Chapter 40

Naomi bopped around her house, taking care of random chores and trying to keep herself occupied until her date with Sebastian. She was excited in a way she hadn’t been in a long time. She loved her life in Vermont, but it had become almost routine for her. Spending time with Sebastian was something to look forward to.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw that she still had two hours until he’d pick her up. With her laundry done and her house tidied up, Naomi looked around almost wishing for a mess to appear out of nowhere. With no such luck, she settled onto the couch and clicked through her DVR, selecting a reality show she’d become hooked on since school had let out for break.

Naomi found herself yelling at the silly woman on the screen who told the hot fireman she just didn’t feel a “spark” with him and sent him packing. The ringing of her phone interrupted her tirade, and she glanced at it and saw Sebastian’s name. A smile instantly spread across her lips as she answered. “Hello.”

Sebastian cleared his throat. “Hi.” He hesitated for a second before continuing. “I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to cancel tonight.” His voice sounded strained.

Worry caused Naomi to sit up straight. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

“You sound like you’re gritting your teeth.”

“I do not,” he snapped.

“Hmm, grumpy too. Such a turn-on.”

He let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m not feeling…great. Rain check?”

Naomi bit the side of her lip. She didn’t want to ask, but…“This wouldn’t be the kind of sick that causes you to trash your house, is it?”

“No.” His voice was soft, but sincere. “It’s not that kind of sick. I promise.”

“Do you need anything?”

“Nah, I just need to take it easy for tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll set up another time to go out.”

“Sounds great. Take care of yourself.”

“Will do.” He sounded like he was smiling when he spoke the final words, which Naomi took as a victory.

Tossing the phone onto the cushion, Naomi made her way into the kitchen. She’d gotten groceries earlier in the day, but as she looked through her refrigerator nothing appealed to her. She could order in, or maybe even call the girls and see if they were available, but those options left her feeling bereft. Naomi didn’t want to hang out at home or with her friends. She wanted to be with Sebastian.

The depth of her disappointment at not getting to see him made her feel ridiculous. Though, it was more than that. She was also concerned about him, the anxiety at him not being okay making her stomach roil a bit. Opening the cupboards, she let her eyes roam over the contents, and before she even realized what she was doing, Naomi began pulling items out.

Maybe Sebastian wanted to stay in, but there was no reason he had to do it alone. She’d make him some soup, and then take it over—an act that was probably becoming trite by this point, but she wasn’t sure what else to do for a sick person. If he seemed as if he didn’t want company, she’d leave it with him and head home. But at least she’d be able to see that he was okay with her own eyes. And maybe he’d want her there, and she could still get her Sebastian fix.

Naomi set about her task quickly, not giving herself a spare moment to question her decision. By the time she was pulling up in front of his house a little over an hour later, she’d convinced herself going over there was a wonderful idea.

It wasn’t until she was ringing his doorbell that she remembered who Sebastian was and that he’d likely not enjoy her showing up unannounced.

“Just a second,” she heard Sebastian yell from inside, though it seemed to take him a bit of time to get to the door. But maybe that was because Naomi was holding her breath as she tried to anticipate his reaction.

The door was yanked open, and Sebastian’s stormy glare morphed into widened eyes when he saw her.

That had to be a good sign. Right? “Surprise.”

When Sebastian didn’t respond, Naomi soldiered on. “I made you some vegetable soup, in case you were too sick to make something for yourself.”

His eyes narrowed in what looked to be confusion rather than anger, but she wasn’t completely certain, which caused Naomi to fill the silence. “I can just leave it. Or share it if you want the company. But no pressure. I can set it down inside and be on my way. Or, you know, stay. Whichever.” Naomi willed herself to stop rambling. Focusing on Sebastian, she saw that he looked mildly amused, but he still hadn’t said anything. Her shoulders drooped. “I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to see you, so I figured I’d bribe you into hanging out with me.”

Sebastian smiled and opened the door wider. “You are truly ridiculous.”

Naomi stepped past him and started toward the kitchen. “That shouldn’t be a surprise.”

“It’s not.” He stayed at the entryway of the kitchen as Naomi put the pot of soup on the stove and turned it on.

Retrieving a ladle from the tin of utensils on the counter, she stirred it before moving to get a bowl and spoon. When she returned to the soup, she stirred it again and said, “It shouldn’t take long to heat up.”

Strong arms slid around her waist as Sebastian’s body pressed up against her back. “This is the second time you’ve brought me soup when I was sick,” he said against the shell of her ear.

She sank back into him a bit. “Guess I’m predictable.”

He gave her a squeeze. “Definitely not.” Sebastian’s hands moved to her hips and he turned her around. “I haven’t had someone care like this since…in a long time. Thank you.”

Naomi’s chest felt heavy at his words. They were a reminder of all he’d lost and of how much he’d closed himself off since the accident. But she did her best to stay in the moment. “You’re welcome.” She placed a soft kiss to his lips before pulling back. “Though you weren’t exactly sick that first time, and you don’t seem ill this time either.”

He brushed his fingers over her cheek before pulling back and leaning against the counter beside her. “It’s my leg. I had to take my heavy-duty pain meds today, and they can make me a little out of it. I definitely shouldn’t drive, and they occasionally upset my stomach. So I thought it was best to cancel.”

“It would have been best to tell me the truth so I wouldn’t have second-guessed myself the whole way over here,” she said with faux sternness.

“I don’t really like to talk about it. It sucks being a young guy trapped in an old man’s body.”

Naomi scoffed. “You’re not that young.”

Sebastian boomed out a laugh, which made Naomi smile, happy that she could take some of the gravity out of the moment. Though she didn’t want to let him completely off the hook. She didn’t want Sebastian to hide his pain from her. “How bad is it?”

He sighed and pulled himself up so he was sitting on the counter. “The nerve damage from the accident was pretty extensive. It spreads from my lower back, through my hip, and down my thigh. Most days it’s manageable, but sometimes I overexert myself and…” He shrugged, leaving his sentence unfinished.

“So, this overexerting yourself. That would include doing things like, oh I don’t know, fucking me senseless in your truck?”

Sebastian’s eyes seemed to darken at her words, and he licked his lips.

“Or proving that your ability to make me orgasm like I’m being electrocuted wasn’t a fluke by doing it multiple times in one night?”

“Like you’re being electrocuted, huh?” He seemed a little out of breath, which made Naomi ridiculously pleased with herself.

She nodded. “Like I grabbed a live power line.”

“You should turn off that soup so I can go for a three-peat.”

Naomi shook her head. “Not a chance, Professor. You need to take it easy, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

“I’m not decrepit. I can handle having sex,” he said, his tone defensive.

“You’ve already proven that. But maybe if you eat your soup, we can do…other things.”

“Like?”

“I’m not sure. But we both know how creative I can be when the inspiration strikes.”

Sebastian studied her for a moment. “And me eating soup would help with this inspiration?”

“Yup.” She turned to grab the bowl, but Sebastian reached out and stopped her with a hand on her forearm.

“Don’t even bother. I’ll eat it right out of the pot.”

Naomi laughed and stepped toward him, resting her hands on the counter on either side of his legs and pushing herself up so her face was in front of his. “You’re hot when you’re desperate.”

“You’re hot all the time.”

She smiled. “Such a smooth talker. Who knew?”

“Don’t tell anyone. It’ll ruin my image.”

She leaned closer so their lips nearly touched. “Your secret is safe with me.” She pressed her lips against his, solidifying the promise between them, conveying with her mouth that every secret he’d shared with her was safe. He could trust her.

The kiss was passionate, but over quickly. His pain was evident in the tension in his body, the way he squirmed a bit on the counter as they kissed. Not to mention the fact that her arms began to burn from holding herself up. They broke apart and without a word, Naomi got a bowl and dished up some soup for Sebastian. She carried it into the living room as he made his way slowly to his couch and sat down gingerly.

After getting herself some soup, she settled in next to him and they argued over what movie to watch until they finally agreed on the new Avengers film. Sebastian proceeded to pick the movie’s plot apart while Naomi guessed at the lines before characters said them. In short, it was perfect.

And when Sebastian invited her to stay, they climbed into his bed naked—content to simply be close to one another.