Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

brISTOL

I t's the early hours of the morning when Sebastian finally makes it back to the apartment. He's dirty, tired, and has a distant look in his eyes. He looks haunted, almost. I want to inquire about his night, but I think better of it. He takes a shower and I pretend to be asleep when he crawls into bed. He pulls me into his chest and exhales a deep breath into my neck. Like he's been searching for salvation all day and he's finally found it in this bed with me. I nestle into him, pushing my body as close to his as physically possible and his hand wraps around my stomach, resting just below my belly button.

My eyes flutter closed as I sink into the ultimate comfort lying here in his arms until that hand resting on my stomach inches its way lower, into the thin fabric of the underwear I have on. My back arches into him as his needy fingers find me wet for him already. He sinks his teeth into my shoulder, biting me in small, quick nips up my neck then down again as he eases his finger into me. The sensation of his mouth on me and his finger in me has me spiraling, wanting this feeling to last forever. Its euphoric. Tantalizing. Blissful. I want to ride this wave, teetering in the realm of pleasure on an endless loop.

"Harder," I whisper on a short breath. He begins to move his hand faster, but I grip it, stopping him. He pauses for a beat before I'm met with his teeth crushing into my shoulder. I cry out his name as the sensation rushes over me. The bite of the pain mixed with the immense pleasure.

"Yes, Bash. Again!" I demand.

He obliges, happily, biting me again before he flips me over onto my stomach. He presses himself into me, gripping my wrists above my head in one of his hands. I bury my face into the pillow as he pushes inside me, my knees together making the feeling so much more intense.

His teeth find the back of my neck as he pumps slowly in and out. One hand is gripping my wrists, keeping me unable to move just enough for me not to panic while the other is gliding up my back.

He fists my hair, pulling my head up, exposing the side of my neck.

"You're being such a fucking good girl for me, Bristol," he rasps, his lips brushing my neck and sending a shiver down my spine.

He nips at my shoulders, across the top of my back as he grinds into me.

With each bite, he sends me higher. Higher and on the edge of bliss. Sink. His teeth pierce my shoulder, sending me tumbling over the edge. My knees pull together, my ankles press into one another as my whole body convulses with my orgasm. Sebastian doesn't slow down. It isn't until he releases my hands and hair that he plants his hands onto my hips, holding me tight as he pounds harder into me. I'm not done coming before my orgasm begins quickly building again .

Smack. His smacks my ass so hard I can feel the handprint that will be there later.

I moan loudly as he delivers another blow.

"Fuck, yes," he moans, pulsing inside of me.

The sound of him finding his own orgasm has me clenching around him, coming again.

Breathlessly, he lies down on his back beside me. My hair cascades across my face and I reach up to move it so I can see him clearly. His eyes are closed and his chest is rising and falling rapidly. My eyes linger for a moment on the scar beneath his left eye before he's staring at me through those beautiful green irises.

"Hi," I whisper.

His lip pulls up into a smirk. "Hi," he whispers.

He leans up onto his elbow, looking down at me as I rest my hand on my crossed arms beneath me.

"You didn't text me back earlier," I whisper.

He sighs. "I know. I'm sorry. I was dealing with some shit." He says it simply and there's no hint of irritation in his voice.

"I missed you. It's been kind of lonely here."

His face falls for a moment, his smile gone. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. I know you've spent so much time not out living and being in the world and sometimes I forget that. I get so caught up in the shit I'm doing I forget that you need me and just social interaction in general."

"It's okay. You have a life, too. I get it."

"No, it isn't okay. We're going to fix this. We need to introduce you to some of the other ol'ladies. The good ones."

I scoff a laugh. "If they're anything like Princess, count me out."

He chuckles. "No, babe. They are nothing like her."

"Tomorrow will be the perfect time to introduce you. We have an engagement party to attend," he says, nonchalantly.

"A what? I… I've never been to something like that. Not as an adult." I try to hide the panic in my voice.

"It's going to be fine, I promise. You're great," he says with a smile.

His smile is contagious and I reciprocate it without even thinking about it.

He places his thumb on my chin, kissing me softly before he rolls out of bed.

I follow him into the bathroom to pee and clean up.

"So, who's engagement party are we attending?" I ask, intrigued at the idea of doing something fun and exciting and out of these fucking four walls .

"Reaper and Kendra. Except she doesn't know that it's an engagement party," he says, looking at me smugly from the sink as he turns the water off and wrings out the wash rag in his hand. He wraps it around his cock, wiping the me off him and I resist the urge to put him into my mouth.

He quirks a brow at me. "Do you need this?" he asks, extending his hand with the rag in it.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak as I take it from him. I wipe myself one good time for good measure then rinse the rag in the sink before hanging it over the side of the bathtub for now.

He pulls me into him, our naked bodies flush against one another. His lips press gently into my forehead, and I relax into him.

"Let's get in bed," he whispers, taking me by the hand and leading me to the bed.

I follow his lead, curling into his arms as soon as we're horizontal.

"Goodnight, Bash," I whisper, resting my head beneath his neck .

"Goodnight, Bristol," he whispers, kissing my temple and tightening his grip around my body.

I drift off to a peaceful oblivion for hours until the images of being arrested haunt me in my dreams. I wake up sweating in a panic as I break free from Sebastian's grip on me. He is startled awake, jumping out of the bed and taking in his surroundings.

"Sorry," I whisper shyly, pulling my knees to my chest. Embarrassment washes over me and I want to hide. I want to fall over and die right here because the way Sebastian is looking at me makes me want to vomit.

He's got a wild look on his face, similar to the one he donned the day I got arrested. Like he will burn the entire world to the ground to save me, the consequences be damned.

He waits a moment before he sits down on the bed, climbing in behind me. He pulls me into his chest much like the way he did when we were in the shower the other day. The warmth and comfort of him helps the weight on my chest to slowly ease and lift.

"Don't apologize, babe. You went through some unimaginable shit and it's expected that those things live in your head without your permission. You just need time. The more time passes, the less intense it will be."

"I just feel so fucked up. I don't know what's up or down. And that time between asleep and awake, I'm thrown back into either that fucking jail cell or that stupid room I spent six years in."

A tear slides down my cheek and it pisses me off, making more tears fall. I hate that I'm an angry crier. I don't want Sebastian's pity. I don't want him to look at me like I'm some broken girl that needs someone to piece her back together, no matter how true that may be. It's fucking pathetic. I'm not a charity case. I often wonder if that's the reason he's here. The reason he's taking care of me.

His tattooed hands reach around my face, wiping my tears.

"I just want to sleep," I whisper, feeling so fucking defeated.

Sebastian kisses my shoulder and I wince. The spot is tender from his bite, but it's exhilarating.

His chest rumbles against my back with a laugh, lightening the mood.

"You may have a few little marks on your neck. And shoulder."

"Good. I like that. Next time, I want you to bite me where I can see it."

"That I can do," he whispers, pulling me down into the bed next to him. He cuddles against me, holding me tightly in his grasp again. My body is exhausted from the nightmares and the orgasms. I finally sleep without another dream to wake me.

The sunlight peeks in through the curtain and I groggily open my eyes. It's like I have to pull myself out of another dimension, like my body is encased in concrete and I'm dragging my limbs slowly out of quicksand.

I blink my eyes open a few times, looking around the room. I'm in Sebastian's bed and he's nowhere to be found. The clock on the nightstand says its ten in the morning. Shit. I wonder what time we have to be at this party? I sit up, listening. No sound of running water. No sound anywhere. Hmm. I reach for the phone he bought me that sit on the nightstand. I open it to text messages and see a message from him.

Sebastian: Don't panic. I didn't leave. In the kitchen. Come see when you wake up .

The message was sent five minutes ago.

I don't respond. I go into the bathroom to pee, brush my teeth, and wash my face. I pull on one of his large tee shirts that drapes down to my knees and walk into the living room. Sebastian is in the kitchen and I glance at him over the bar that separates the two rooms.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greets with a smile.

There's a pot of grits and the toaster pops up four pieces of toast as I enter the kitchen.

"Good morning, hot stuff," I muse, wrapping my arms around him and kissing his back.

He moves effortlessly with my arms around his waist, slathering butter on the toast and scooping grits into a bowl. He slices the toast into halves and sets it in the bowl then places the bowl on the bar. He repeats the process until there are two bowls sitting on the bar. I reluctantly peel myself off him and open the fridge.

"What do you want to drink?" I ask, grabbing the gallon of milk.

"I'll take a coke," he calls over his shoulder as he walks around the wall to the bar.

I grab a coke before shutting the door of the fridge. I grab a glass from the cabinet and bring the glass, the coke, and the gallon of milk to the bar.

"This is such a thoughtful thing you do," I say, sitting down next to him. "I've never had anyone cook for me like this before."

Saying the words aloud makes my cheeks redden. It sounds silly.

"I love to cook. It's my love language, I've been told."

"Love language?" I ask, unsure of what he means.

He shoves a bite of grits in his mouth and swallows it before responding. "Yeah, it's how I show I care. I don't know, it's just a thing I do to show my affection for someone."

"Oh. It's wonderful," I say, shoving a bite of toast and grits into my mouth quickly because I don't know what else to say or do. He's showing me his affection? I like it. But it scares the shit out of me. I want this, I want him, and I have no idea what we are or what we're doing.

"When we're finished eating, I'm taking you to the mall."

"Okay. Maybe this experience will be more thrilling than the last," I laugh, thinking of the last trip I had to the mall with Princess.

"Oh, it will definitely be more thrilling ," he says, sliding his hand up my thigh until his fingers brush against my bare pussy.

I press into him and he tsks , pulling his hand away.

"Not yet, my greedy little vixen," he whispers, taking another bite of his food.

I let out a breath and give him a side eye. "Tease," I quip, closing my legs and angling slightly away from him.

He chuckles. "Just wait."

"So tell me about Reaper and Kendra," I say, changing the subject and trying to distract myself from the throbbing pulse between my legs.

"Reaper is one of the best guys I know. He and I prospected together and have been tight ever since. He's fucking loaded, travels the country regularly and is loyal to a fucking fault. And brings the best pot brownies you'll ever taste in your life."

"I've never had one of those," I say, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks again.

"I've got some. If you want to try one, you're more than welcome."

"Can I think on it?" I ask, feeling stupid and child-like .

"Of course. You don't ever have to do anything you don't want to do and if someone tries to tell you otherwise, point them in my fucking direction."

I chuckle at how protective he's gotten over me. It's nice, oddly.

"I will, pinky swear," I say, offering my pinky. He doesn't hesitate before wrapping his pinky around mine. His lack of hesitation makes me feel a little less child-like and little more… accepted.

"Okay. So, Kendra is kind of like the little mother hen of the ol'ladies. She guides them through any kind of issues they're having or if they have doubts or reservations about what the guys are doing or whatever. Things of that nature. She helps everyone kind of understand club life, especially those that haven't been around it. She's genuine, kind, and she keeps Reaper in line when he gets a little out of his box."

"She sounds nice," I say, taking the last bite of my breakfast. I gather our bowls and rinse them in the sink.

"Let's get ready. We've got to get you something to wear to this party."

It's a beautiful day out and as much as I want to go for a ride on the bike, Sebastian said it would be better if we took the truck in case I buy too much shit at the mall.

The mall is crawling with people. It's Saturday and there are so many people everywhere. I feel a panic begin to rise in my chest but Sebastian grabs my hand, grounding me. I wish I could tell him how secure his touch alone makes me, but I don't want to sound even more stupid than I already feel.

"I don't know where to go for nice clothes. Any suggestions?" I ask, looking up at him.

"There are a few stores in here that have some nice things. I'll lead the way," he smiles down at me .

We walk hand in hand through the mall, past the food court and a jewelry store. We walk past a candle store that smells so delightful I want to lick them.

Sebastian drags me into a store with multiple dresses in the window. There are so many beautiful dresses inside that I don't know which ones to pick. We thumb through a rack of them, and Sebastian offers up a few, asking my opinion. It isn't until he grabs an emerald, green dress with spaghetti straps that tie behind the neck with a deep v-cut.

"I want to try that one on," I say, grabbing it and pressing it against my body.

"I want to see you in it," he says, his eyes darkening.

The dressing rooms are in the corner of the store and although it's so busy in the mall, there are only a small handful of people in this store. There are no doors on any of them, only a curtain that slides closed, but the curtains drape down to the floor, so you can't see underneath them. I walk back into the dressing room and strip out of the jeans and shirt I'm wearing while Sebastian waits outside.

I pull the dress on and it fits like a glove. It accentuates my cleavage, fits just tight enough across my midriff and has the perfect amount of flare at the bottom that stops just above my knees.

I pull the curtain back and find Sebastian leaned against the wall, arms folded over one another and ankles crossed as he takes in the sight of me. His eyes drink me in, pausing at my cleavage. He uncrosses his arms and his tongue snakes out, licking his bottom lip as he takes two steps and closes the distance between us. He pulls the curtain closed behind him as he lips crash into mine. He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. My tongue dances with his as he fidgets with his pants, unbuttoning them and freeing himself from them. He sits down on the bench behind him, putting me straddling him. I put my feet underneath me and grip onto his shoulders, giving me more leverage to move.

"Now," he grits, positioning himself at my entrance. He pushes into me and I begin bouncing up and down, feeling every inch of him stretch me as I sit all the way down on him.

I try to move slowly, to avoid making too much noise or drawing attention to what we're doing. That is the last thing I need. The thought quickly leaves my mind as pleasure takes over. His hand fists into my hair and he pulls my mouth to his. His kiss is ravenous. Savage. Like he's been underwater and I'm the first breath of air he's had in hours.

This angle. The way he's hitting my spot so deep and my clit is rubbing perfectly against the base of his dick, I'm so close. I want more. I need more. I hold tight to the collar of his shirt and fight back the moans threatening to escape my mouth. Our breathing is heavy and I know I'm about to scream and tell everyone in this fucking store what he's doing to me.

"Choke me," I demand on a whimpered breath.

Without hesitation, his hand wraps around my throat. My pussy tightens around him as his fingers press into the sides of my neck. My mouth opens but there is no sound. The edges of my vision begin to blur as my orgasm wracks through me. Sebastian finds his own release a few pulses later and I pull at his hand to release me before I end up blacking out on the damn floor of this dressing room in the dress we haven't even bought yet. My eyes water and I gasp for a breath as his fingers release my throat.

"God damn, that was hot," he whispers in between quiet pants to catch his breath.

"So fucking hot," I whisper, sliding off of him.

"We're buying that dress. "

"Oh, you like it?" I ask.

He stands up, buttoning his jeans and levelling me with a stare that says he will show me right here, right now, again.

"I think it's the sexiest piece of clothing I've ever seen on a woman and I'm going to be tortured the entirety of this fucking party watching you waltz around in it."

I offer him a devilish grin and flash a titty at him for good measure, gaining me a smile from him.

"I can't wait to tease the shit out of you all," I run a finger up his chest, "damn," I trail up his neck, "day." I press my lips just beneath his ear, earning me a low growl from his chest.

"Change into your clothes so we can get out of here, you're going to make me fuck you right here and then everyone in this store will know exactly what we've been doing because I will not be suppressing those sexy fucking moans again."

I swallow hard and pull my jeans on before slipping out of the dress. Sebastian suckles one of my nipples into his mouth while I hook my bra. The cold left behind when his mouth is gone stings and makes my nipple even harder. I pull my bra over my shoulders and slip into my shirt. He's already hung the dress back on its hanger and leads the way out of the dressing room.

We make it to the register without bumping into a single person and I feel like I've just gotten away with some sort of crime. He was right, this trip to the mall has been much more thrilling than the last.

The lady behind the register looks like she would rather be watching paint dry than ringing up customers.

"Is that all for you today?" she asks in a monotone voice.

"That's all," Sebastian says, waiting for the total. His arm is wrapped around my waist beside him and my heart is still racing from the dressing room.

She finally looks up at the two of us, not truly noticing us before.

Her eyes rest on Sebastian, looking him up and down. He smirks and leans down, kissing me hard and possessive.

The display of affection makes her uncomfortable and she quickly averts her eyes.

" Umm , your total is $77.84."

Sebastian swipes his card and takes the bag from her.

"Have a nice day," he quips, grabbing my hand as we walk out of the store.

"That was awkward," I say when we enter back into the hustle and bustle of the mall.

"Maybe for her," he shrugs, offering me his boyish grin.

We walk around a little bit longer before finally heading back to the house to get ready. It doesn't take me very long to get dressed and curl my hair with the curling wand I found underneath Sebastian's cabinet in the bathroom. I would ask where it came from, but it really doesn't fucking matter. I already know no one else is going to be here while I'm here. That is the least of my concerns. The way he looks at me, I don't know that he can even look at someone else. There's so much conviction in his eyes when he looks at me. Like I'm the only woman he's ever looked at. It makes me doubt that I'm a charity case and makes me feel wanted. And loved.

Sebastian is dressed and ready before I am. He's wearing black slacks, a black button-down short-sleeve, with an emerald-green bow tie that matches my dress and makes his green eyes shine. He's in a nice pair of black shoes and he shaved, lining his chin strap out and giving him a clean, sexy look .

"Wow," I say, staring at him before me.

"Wow, yourself," he smiles, pulling me into his arms. He gives me a soft, slow kiss, before pulling away and resting a hand on my cheek.

"Ready?" he asks.

I close my eyes and nod. "Ready as I'll ever be."