Sebastian takes me on a gorgeous picnic in Napa for our second date. I tilt my head to feel the warm sun and the cool breeze. The silky green backless halter top and pale blue jeans Yuna and I picked out during our shopping spree are perfect for the outing.
“That feels so good,” I whisper, then lie back on the blanket.
“I’m still shocked you’ve never been up here.”
“Never had any time.”
He pops a small piece of camembert into my mouth. It pairs well with the dry Riesling. Out of the ten different vintages, I think this one’s my favorite. He seems to notice, because he pours me more of it. Then he lifts my head and slips his knee underneath so I can prop myself up enough to sip the cool wine.
It puts my head on his lap, and my heart does another weird cartwheel, but I decide what the hell. It feels too good and comfortable, and I don’t want to move, especially when he’s massaging my scalp. He has a surprisingly gentle touch that melts away all the tension and helps me relax.
“This is the first time I’ve really had time to just do what I want,” I say. “I struggled for so long, like one of those salmon swimming upriver. Except at the end, I had nothing to show for it.”
“That’s Bianca’s fault.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t getting tired. You’re going to go all the way with her lawsuit, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He hesitates. “Do you want me to call it off?”
“No. You should do what you want. I’m not going to worry about what happens to her. Life’s too short.”
“I’m making examples of the three—her, Roderick and Darren. After this, nobody’ll screw with you at Peery Diamonds.”
“Why do you want me back there? You don’t need me to get Hae Min’s cooperation.”
“This isn’t about them. It’s about you.” He picks up my hand and kisses the fingertips. The soft brush of his lips sends shivers all over my body. “I like seeing you relaxed and happy, but I also like seeing you fulfilled through your work. I want you to be in charge of Peery Diamonds if that’s what you want. I want you to have a chance to do everything you want to do there without someone getting in your way.”
He just knows, I realize, my belly fluttering. I never said a word, but he knows.
“If you decide that being the CEO isn’t what you want after all, then of course you should pursue something else. And I’ll be behind you one hundred percent. But you shouldn’t have been forced out like that. Everyone deserves a fair shot. I want you to have yours.”
“What if I tell you that I don’t want to be the CEO at all? Then what?”
He shrugs. “Then nothing. I’ll work with Karen and Hae Min myself. You can do”—he waves a hand in the air—“whatever.”
“And Bianca? And Roderick and Darren?”
“I imagine they’ll end up in jail. They need to pay for what they did.”
Then I realize something else. “What happened to Karl and Vonnie?” They should’ve been the first to pound on my door, not Bianca.
Sebastian smiles. “Karl doesn’t have the bandwidth to bother you, since the casino he owes money to is anything but happy. Apparently, the owner is furious, especially since Karl tried to hit on his baby sister. As for Vonnie, I’m guessing it’s a combination of not wanting to honor the bet she lost and seeing what I’m doing to her father. If she so much as looks at you wrong, I’m going to destroy her, and she knows it.”
His tone contains a firm finality—all the drama involving those two is permanently over.
“All those people are trash in your life, Luce,” he adds. “Let me take them out for you.”
“What if you throw out all my trash and tidy up my life, but I don’t invite you back in?” I say, curious precisely what he’s expecting in return. I just can’t believe he’s doing all this just to get me back.
“Then I’ll have to try harder. But I’m doing this for you, so you can be happy.”
“And if I see other men?” I say, looking up at him.
“That would be terrible.”
“Terrible how?”
“Well, you know. Young men, in their prime. Dying so early.” His tone is light, but his eyes blaze.
“You’re jealous.”
“Yep.”
“And possessive.”
“Only an idiot wouldn’t be possessive of the only woman he wants.”
Well, there it is. “The only one, huh? You sure about that?”
“Very.”
I sit up. “Then show me.”
He takes a sip of the dry Riesling he’s poured for me, then gently but firmly takes my hair in his hand, the other arm going around me, and claims my mouth. His tongue glides over my lips, then slips inside. There’s an aroma of the wine I’ve been enjoying so much, but it’s the taste of him that’s making my heart pound.
I miss him—the heat, the need, the sheer honesty of his reaction. He shocked me before with the raw, uncivilized plundering of my body. But right now, he’s kissing me like a man granted a sip of cool water after a long travel in the desert.
Pleasure spreads, then coils around me. I wrap around him, lost in the kiss. My fingers dig into the soft silk of his hair, drawing him close.
He pulls back. Our rough breaths mingle. I blink up at him, the flush in his cheeks, the undisguised desire lurking in his gold-green gaze.
“Don’t stop,” I whisper, licking my lips.
He looks at me like he’s pained, but doesn’t close the distance between our mouths. “I love you.”
I blink. “What?”
“I love you,” he says again. “Do you believe me?”
A knot forms in my throat. Every cell in my body chills, then overheats. I don’t…can’t make sense of this sudden declaration. I’m not ready… I didn’t think…
How can he love me?
“Do you want to take me back?” he asks.
I can’t speak.
A sad, dry smile twists his lips. “This is why.” He dips his head until his forehead touches mine. “I have to stop because you don’t believe I love you.”
“It never mattered before,” I rasp.
“Because I was too slow to realize I was in love with you.”
“But…I don’t have anything to give you.” My words come out in a thin, lost cry.
“I don’t want something you have. I want you.”
“What happens if I never believe you love me?” I whisper. Even now this feels like a dream.
“Never say never, Valkyrie.”
