Chapter Nine
Seb collected Cody when he said he would. In a bright yellow Audi R8 this time.
“Iron Man’s car,” Cody exclaimed, running out the door. It wasn’t until he was in Sebastian’s car that it dawned on Grace he was carrying the notepad that had somehow become an extension of his arm lately.
Sebastian waved at her from behind the wheel, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.
Damn it, she missed his eyes. Missed seeing their edges crinkle with laughter. It had only been three days since their tête-à-tête in Shelli’s bedroom. Three days without seeing him, hearing him, being near him.
Okay, so she’d seen and heard him on the television every day. Every time she turned on the news, there was a story about what he was doing in Sydney. One day she discovered he was up in Queensland. On the news program only this morning, there’d been footage of him surfing at Bondi Beach with James Dyson.
He’d been asked about his film, Samantha and Dave in a few of those interviews, and every time, he’d given the same response. “I’m focusing on the future.”
If only she could do the same. Forget their past. It would make her life simpler.
Although, how forgetting how horrible Sebastian had been to her would make any difference to her life, her future, was beyond her. Maybe she was deluded?
Come inside for a cuppa? The invitation was on her lips as the R8 reversed out of her driveway.
“G’day, Fitzgerald,” Sebastian called, waving out the driver’s side window.
Justin appeared at her front gate, his lips forming words she couldn’t hear thanks to the roar of Sebastian’s car accelerating away.
The R8 turned the corner, leaving her alone with Justin still standing at the gate.
“Hi, Justin.”
He smiled. “Double shift today?”
“Yeah. Going to be a fun one, what with this heat wave.”
“Take care of yourself. Drink lots of water.”
She laughed. “Did you just tell an ambo how to look after herself?”
“I did.” He dragged a hand through his hair with a chuckle. “What can I say? I care about you.”
He took a step toward her, as if expecting her to invite him in. How many times in the last few months had she done just that when he’d brought her coffee? A few, at least. He’d rarely said yes. Sometimes she’d wondered if he was just being nice because he pitied her? It wasn’t until Sebastian swept back into her life that he seemed determined to actually come into her house, spend time with her.
For some reason, that very fact bugged the hell out of her. If she wasn’t worth it when she was unattached, why would she be now?
She half turned back toward her front door. “Well, I better get ready for work.”
“I’ve noticed Hart hasn’t been around much of this week.”
She paused at Justin’s exceedingly offhanded question. “No.”
“Everything okay?”
If she said no, what would he do?
“Everything is okay.” Her pulse pounded hard in her throat. “Have a great day today. Stay out of the heat.”
He laughed—a weak, forced sound. “I’ll try. Let me know if you’d like some company when you get home.”
She nodded. “Will do.”
She hurried inside, snatched up her bag and phone, and left for work. She didn’t need to be there for another hour, but she didn’t want to be at home, either.
By the time she returned at eleven that night, she was exhausted. She found Cody in bed sound asleep, and Sebastian asleep on the sofa, the television casting him in a blue light that did nothing to lessen just how goddamn good-looking he was.
On the dining table was a spectacular house made of cards, Cody’s math homework—completed—and a note saying Cody’s school lunch was made and in the fridge. There were also two empty mugs sitting next to the electric kettle, an Earl Grey tea bag in each one.
A wave of warmth rolled through her. Chewing on her bottom lip, she wandered back into the living and stood at Sebastian’s feet.
“Okay, Hart,” she murmured, draping a throw blanket over him. “You’ve earned your sleep.”
Ten minutes later, after a quick shower, she crawled into her bed. Was she insane not waking him? Was she insane not answering Justin’s text at ten thirty asking if she wanted him to bring hot chocolate over? Was she insane for lying in bed dressed in a black pair of undies and a Captain Kirk T-shirt, straining to hear if Sebastian had woken?
The morning sun blasted her eyes, warmed her face, and dragged her from a dreamless sleep before any answers presented themselves.
Cody was talking to someone in the kitchen.
Sebastian?
Stomach a knotted ball, mouth dry, she climbed from the bed and made her way to the kitchen.
Justin smiled at her from the dining table. “Good morning.”
Crap.
“Sorry.” She bolted back to her room. God, she was an idiot. What the hell was she doing walking out without pulling on a robe? Hoping to find Sebastian there? Where the hell was her brain?
“Cody,” she yelled from her bedroom. “I’ve got to go to the supermarket before school, so we need to get going. I’m really sorry, Justin. I’m running late. Catch you later?”
She didn’t wait for a response.
He was gone by the time she reemerged.
Cody frowned at her. Thank God, he was dressed in his uniform. “You okay, Mum?”
“I am. We’ve just got to get moving.” She shoved his lunchbox into his schoolbag. “How was yesterday with Sebastian?”
“Awesome. He helped me with my school project, we had lunch on a yacht on the harbor, and I met Chris Huntley.”
The pulse in her throat thumped harder. “That sounds amazing. Did you see him this morning?”
“Yep. He made me breakfast before he had to go. He said not to wake you. Did he have a sleepover?”
“He was asleep on the sofa when I got home so I didn’t disturb him. Is it okay with you he was here all night?”
Cody looked at her like she’d sprouted an extra head. “Sure, it’s okay. Can he have a sleepover tonight? He makes awesome toasted cheese sandwiches.”
“Does he now?” Kissing Cody on top of his head, she smiled. “I’ll think about it.”
An image of Sebastian in her bed filled her head. Naked Sebastian, his long limbs tangled in her sheets, his hair a mess that screamed he’d just had incredible sex.
The pit of her stomach clenched. Other parts of her, much more intimate parts, did the same.
“Now, go clean your teeth,” she ordered. “We’re late.”
She got Cody to school right on time, got herself to work a little bit late, and did her best to not think about Sebastian Hart in her bed.
She shouldn’t be thinking about any man in the bed, let alone Sebastian. She’d promised herself she would never replace Gary. Goddamn it, he’d only been dead for two years. What the hell was she doing having ridiculous fantasies about Sebastian? Sebastian of all people. He was here to be Cody’s big brother, not a sexual distraction. Or an emotional one.
When had it all derailed?
The second you realized Sebastian might be a nice guy.
She did not, much to Cody’s dismay, ask Sebastian to come for a sleepover that night. She did take Cody to the superhero movie exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, though. Better that than be at home wondering if Sebastian was going to arrive unexpectedly, or if Justin was going to knock on her door with coffee.
They were walking out of the museum, heading toward the closest train station, when the man approached her.
Theo Olsen, the reporter.
“Hi, Mrs. Wilder.” He fell into step beside her, bumping into Cody without an apology. “Care to tell me about your relationship with Sebastian Hart?”
“He had a sleepover two nights a—”
Grace wrapped her hand around Cody’s mouth. “No, I don’t care. Now can you just go away, please?”
Olsen sniggered and snapped a shot of Cody’s face with her hand over his mouth. “Great shot. Like the wedding ring still on your finger. Nice touch. How long have you been screwing Hart? Was your kid in the next room? Was it before or after your husband—”
She shoved him. Hard. Drove him backward. The world turned red. Hot.
“What the f—”
She shoved him again. “How dare you talk like that around my son.”
Olsen staggered backward, eyes wide “Bitch. What the—”
The world turned into an inferno.
“Mum!” Cody grabbed her wrist.
Around them, people stopped and gasped.
Olsen raised his camera and aimed it at her. “Smile, b—”
She smashed her fist into the camera.
It flew from his hands and smashed to the ground.
The onlookers cheered. Behind her, Cody let out an awed wow.
She narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at Olsen who was glaring at her but stepping back with every step toward him she took. “I’d suggest you think twice about coming near me or my son again. We ambos stick together, and the next time I see you, I won’t hold back. Bit hard to get to a hospital with a dislocated knee and fractured tibia when no ambulance will pick you up. Got it?” She ground her teeth. “Same for going near Sebastian Hart, by the way. Back. The fuck. Off.”
There were more cheers, loud ones, and some clapping.
Head roaring, she turned to Cody, who was now gaping at her.
“That was awesome, Mum.” He threw himself at her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and hugged her so hard her ribs hurt. But, damn, what a wonderful pain.
“Let’s go, bug.” She shot Olsen a quick look. “There’s nothing worth seeing here. What do you think about cheeseburgers for dinner?”
Forty minutes later, as they sat together in the train taking them back home, their stomach full of greasy and totally delicious burgers, and Cody’s eyes still full of awe every time he looked at her, she took a call from Shelli.
“I just saw footage of you on Twitter,” Shelli said, “beating the hell out of some guy’s camera. Seriously cool. If a little unhinged. If Gary’s mum sees this in England she’s going to have a nut.”
Grace grunted. “Edith Wilder can bite me. She never liked me from the get-go. I’m not in any hurry to change her mind now that Gary’s gone. Besides, the guy was one of those photographers who stalk celebrities. I told him to stay away from me and Cody.”
“And Sebastian.” Shelli let out a chuckling breath. “I heard it all. It’s on the footage. I’ve always told you you’re fierce, but this isn’t exactly what I mean.”
“You think I stuffed up? Shouldn’t have done it?”
“Hell no. I think you shouldn’t have held back. It was epic.” She laughed again. “Just hope to hell Edith doesn’t know how to use Twitter. Or the internet. If she does, she’s going to be on the phone ASAP, and I know how much you love talking to her.”
“Oh yeah. Almost as much as I like talking to you.”
“Hang up,” Shelli instructed on a laugh. “Go look on Twitter. The hashtag is AussieMummaBear.”
“That’s a stupid hashtag.”
“You don’t get to pick your own hashtag when you become an internet sensation, hon. Go look. And call me back. Or better still, come here and the three of us will celebrate your fame with pizza.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “I’m hanging up now.”
“What’s a stupid hashtag?” Cody asked, looking up from the Marvel art book she’d bought him at the museum.
“CodyKnowsHowToMakeHisBed.” She arched her eyebrow. “What do you think?”
“Ha-ha, Mum. You’re hilarious.”
She hugged him, messed up his hair, and hugged him tighter when he protested. “Mum.” He wriggled in her arms, giggling and groaning at the same time. “Don’t be embarrassing.”
So hugging him in public was embarrassing, but smashing a camera and threatening a person with a patella fracture was totally okay?
Love rushed through her, warm and tight and wonderful, and she squeezed him in a hug again. “Too bad. It’s the random hug monster. He’s been away, but he’s back now and desperate for hugs.”
Cody giggled.
The rest of the train trip was wonderful. She didn’t go onto Twitter. That particular jolt of reality needed to wait until Cody was in bed, and she was sitting at the table alone, with a glass of wine. She and Cody talked about the exhibition, his favorite superhero—the Hulk— and her favorite superhero—Thor. Could it be anyone else with biceps like that? They talked about his mysterious school project he still wouldn’t show her, and what his friends at school were doing. When he told her they hadn’t believed he knew Sebastian until Sebastian walked him in to class and thanked him in front of everyone for helping him with his next movie, Grace was torn between wanting to hug Sebastian and strangle him.
How was Cody ever going to cope with normal life again when Sebastian left them?
Walking out of the train station, Cody squeezed her hand. “I had lots of fun, Mum.”
“Me, too, bug.”
“I loved when you beat up the camera guy.”
Her steps faltered. “Oh, Cody. Really? That’s the bit you’re taking away from this?”
He grinned. “You were like a mummy superhero, protecting me and Seb. Like Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel.”
A soft sigh escaped her. Should she do the whole violence-isn’t-the-answer talk? Or just enjoy the fact that Cody, for the moment at least, ranked her with Wonder Woman?
And protecting Sebastian? She chuckled.
“What are you laughing at, Mum?”
I’d love to see Seb’s reaction to the thought of me protecting him.
“I’m picturing myself in Wonder Woman’s costume.”
Cody giggled. “You’re too short.”
The walk from the station to home was filled with Cody designing a superhero costume for her. By the time they made it up the front stairs and inside, he’d planned a neon-purple catsuit, with a lime-green eye mask, elbow-length gloves, and knee-high boots. Her hair apparently had the power to grow long and attack baddies when needed.
“Sounds like I’m pretty awesome.”
Cody grinned. “Yep. Seb thinks so, too.”
Her stomach lurched in the direction of her throat. “What makes you think that, bug?”
“He said he thinks you’re incredible. Is he your boyfriend now?”
Well, there goes breathing for a while.
“How about we talk about that later?”
Cody studied her. “I won’t be angry if he is. I promise. I know you still love Daddy, but you’re allowed to have a boyfriend.”
Her heart joined her stomach in her throat.
“As long as it’s Seb,” Cody finished.
“Bed.” She clapped her hands, a mock frown on her face. “Teeth and bed. You’ve got school tomorrow, young man.”
She lunged at him, tickle-fingers up and ready.
Cody burst into laughter and ran for his room. Thankfully, he didn’t talk about Sebastian for the rest of the night, although he did talk about the exhibition and the confrontation with the paparazzo during his bed routine.
She kissed him good night, reminded him it was time for sleep, and went to have a shower. What were the chances of her finding Cody on her bed when she finished?
Her bed was devoid of a little boy when she stepped out of the bathroom dressed in her PJs a few minutes later.
Tiptoeing to his room, she raised her eyebrows. “Wow.”
Zonked out. Sound asleep. A smile pulled at her lips. “Well, there you go.”
From the kitchen, her phone beeped. And again. And again. Incoming message after incoming message.
Hurrying from Cody’s door, she bit back a curse. All she wanted to do was climb into bed herself, not have a conversation with—
Someone knocked on her front door.
“Are you freaking kidding me?”
Please don’t be Justin.
She pulled open the door.
“I’ve never had someone threaten knee dislocation over me before.” Sebastian smiled at her from the other side of the threshold. “I kinda liked it. A lot.”
…
Grace didn’t move. She just stood in the open door dressed in the most adorable black undies and a Captain Kirk T-shirt, regarding him with unreadable eyes.
Jesus, could he want her any more than he already did?
Doubtful.
“I mean, I’d probably balk at decapitation on my behalf, but the threat of a kneecapping—”
“You saw the footage.”
Her husky voice played havoc with his control. How was he not hauling her into his arms and kissing her senseless right now?
“I saw the footage.”
A frown pulled at her eyebrows. “I probably should contact a lawyer, right?”
He shook his head. “Olsen doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
Her lips twitched. “After I finish kneecapping him, you mean?”
Jesus, I love her mind.
He chuckled. “Yeah, after you finish—”
She stepped across the threshold, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him.
Control abandoned him, and he grabbed her arse and picked her up.
Already on his wavelength, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his hips.
Fuck, yes.
He deepened the kiss and carried her inside, kicking the door shut behind him.
She jerked in his arms, tearing her lips from his. “Cody…asleep…”
Before he could process what she was doing, she wriggled out of his arms and ran up the hallway toward the bedrooms.
Standing motionless, he sucked in breath after breath.
What…
Soft footsteps jerked his stare back to Grace hurrying toward him.
“Still asleep.” She held out her hand to him, eyes twinkling. “No loud noises, okay? You can’t roar my name when you come.”
A shaky laugh burst from him, and he took her hand. “Got it. No roaring your name. Can I groan it into the side of your neck instead?”
Her lips curled in a smile. Who knew she could make the expression so carnal and seductive? “Hell yeah.”
With a gentle tug on his hand, she led him to her bedroom, switching lights off as they went.
His breath caught as they finally entered her room.
How many nights ago had he fallen asleep beside her on her bed? A lifetime? The Grace back then had intrigued him, puzzled him. In such a short period of time, she’d turned his whole world on its axis.
Releasing his hand, she crossed to one of the bedside tables and switched the lamp on. “Turn off the light and lock the door,” she instructed in a hushed voice.
He did.
The low light cast her room in a muted glow and warm shadows.
She stood at the side of the bed, bottom lip caught in her teeth.
He took a step toward her, but she shook her head and held up her hand. “I…haven’t done this for two years, Sebastian.” His name cracked. “And you’ll only”—she dropped her gaze to the floor—“you’ll only be the second man I’ve ever slept with.”
His heart smashed hard and fast against his chest. He swallowed. Gary had been her one and only sexual partner. Hell, he was about to…
He drew a slow breath. What the hell did he say to that? Did she want him to say anything?
“I promise…” he began. Goddamn it, his mouth was dry. “I won’t rush you, or…”
She smiled. “I didn’t tell you that so you would get all flustered, Seb. I told you so you understand why I’m going to be a little…let’s go with rusty.”
“Ahh.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Normally I’d make a smug comment at this point about my powers of lubrication.”
“Normally?”
He shook his head. “Since you came back into my life, there is nothing normal about how I’m living each minute. You’ve taken the normal me and shattered him into a million pieces.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Sebastian Hart, are you paying me a compliment?”
“That I am.”
“In that case…” She hooked her fingers under the hem of her Captain Kirk T-shirt and lifted it over her head.
His heart stopped. And then started again. Like a fucking cannon.
He’d never been with a woman who’d given birth before. All his previous lovers had been tightly toned, cosmetically enhanced, CrossFit junkies.
Looking at Grace now, he realized how so far from beautiful those bodies were.
“My God, Grace, you’re beautiful.”
She was. Ethereal and so very womanly and soft.
Perfect.
Dropping her shirt, she stood before him, hands moving restlessly. “I don’t know what to do with my hands.”
The confession fell from her on a wobbly laugh. It spurred him into movement.
Two strides. That was all it took him to cross to her.
Two strides and he was skimming his hands over her smooth, bare waist, up her rib cage, and around to her back. He lowered his head and kissed her, a gentle brushing of his lips on hers. She moaned, sliding her palms up his chest and around the back of his neck to tangle in his hair.
Perfect use of her hands.
Their tongues met. So did their hips. Her breasts crushed against his torso, the heat of her skin branding him through his shirt. She shifted in his arms, granting his hand permission to cover her breast. Its heavy, full weight filled his hand, and a wave of concentrated pleasure surged through him.
With a growl, he nibbled a path up to her ear. “You feel like perfection in my hand.”
She hummed a reply, her nails scraping at his scalp.
He captured her distended nipple between thumb and finger and gently teased it with soft pinches. She shuddered, pressing her forehead to his shoulder, his name a choppy breath.
He wanted her naked. Completely naked. He wanted to be completely naked with her. Reaching up behind him, he took her wrists in a light grip and removed her hands from his hair.
She looked up at him. Confusion swam in her eyes. “Don’t you like—”
“I like very much,” he assured her, smiling. Could she hear how loud his heart thumped? Could she feel it vibrating through his chest? “But I think we are both still wearing too many clothes.”
Her pupils dilated. As he gazed into her eyes, delight swept through him.
Trailing his knuckles along her skin, he sucked in a steadying breath. He couldn’t rush this or allow himself to get lost in his own pleasure.
She was giving him something he’d never been given before. He still didn’t know how the stars had aligned to make it be so, still didn’t know how he’d come to deserve such a gift, but he would do everything he could to make it be the most incredible moment of her life.
Everything he could.
Including put her pleasure above his own.
Slowly, very slowly, he moved his hands to the waistband of her black knickers and inched them down over her hips.
“S-Seb…” she whispered.
He paused. “I won’t if you don’t—”
She covered his hands on her underwear and pushed them lower. Until, with a wriggle of her legs, they fell to the floor.
Hot blood rushed through his veins. Nuzzling on the side of her neck, he pressed his hands over her bare hips and—still keeping his actions slow—explored her newly revealed skin.
Her hips, the glorious curve of her backside, the softness of her inner thighs…
A shudder rocked through her, and she let out a hitching gasp.
The need to feel her soft warmth, to learn if she was wet with pleasure, pounded deep in his core, but he stayed his hands, moved them instead to her hips again. He could not rush this for her.
Moving his hands to her jaw, he cupped her face and looked down into her eyes. “You are amazing, and I can’t believe I never realized this when we lived beside each other.”
She drew a ragged breath. “You had all the tall girls without braces and no glasses throwing themselves at you daily.”
He shook his head, tracking his thumbs path along her lower lip. “I still should have seen…”
“And I should have seen you weren’t the self-absorbed, narcissistic wanker I thought you were.” She closed her eyes and shrugged. “We were kids, teenagers. Things have changed. We’ve grown up.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, coaxed her lips apart, and sought out her tongue. And as he did, she moved her hands to his jeans to undo his button fly and slide her fingers beneath the parted denim.
She broke the kiss, lips twitching as she arched an eyebrow at him. “No underwear, Hart?” She pushed his jeans down until they were nothing but a pool of faded denim at his feet and his freed erection nudged her belly.
She closed her eyes, and a low moan escaped her. The raw sound drove him wild and threatened his control once more.
Fuck, would she take him in her hands? Would she—
“Take your shirt off for me.” Her soft order detonated a hot wave of lust in the pit of his stomach. “Please.”
Swallowing, he took one step back and pulled his shirt over his head.
“Oh…wow,” she murmured, running her gaze all over him. “Wow.”
He smiled and then lost the battle with himself to take her all in.
Utterly naked, she was even more beautiful, more real than he’d imagined. No high-maintenance electrolysis for her, no waxing…just everything trimmed and natural.
A surge of desire for her—everything about her—stole his breath.
“I’m not—” she began.
He destroyed the small space between them and captured her face in his hands. “Don’t even think about saying something horrible about yourself, Ford. Or I will have to spank you.”
For a split second, she stiffened.
Ford. I called her Ford again. Like I’m forcing her to forget Gary.
“Grace…” He shook his head, searching her eyes. “Shit, I didn’t mean…I know I can’t replace…”
“Shut up and make love to me, Hart.” She smoothed her hands up his chest and into his hair. “Or I’ll have to spank you.”
It was too much.
He crushed her mouth with his and hauled her to his body. Warm skin against warm skin, tongues sliding together. Somehow, they ended up on her bed. Nestled between her thighs, he explored her lips, her throat, her shoulders with his lips. Her hands tangled in his hair, his name little but an exhaled breath as she slid her foot up and down the back of his thigh.
His cock nudged at her sex. She was warm and wet already, and he came close to imbedding himself in her. So close.
But he restrained. Somehow.
Instead, he dedicated long minutes to nipping and kissing every part of her neck again.
She groaned his name. Jesus, his name leaving her with such carnal pleasure was intoxicating. He’d never get sick of it. What would it be like to hear it every day?
Fuck, yes. He wanted that. More than breath.
“Don’t…don’t leave a mark,” she admonished as he drew harder on her neck.
A lick of disgruntled agitation shot through him, followed by acceptance and respect. Of course, she wouldn’t want Cody to see a hickey on her neck. He wouldn’t want Cody to see one there, either.
Lifting his head, he brushed his palm over her cheek. “I won’t. Sorry. I just…”
Words failed him.
She closed her eyes. “There are other places you can leave one. If you want. Places Cody will never see.”
Lust and delight consumed him. “Are you sure?”
She opened her eyes. The hunger in them undid him.
“I’m sure.”