Sweet Cravings

Chapter Sixteen – First kiss

Sebastian

We left the diner once the kids had eaten their fill of cherry pie and ice cream. The drive back to Bri’s place was easy, wrapped in that soft kind of silence that only happens when everyone feels… safe. Every so often, a whisper or a giggle floated up from the back seat, followed by Sky’s dramatic “shhh!” as if we couldn’t hear them conspiring.

I pulled up outside Bri’s house and shifted the car into park.

“I suppose we should see if there’s somewhere for us to stay for the next few days,” I said, turning toward her. “Is there a hotel close by?”

Before she could answer, protests erupted from the back seat.

“No hotel!”

“Sebby, no!”

“You stay here!”

Bri pressed a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh. “Looks like you’ve been outvoted. And honestly, I agree. There is no way you’re staying in some hotel.” She unclicked her seat belt and nodded toward the front door. “Come on.”

Her certainty caught me off guard in the best way. There was no hesitation in her voice, no second-guessing. Just an open door — literally and figuratively.

The kids tumbled out of the car first, still buzzing from sugar and excitement. Sky grabbed Zack’s hand and darted toward the porch, her curls bouncing with each step. Alex followed them, offering a soft little smile over his shoulder, like he was checking to make sure I was coming too.

I turned back to Bri.

“You sure about this?” I asked.

Her smile softened. “Sebastian… you stood by me in there. After everything today, after everything this town throws at us… it feels good not to be alone tonight.” She nudged my arm lightly with her shoulder. “And it’s just a few days. We’ll make it work.”

Something warm settled in my chest — steady, grounding, the kind of feeling I didn’t realize I’d been craving too.

“All right,” I said quietly. “Lead the way.”

And for the first time since I’d landed in Montana, it felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Sky was the first through the front door, already bouncing on her toes.

“Come on! Come on! We show you da house!”

Zack and Alex exchanged a look — brothers silently agreeing that Sky was now the tour guide and there was no point fighting it — and followed after her.

Bri laughed under her breath. “Brace yourself. She’s very serious about her job.”

Sky pointed dramatically toward the living room.

“Dis is the couch. It’s comfy. But don’t jump on it. Mama says no jumping.”

Zack nodded solemnly. “She’s right. I tested it.”

Bri shot him a playful glare.

“I know you did.”

They moved down the hallway next, Sky pushing open a door.

“Dis is my room. It has my teddies. and Bun bun, no been nasty to my teddies, Awex and Zacky can stay here wif me.”

Alex leaned in. “Sleepover!!!”

Sky nodded, with a grin.

Next came the small laundry room (“boring room”), the bathroom (“only one towel is mine, the unicorn one”), and finally the spare room at the end of the hall.

“This one is for guests,” Bri said, pushing the door open. Her voice softened a little. “So… tonight, that’s you.”

The room was neat, simple, but cozy. A wide bed with clean sheets, soft lighting, an extra blanket folded at the end. Someone had put effort into this space long before tonight.

I cleared my throat.

“You sure this is okay? We don’t want to crowd you.”

Bri shook her head.

“You’re not. Really. It… it feels good having people here. The house gets quiet sometimes.”

Sky tugged on Sebastian’s sleeve.

“Sebby, it’s not scary here. Mama makes it safe.”

The look Bri gave her daughter — tender, surprised, and a little emotional — felt like stepping into something private and precious.

It took a good half hour to settle everyone — Sky insisted on showing Alex each of her bedtime books, and Zack somehow ended up helping her arrange her stuffed animals into “sleeping formation.” When the last light finally clicked off in her room and the quiet settled in, Bri and I found ourselves back in the living room.

The house felt different now. Softer. Still. Full of the kind of quiet that doesn’t need filling.

Bri sank onto the couch, tucking her knees up for a moment before letting them drop.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For coming here today. For… all of it.”

I sat on the other end of the couch but leaned slightly toward her — close enough to show I was listening, far enough to keep things comfortable.

“You don’t have to thank me, baby.”

“I do,” she murmured. “I know today was a mess. And you didn’t have to be the one to step in. But you did.”

I gave her a small smile.

“Well… I care about you. And Sky. And you shouldn’t have to face people like that alone.”

She looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together for a moment before letting out a breath.

“It’s been a long time since anyone stayed,” she admitted. “People come and go. They help for a minute, then life gets busy. Or complicated. And then it’s just me and Sky again.”

I nodded slowly.

“I’m not going anywhere tonight,” he said. “And tomorrow… we’ll figure out tomorrow when it comes.”

Bri leaned towards me, our eyes locked together, our faces so close together they were almost touching.

“I told you Bri, if I kiss you, I will never let you go, so if you don’t want...” she placed a finger on my lips.

“Maybe I don’t ever want you too let me go.”

I let out a groan as my resistance snapped, and captured her lips with mine, tangling my fingers into her hair, fu*ck she tastes so good, tentatively I lapped at her lips with my tongue.and with a moan she poened her mouth and let me in.

Time seemed to stand still and speed up at the same time, without thinking I gripped her hips and pulled her onto my lap so she was straddling my thighs.

I kissed her like I was drowning, unable to get enough, her arms around my neck as she deepened the kiss even more, as she ground her core into my already hard di*ck.

I could smell her arousal and could have kept kissing her forever, but in the back of my mind I knew we were going too fast.

I pulled back but couldn't resist planting tender peck on her lips and cheeks, sighing, i pulled her close to me so she rested her head on my shoulder.

“Baby, we need to slow down, god I could kiss you all night...I want to kiss you all night, I want to make love to you all night long, but it’s too soon, and I don’t want to risk losing you.”

She lifted her head from my shoulder and smiled, “thank you Bast, I don’t want to lose you either.”

Lifting her off me I held out my hand and walked her to her room. Hell leaving her here to go to bed on her own has to be one of the hardest things I have ever done, but it is the right thing.

I placed a soft kiss to her forehead, “goodnight baby.” Her smile made me melt, “night Bast, see you in the morning.”

I waited until she closed the door and quietly made my way to my room, nothing could stop the grin on my face, that was some first kiss.