Eva
For the first time in three years, I didn’t wake up to the cold, empty space of a mattress or the sight of a back turned toward me.
When I opened my eyes, the room was bathed in the soft, golden hue of early morning. I was tucked firmly against Sebastian’s chest, his arm protectively wrapped around my waist.
I stayed still for a moment, listening to his heartbeat. With Julian, I always woke up alone because he’d already headed to the rink without a word.
I felt Sebastian stir. He didn’t reach for his phone or check the time. He simply tightened his hold on me and buried his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply.
"You're so beautiful when you sleep, Eva," he murmured, his voice thick with sleep and a rough, morning rasp. "I’ve spent an hour just watching you. Even the way you drool a little... it’s perfect."
I felt a flush creep up my neck, a bubbly, light sensation dancing in my stomach. I looked up at him, squinting. "I do not drool," I protested, though my heart was hammering.
"You do. And I want to keep every drop of it," he said, smiling. He leaned in, kissing my forehead, then the tip of my nose, then my cheek. When he moved for my lips, I instinctively turned my head away, covering my mouth with my hand.
"Wait... morning breath," I whispered, embarrassed. Julian had always made a face if I tried to kiss him before brushing my teeth
Sebastian didn't flinch. He gently but firmly pulled my hand away from my mouth. "I don't give a damn about morning breath, Eva. I want all of you. Every messy, unbrushed, honest inch of you."
He kissed me then, not a quick peck, but a deep, consuming kiss just like he did last night.
When he pulled away, he looked at me like I was the most precious thing he had ever held.
I reached down, my hand brushing against him under the sheets. He was already rock hard. I let out a soft laugh.
"In my defense," he groaned, his eyes darkening, "it’s physically impossible to be next to you and not feel like this."
I moved to help him, my fingers grazing the heat of him, but he caught my wrist, bringing my hand to his lips for a kiss.
"No," he whispered. "I want you more than I can say, but I want to take you again when you belong to me and only me.”
"I don't belong to anyone else," I said, my voice gaining a strength I hadn't felt in years. "I’m going to tell him today. It’s over."
"I'll drop you off," he said, "but first... we shower."
We got into the shower and I stood under the warm spray, stunned, as Sebastian took the bottle of shampoo and began to massage it into my scalp. His large hands were so gentle, his fingers working through the tangles with a patience Julian never possessed.
He washed the soap from my skin, his mouth following the path of the water to kiss my shoulders.
I leaned back against his chest, the steam rising around us. This was the moment I felt the last of my defenses crumble. It wasn't just the s*x; it was the way he looked at me when the lights were on. It was the way he cared for me after he’d already had what he wanted.
After the shower, he went shopping for some new clothes for me to wear and he got my size perfectly.
Then we headed back to my house to confront Julian.
Sebastian parked a block away from the house I shared with Julian. He turned to me, his expression serious. "I love you, Eva. No matter what happens in there, whatever you decide, I’m here. If you walk back out that door, I’m yours. If you stay... I’ll live with it, but I’ll never stop wanting you."
Breath left my lungs when I heard him say he loved me.
"I’m walking out," I promised.
I entered the house and walked into the kitchen and found Julian standing by the island, sweating profusely, his jersey slightly rumpled. He looked like he’d just run a marathon.
"How was the cake tasting?" he asked, his voice high and nervous.
I stopped dead. I hadn't gone cake tasting. I’d been gone all night. He hadn't called, hadn't texted, and now he was making up an assumption for where I’d been just to avoid a conversation.
"The cake was fine, Julian," I said, my voice numb.
Then, I smelled it. The cloying, sweet scent of coconut and pomade. Olandria’s signature perfume. It was everywhere. My eyes scanned the room, landing on a single, high-heeled shoe peeking out from under the long tablecloth of the breakfast nook.
"I’m calling the wedding off," I said clearly. "We’re rushing this. I think I need to see other people. I think we both do."
Julian’s eyes lit up with a pathetic, desperate hope. "You... you’re right. Yeah. We should definitely see other people. I agree."
Julian was stammering, shifting his weight. I looked at the table, then at him, then at the sweat dripping down his face. I knew. I knew Olandria was under there, finishing what they had started. The betrayal should have hurt, but all I felt was a clean, sharp sense of relief.
I walked toward the door, but stopped at the table. I reached down, picked up the stray heel, and set it squarely on top of the table.
"Have fun with Olandria, Julian," I said, a cold smile touching my lips. "I don't mind. I'm going to go get some real d**k anyway."
I walked out, closing the door behind me. I stood on the porch for three seconds, waiting for the sob to rise, for the heartbreak to shatter me. It never came. I just felt light. I ran back to Sebastian’s car and climbed into the passenger seat.
Before he could speak, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a fierce kiss.
"He agreed," I panted against his lips. "He was f*****g Olandria. I caught them."
Sebastian’s grip on my neck tightened, his thumb stroking my jaw. "I told you to leave it to me."
I pulled back, my eyes wide. "What did you do?"
Sebastian gave a dark, clever chuckle. "I knew they couldn't help themselves if they were alone. I told Olandria that the 'wedding songs' needed to be delivered to the house while you were with me but she thought you’d be at home. I knew Julian would be there alone. I just provided the opportunity for them.”
I laughed, the sound loud and genuine. "You are a sneaky, intentional man, Sebastian."
"You love me like that," he teased.
I paused, looking deep into his dark eyes and I realized I did love him. "I do. I love all of you."
The way his face lit up, the pure, raw joy that flooded his features was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. "Say it again," he whispered.
"I love you, Sebastian."
I reached for his belt, my fingers working the leather. "I want to make up for saying that the first kiss was a mistake."
"In the car?" he asked, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register.
"Right here," I said, pulling my top over my head.
"I’d hate to have to kill someone for seeing my woman naked," he muttered, but his eyes were devouring me.
"The windows are tinted," I whispered.
I stripped out of my bra and pants, tossing them into the footwell until I was completely bare before him.
I lowered the passenger seat and sat with my back against the door, facing him. I hiked my legs up, resting my feet on his shoulders, exposing myself completely to the morning light filtering through the glass.
"Are you in or out, Sebastian?"
He didn't need another word. He ripped his shirt off, his muscles bulging as he leaned forward. He kissed my ankles, his tongue tracing the sensitive skin of my calves and thighs until he reached my p***y.
He dived in. He used his tongue to flat-lick my c**t, sucking the hood back while his fingers dived inside me. He was relentless, his mouth a hot, wet pressure that had me screaming his name and clawing at the headrest.
"I need to be inside you," he rasped, pulling back.
He moved to the back seat, discarding his trousers and boxers in a frantic heap. I scrambled over the center console, straddling him the moment he was settled. I held his shoulders, guiding him toward me, and lowered myself slowly.
I gasped as his girth filled me, stretching me until I felt like I was bursting. I began to ride him, my back arching, my hair flying wild as I bounced on his length. Sebastian’s hands were everywhere, grabbing my ass, pulling my hair back to expose my throat for his kisses, his mouth finding my n*****s and sucking until I was incoherent.
I came first, my walls pulsing around him in a tight, desperate rhythm. Sebastian followed seconds later, a deep, primal roar escaping him as he filled me, his body shaking with the force of his release.
We collapsed together, my head on his chest, the only sound the ticking of the cooling engine. We stayed like that for a long time, silent and tangled.
Sebastian reached for the glove compartment, his hand trembling slightly. He pulled out a small, velvet box. He stayed inside me as he opened it, revealing a diamond that caught the morning light.
"I bought this the first day I saw you, Eva," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I knew then. I’ve just been waiting for the rest of the world to catch up. Will you marry me? For real this time?"
I looked at the ring, then at the man who had seen me when I was invisible, who had cherished me when I was neglected.
"Yes," I sobbed, laughing through the tears.
"Yes, Sebastian."
He slid the ring onto my finger and kissed me, a long, slow promise. I was finally with the man I deserved, and my sister was with the man she deserved. For the first time in my life, I wasn't second best.
I was everything.