door.
I’d barely closed the door behind us when he was on me, pressing my back against the closest wall. His eyes filled with love and desire, his hands roamed my body as if mapping every inch.
“I didn’t think I could ever feel about another person the way I feel about you,” Sebastian said against my cheek, his voice a husky whisper. “But you’re a part of me now, one I couldn’t survive without.”
My legs went soft, my breathing stalled, and my voice broke when I said, “Ditto.”
“Ahem, did you forget about the other person in your house?” Stella interrupted us.
I squeaked and pushed at Sebastian to let me go. He chuckled but stepped back, releasing me.
“Sorry, Stella,” I said, my face hot with embarrassment.
“Guess this is my cue to go home,” she said, grinning at us.
After waving goodbye, she left, closing the door softly behind her. I went to the window to make sure she got inside her car safely. Once she was gone, I turned back to Sebastian.
His hair was disheveled, and he looked ready to charge me. Which he did, not breaking stride until he had me back against the wall. “Now where were we?”
Sebastian pulled my leg up to his hip and pressed himself against me. His head descended, and he took my mouth in a slow, drugging kiss, one I never wanted to end.
He lifted me up, and I wound my legs around him and held on tight, his lips never leaving mine. When we broke apart, we were holding on to each other like Luca did to the last jellybean in the jar.
“Let’s take this somewhere else,” Sebastian said, not wanting a repeat of the last time we couldn’t wait to jump each other. We were in a similar position in front of the door when Luca stumbled out of his room.
He screamed when he saw us because he thought Sebastian was attacking me. Well, he kind of was, but it was the good kind of attack. And it took me over an hour to calm Luca down enough for him to fall asleep. He still eyed Sebastian suspiciously every time he touched me, three days later.
Sebastian walked us into my bedroom, closing the door and turning the lock. My kids knew how to open doors, so locking them was the only thing we could do.
“Never thought I’d have to sneak around again,” he said, his voice a velvet murmur.
Joy bubbled in my laugh, and my heart was full to bursting. An invisible thread pulled me closer to him, connecting us heart and soul.
He was looking down at me with reverence, our lips almost touching. “And I don’t even care. Because as long as I’m with you, nothing else matters.”
“I love you,” I said, my throat thick with emotion.
His arms tightened around me, and my lips instinctively found their way
