“Sometimes,” he admitted. She squirmed as he leaned over with a dimpled grin and nuzzled the side of her cheek. “But this wasn’t one of them. I’m actually in a wonderful mood, thanks to you.”
She warmed, blushing as she felt the weight of the shopkeeper’s curious stare settle over them. As private as he was, in public or not, Sebastian never hesitated to show his affection. That was one of the many things she loved the most about him. It wasn’t groping or lewd, just quiet and subtle. For the most part. Her color deepened as she remembered the night on the observation deck at the hotel. There hadn’t been anyone around, but she’d been too scared, too afraid, to just enjoy the moment and let go. Sebastian had been far from pleased. She could still remember the embarrassment —still feel the cool night air on her thighs and the pain of being so deeply impaled.
She flushed recalling the lecture that followed: “The next time I try to express my affection I don’t expect to be denied. Is that clear?”
It was funny how one word, one thought, could lead to another.
Taylor glanced up at the sweep of fingers across her cheek. Sebastian studied her face. His eyes were gentle but searching.
“Are you all right, darling?”
Nodding, she turned her head and kissed the cool, crisp leather covering his hand. “I guess I just got swept away inside my own head,” she admitted with a shy smile.
Taylor shivered, stomping the snow from her furry Kola boots as they ducked inside the vintage diner. Thick flakes dusted their hats and coats. Outside, both sun and the downtown sector had vanished behind a thick wall of dense grey and swirling white. Still shivering, she watched Sebastian rub his hands together and blow between them in an attempt to ward off the chill. He looked so adorable between the flush of excitement and the boyish shield of his hat. Sensing her attention, he glanced down and offered a dimpled smile above the soft charcoal wrap of his scarf. She leaned against him as he wound an arm around her waist and steered her toward an empty booth. The place was surprisingly vacant. Only a handful of other patrons sat scattered throughout the small establishment, most of them enjoying hot drinks at the counter.
Sitting down across from him, she tucked her purse beside her and pulled the rich aroma of coffee into her lungs. She glanced up at their waitress as the striking brunette brought them a pair of mugs and menus. The girl returned her grin and blushed as Sebastian nodded in her direction.
“She thinks you’re cute,” Taylor whispered after the waitress had poured their coffee and promised to check back to get their orders soon.
His body jerked in a silent show of humor as he browsed the menu. “She doesn’t know me. I’m scary, remember?”
Flopping against the back of the booth, her laughter rang unchecked. The sound brought his gaze back up to hers and she reveled at the delighted sparkle shimmering in those pale depths.
“You have your moments,” she confessed. “But you can also be the sweetest, most adorable man on the face of the planet.”
A light pink flush settled across the tops of his cheeks as Sebastian fought to suppress a smile. “Only in your eyes, darling. Decide what you want to eat.”
She arched a brow and leaned forward to brace her elbows on the worn Formica table. “Did you just blush?”
His shoulders shook with a quiet chortle that he tried to mask. “Read the menu, Taylor.”
Snickering beneath her breath, she glanced over the choices of burgers, sandwiches, soups, and salads. The standard small establishment spread made her think briefly of the diner at the truck stop and Irene. She wondered if they’d be packed on a day like today with truckers riding out the storm, or if it would be a ghost town. It was hard to say. Nibbling her bottom lip, she decided on a smoked turkey club. Sebastian looked a bit more undecided, if not downright worried. Covering her mouth, she tried to shield her amusement.
“It will be fine,” she whispered. “I promise. It’s just like Cervillo’s, only a little bit cheaper.”
He looked up and grinned at the memory of their first date. “I’d almost forgotten about that place.”
Taylor gaped at him and rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “Come on, now. The food wasn’t that god-awful that you had to try and erase it from your memory.”
His head fell back with a genuine bark of laughter. “If you say so.”
She crumpled up a Sweet-N-Low packet and tossed it at him. “You are such a food snob!”
He laughed even harder. His grin faded as the waitress approached to take their orders. When she disappeared back into the kitchen, his eyes locked with Taylor’s. Leaning across the table, he motioned for her to do the same.
“Come here,” he ordered, his voice husky and low.
Tamping down a shiver of apprehension, she questioned the wisdom of chucking a sugar packet and met him halfway. His stoic expression made her heart hammer. Her breath caught as he wrapped a hand around the back of her head. She almost sagged with relief when his face broke into a boyish grin. He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and settled back into his seat with a wink.
“Behave yourself, baby.”
Taylor’s cheeks warmed with the soft admonishment. She lowered her lashes in a demure sweep and ducked behind the menu to hide her smile. “Yes, Sebastian. I love you.”
“Mm. I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything.”
They ate a light lunch and passed another half hour just sipping coffee and talking. She couldn’t remember ever feeling happier or more content. Her stomach and heart were both full. Best of all, Sebastian seemed so relaxed and at ease. Sometimes, it was amazing what just a few hours away from the stress of work could do for his mood. His phone hadn’t even gone off once since he’d been home. Not so much as a single text had interrupted their time together. Trailing her forefinger around the rim of her mug, she wondered if he’d shut it off. Could he do that? Somehow, she doubted it. Sighing, she pushed the thoughts aside and glanced up to find him staring. A pensive expression played on his face. Despite the sorrowful undercurrent of his expression, his lips curled were curled with a ghost of a smile. At a loss to make heads or tails of the situation, Taylor flashed him a curious look.
“What?”
He shook his head. “I was just thinking and enjoying the moment.”
“What’re you thinking about?”
“How much I’ve enjoyed being with you,” he admitted quietly. “How wonderful the past five months have been. I don’t know how I ever managed to survive without you.”
“You seemed to be doing okay,” she teased, trying to keep the mood light.
Seba
stian nodded. “Yes, but it wasn’t this. It was nothing like this. My entire world consisted of work. Now it consists of you. Everything else is just secondary.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Her face tightened with worry. She bit her lip when he remained focused on the table, refusing to look her way.
“No, darling. I would never change a thing about you.” He shook his head again, as if searching for the right thing to say. Tracing a burn ring emblazoned into the speckled pattern on the tabletop, he sighed. “Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like if I’d stayed with the FBI. What I would have been like.” His shoulders lifted in a depreciating shrug as he twisted the mug between his fingers. “But that was never their intention, and I might not have met you. So, in the end, this is what was meant to be. I don’t regret anything about our life together, Taylor. Not for one minute. Coming across you in the woods that day was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Reaching across the table, Taylor caressed the top of his hand. “Yeah,” she agreed softly. “Me, too. Even if Josh did shove a shotgun against my face.”
Sebastian gave a humorless snort. “And to think he is considered the nicer of us two.” His dark golden brows twisted with thought for a moment, then lowered. “Where does that put me?”
She frowned, wincing at his self-inflicted barb. “Seb…please don’t. You’re a good man.”
“Don’t patronize me, Taylor. I know what I am.”
Shifting in the booth, he motioned the waitress over and pulled out his wallet. She watched as he dropped a twenty and a ten on the plastic tray and told the girl to keep the change. Taylor shook her head. He just didn’t get it. He didn’t see the things she did. She’d busted her hump in a place like this, and there were days she would have killed to get a fourteen-dollar tip on a sixteen-dollar bill. The gratitude on the waitress’s face said much the same. Thanking him profusely, the girl hurried behind the counter.