Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sebastian
“This was a brilliant idea,” Pippa says two weeks later, on the deck of Logan’s newest yacht. We’re inaugurating it Bennett style. That means most of my siblings are here, as well as a few close friends.
“I can’t believe Mom and Dad are sitting this one out,” Logan says. He, Pippa, and I are the only ones on the deck, lying in armchairs in the sun. The rest, including Ava, are swimming around the boat.
“Their way of telling you they don’t approve,” Pippa says.
“Way to rub it in, sister,” Logan says, annoyed. “After all these years, they’re still not used to it.”
I smile. My parents are simple people. Yachts, fast cars, and expensive outings are unnecessary luxuries for them. Vain. Even convincing them to accept that house was a lot of trouble. I admire the values they taught us, but find nothing wrong with indulging in the sweeter side of life. When one becomes more fortunate, it’s no sin to enjoy it. My personal mantra is to also help those less fortunate, which is why Bennett Enterprises donates a hefty percentage of our profits to various causes.
Rubbing more oil on her arms, my sister says, “This outing is just what the doctor ordered. Otherwise, I would’ve spent this weekend at the office too.”
“You should take it easier,” I tell her.
Logan perks up. “How come you never tell me that?”
“Because I’m his favorite sister, so I get special treatment.”
“What she said,” I reply. I don’t have a favorite sibling, but Pippa needs all the attention she can get right now. I know why she spends so much time at the office lately. It’s not only because the collection launch is approaching. She’s made a few trips to her lawyer in the past two weeks to settle the divorce. I offered to accompany her, but she refused, often returning to the office with red eyes and working until late at night. She does the same thing I do when she feels her personal life slipping through her fingers. She puts all her time and energy in the one thing that’s solid—Bennett Enterprises.
“Anyway,” Pippa comments, “you two are workaholics all the time. I’m like that only when a launch approaches. By the way, I can’t believe what a fabulous job Ava’s doing with the campaign.”
“Yeah, she’s very talented,” I agree, but don’t elaborate, a knot forming in my throat. Instinctively, I peer across the yacht railing and into the water to where I saw Ava last. She’s still swimming with Alice and Summer. The closer we get to the date of her departure, the harder talking about her becomes.
“You have it bad for her, brother,” Logan says.
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
“I work with you, remember? I see the way you look at her. It’s. . .”
“What?” I frown at him, shifting in the chair.
“Everyone’s happy about the two of you.”
“I’m not just happy,” Pippa interjects. “I’m thrilled. So are Mom and Dad.”
“Tell them to keep the thrill low. She’s only here for another three weeks.” The thought suffocates me. Where did the time go? I make a grab for my glass, only to find it dry.
“Have you thought about asking her to stay?” Logan asks. He and Pippa exchange a glance that tells me they’ve talked about this.
I clasp the glass tighter. “She has a job and a life, and I respect that. I can hardly tell her to leave everything behind for me.”
“She travels a lot,” Pippa says. “Relocating wouldn’t be too hard for her.”
“I can’t ask her to give up her job. When the project is over, she’ll move to the next one.” My voice is hollow. Why the fuck is this thought so depressing?
“Dude, you already sound like a love-sick puppy. No way am I going to listen to your drunk ramblings about your lost love after she’s gone.” Logan hefts the glass in my direction as if he’s toasting me.
I stare him down. “When did I ever get drunk and talk about women?”
“Oh, that’s right,” he admits. “Never.”
“Damn right.”
He takes a sip from his non-alcoholic cocktail, looking at Pippa with wide eyes.
“Oh, Logan, stop the puppy dog eyes. Though you’ll always be known as the family puppy,” Pippa informs us with a lovely grin. “Sebastian’s the family’s lion, nursing his wounds alone and all that shit.”
Logan leaps to his feet. “How does Sebastian get to be the lion and I the puppy? Why can’t I be a tiger, or at least some scary dog breed?”
Ah, a good old Bennett brawl.
Pippa puts a hand on her hip, squinting at Logan as if she’s considering something. “Yeah, you’re right. Not a puppy. I’ll look up the appropriate breed later. Must be one that barks a lot but doesn’t bite.”
“Don’t forget it must have an oversized ego,” I supply.
Pippa nods. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’m very glad the two of you are having fun at my expense.” Logan’s tone clearly indicates he’s not glad at all. Pippa and I grin. “But we were talking about Sebastian, and how the family lion will be stupid enough to let the woman he loves walk away.”
My smile drops.
“Sebastian, don’t be an idiot,” Pippa begins, now turning to me, placing both hands on her hips. “If you love her—”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to,” she insists, tilting her head.
“Oh, you can just see it?” I ask sarcastically.
“I can,” Pippa says triumphantly. She glances at Logan, who backs her up with a strong nod. Oh, here they go again.
“Yes, yes, Pippa, we all know you’ve been blessed with Mom’s exceptional people-reading skills.” I give them a dismissive hand gesture, but they won’t let me off so easily today.
“Except when it comes to the people I date or marry, apparently,” she adds. I pull a face, fully aware of what she’s doing, bringing up her broken marriage so I don’t brush her off. I’d get mad at her for being so manipulative if I didn’t love her so much. Which she knows very well.
“How is it that every time we do something together out of the office, you two corner me about my personal life?” I inquire, tapping my fingers on the glass.
“You want us to do it at the office too?” Pippa asks with mock surprise. “Why didn’t you say so? Logan, are you up for it? Hey, we could even call in Alice for a Bennett sibling meeting now and again in the CEO’s office. Or in the meeting room.”
Groaning, I drag my palm down my face. “Please don’t.”
“Let’s get through this step by step,” Pippa says. She sits down on the floor, crossing her legs as if she’s about to do some yoga or shit. Damn it. I know that expression on her face. Lifted eyebrows, lips curled into a half smile. It reminds me of our days as kids, planning our way into or out of a mess. “The point is you can’t let her go.”
“You jumped a few steps in the process,” Logan tells her.
“What will you do after she leaves?” Pippa continues, and now a shred of seriousness tinges her playful tone. “Get back to your old life? Find a Terence, like I did? You’ve had enough sharks have a go at you over the years, wearing silicone and Botox to mask their teeth. You’re the billionaire CEO of one of the biggest companies in San Francisco, and we’re in a sexy industry. Everyone knows you, and you’re one of the most eligible bachelors around.”
Logan and I groan in unison. He gets up. “Okay, it’s time for some adult drinks. Whiskey for everyone?”
I nod. After a few seconds, so does Pippa.
“Make mine a double,” I instruct.
“Go, tiger,” Pippa tells him. We all laugh, but without much humor. The discussion has taken a turn for the serious. Logan shoves the drinks in our hands, and we spend a few minutes in silence, nursing the whiskey.
“I don’t want to talk about Ava right now,” I say eventually. Logan leans back in his seat, averting his gaze, but Pippa persists.
“I don’t care. You found a great woman, and as far as I can see, you really let her in.”
“Yeah, but when I did that, I knew it was only for a while.”
There’s a loaded pause—a very loaded pause in which I gulp down the entire contents of the glass.
“Sebastian Bennett,” Pippa says through gritted teeth. “Are you telling me that you only went all in because you thought it was a temporary thing?”
“What? Yea—No. Maybe? I don’t know. Fuck no. I can’t think straight.”
“You can’t blame it on the double whiskey,” Logan warns. “You’ve just had it. No one gets drunk so fast.”
“Burning sun and alcohol isn’t a good combo,” Pippa says. “Recap time. Yes or no, Sebastian?”
“No, it wasn’t because it’s temporary. It was because. . . I couldn’t help it. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I was in it up to my head. Over my head, actually.”
“Good boy.” Pippa pats my arm. “If you’d told me you’re one of those assholes that get the urge to run at the thought of forever, I would’ve beaten the crap out of you.”
“I’m not like that, you know it. I want to carry on the Bennett name and have my own soccer team of kids; but with only siliconed and botoxed sharks in sight, I gave up on that dream years ago.”
When I saw her at the soccer game holding baby Adrian, I could practically see our future together. In fact, I see no future without her. This woman has wedged her way into my heart. She’s glorious. And mine.
Only when Logan sputters his drink and Pippa hugs me, telling me I’m an adorable lion do I realize I’ve actually said at least part of all that out loud. Logan goes to pour himself a fresh glass of whiskey, shaking his head.
Well, it’s all out there already. She might’ve called me a pink panther for all the manliness adorable lion has to it, but I’ll find a way to pay her back. Not now though. Now I need her help. “What do I do, Pippa? I feel like I’m drowning and she’s not even gone yet.”
“Fight for your HEA, brother.”
“I thought you no longer believed in those.”
She puts her hands in mine, leaning closer. “It didn’t turn out well for me, though God knows I tried. He wasn’t worth it. But Ava is, you know that.”
“I do. Damn right, I do. I. . . I know it won’t work. She won’t stay.”
Pippa juts her chin forward, speaking slowly, as if I’m a child. “Then convince her.”
Logan returns empty-handed. “I changed my mind. No more alcohol. Let’s swim to clear our heads.”
“You two go,” I say. “I want some time to think.”
“See,” Pippa tells Logan. “Lion behavior, like I said.” She whisks Logan away before he even opens his mouth, throwing me an encouraging look over her shoulder.
***
Pippa was right. Alcohol and sun is a bad combo. When I stand up, I wobble on my feet, which hasn’t happened in years, so I slump back in my chair. Sometime later, Ava appears on the deck, carrying a heap of something in her arms.
“There you are,” she says. “Logan told me you’re drunk, but I thought he was messing with me.”
She walks to me with the shy smile I’ve come to love. Hell, I’ve come to love everything about her, and that’s the problem. How can I let her go now?
“I like your bikini.” I slur the words so badly, it’s a miracle she understands any of them. She straddles my lap, facing me. Her tits are in my face and her crotch right over mine. I’ll take that any time.
“I brought shells.”
“What?”
She holds up a white shell, looking at it with a bright smile and squinted eyes. “This is so pretty. I swear it changes its color every time I look at it.”
“Looks white to me.”
“It is white, but it has these colorful hues. They’re different colors, depending where you’re looking from.” She holds it in the sunlight, tilting her head from one side to the other. Ah, yes, one other thing I can add to the list of things I love about her: the way she can find beauty in the simplest things, and shows me how to do that too. If I weren’t drunk off my ass, maybe I’d see what she means.
“Where did you find it?”
“I went snorkeling with Daniel and Blake. We went into a cave and I found this there.”
“Did they take good care of you?”
She nods, dropping the shell between us and resting her palms on my chest. “They’re great. And so much fun.”
“Watch it, I might get jealous.” I run my hands up her thighs to her hips.
She laughs, tilting her head back, exposing her throat to me. “Of your brothers?”
“Of any man.” I cup her left breast with one hand. “This is mine.” I slide the other hand into her bathing suit, finding her wet pussy. “This is mine too.”
She huffs out a breath, her chest heaving up and down.
“You are mine, Ava, and I won’t let you go.”
Her eyes widen, and she murmurs, “You really are drunk.”
“Yeah, but you’re still mine.”
I kiss her hard, possessing her mouth, my hand cupping her wetness. Entangled with her like this, I make myself a drunken promise: I will not let her go.