That was cute as fuck. Mischa was a daddy in his own right.
Fuck yeah, Sebastian had Ruffles. The original flavor, too, because there was no reason to mess with perfection.
“You have Ruffles.” I popped the bag and poured the chips into a bowl.
“You inhaled three bags last time you were in town.”
“And now you keep them around for me. I’m touched, darlin’.” I actually was.
“Don’t read into it,” he muttered.
I grinned to myself and grabbed a box of Milk Duds too.
“Can I ask what you’re doing, Blake? What’s your game here? You switched gears, and now you’re all…I don’t know, casual.”
“Yeah, I think that’s what we need.” I returned to the living room. “For once.”
Sebastian lifted a brow. “Casual—for once?”
“Yup.” I sat down next to him and kissed his cheek. “It would be a first for us, wouldn’t it? We were never casual before.”
He glanced at me, and I was ready to clear the confusion and weary frustration from his expression.
“I want casual evenings with the man I was never casual with,” I said. “I’m not gonna split when shit gets real this time, Sebastian. Real is all I want—with you. So you can take some time to wrap your head around that while I work that smallest TV known to man.” I swore my little flat-screen in the RV was bigger than Sebastian’s. His couldn’t be more than twenty-eight inches. “It should be illegal,” I grumbled to myself and picked up the remote. “Now, I’m not sayin’ you need a seventy-inch. When it comes to TVs, I’m no size queen—it’s gotta fit the livin’ room, and it depends on the distance between the screen and the couch. But this…? This is a joke.”
After shutting off the music, I restarted the fishing show I watched with Teddy. Season 1, Episode 1, go.
“You wear me out, Kidd.” Sebastian sighed and sank lower on the couch. With his bourbon in his hand, resting on his thigh, he planted his feet on the table and crossed them at the ankles.
“I’m ready to wear you down too.” I draped my arm along the back of the couch and kissed the side of his head.
He peered up at me. “Spell it out for me. How can you talk about being real when you’re only here temporarily? If I weren’t completely drained and too fucking weak to resist you, I’d kick you out right about now.”
Oh Christ. He still thought I was here just for the duration of building Soph and Dylan’s house?
“That’s another assumption.” I eased my fingers between his brows to smooth out the worry wrinkle. “I’m not goin’ anywhere. I’m moving to Washington. Soph is too integrated. Y’all need some fresh Southern meat who can bitch about your weather.”
Sebastian exhaled a shaky laugh and closed his eyes. “Tell me you’re serious.” When he opened them again, everything became so damn clear. We’d traveled the exact same journey, struggled with the same feelings, and we couldn’t fight it any longer.
“I’m serious.” I dipped down and brushed my lips to his. “Lord knows you’ve owned my ass since summer. Now you get to own the rest of me too. If you want.”
He smiled into the kiss and teased the tip of his tongue around mine. “I want.”
And the crowd went wild.
Kidding aside, holy fuck, the relief was unreal.
“Yeah?”
“You have no idea.” He pecked me twice more before inching away again. “You’ve put me through the goddamn wringer. I was already caving before today. You probably could’ve promised me the same deal as this summer—with the same outcome—and I would’ve gone through with it.”
I knew the feeling.
“Same here.” I pressed my lips to the top of his head and breathed him in. It was insane how quickly my body adjusted and relaxed, but my mind couldn’t grasp it yet. “You always smell so damn good.” It was a combination of his cologne, the ocean, regular soap, and the shampoo he used.
Sebastian hummed and shifted closer until he could rest the side of his face on my chest. “So do you.” He took another sip of his bourbon, then set it down on the table and pulled his tee over his head. Much better.
“You forgot your jeans,” I noted.
He grinned and nipped at my nipple. “I don’t know if you remember, but I go commando.”
As if I would forget. “That’s why I said something, hon.”
He chuckled and shook his head, and then the fucker left me. He stood up. “I’ll go put on some sweats. I want that casual evening you promised.”
“I’ll be right here.” I couldn’t stop smiling, and I watched him walk away. That ass of his—man. His whole body was a work of art. Broad shoulders, solid frame, just the right amount of definition.
When it was just me in the room, not counting the boys and…wherever Lily was hiding now, I released a breath and lolled my head against the back cushion.