Sebastian
Why did I feel awkward telling her about my past?
She leaned over the table. “What’s troubling you tonight?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with your business or my life.”
I lifted my glass, studying her wry smile. My cock ached as it always did around her, the electricity sparking and buzzing between us. “You think you know me better now?”
“A little but only when you let that armor slip. What’s wrong? While I realize that you’ll never share your business with me, there are other aspects of life including good and bad times. If we don’t get to know each other, then how am I supposed to love you?”
Love. The burden and guilt of wanting to feel romantic, crazy in love was almost too much. Perhaps I was simply too practical. The feel of her hand wrapping around mine was enough to send a wave of almost violent arcs shooting into every cell and muscle in my system. “Carmen, I don’t want to burden you. You have enough things on your mind.”
“Perhaps I need to think about something else. I can feel sorry for myself later if I want to.” Her smile turned mischievous, a warm flush creeping up along her cheeks. “Family problems perhaps? I heard you have a niece.”
I laughed, surprised Sylvie had told her anything. “I do. Selena is a handful. She thinks she’s going to be an astronaut.”
“Brother? Sister?”
“My guess is you already learned that information while searching for data on the internet,” I smirked, winking at her.
“Perhaps. You have two sisters and no brothers. The tabloids and newspaper articles never mentioned a niece.”
I sighed, darting a glance at the ocean. “Something both my sister and I insisted on. My niece doesn’t deserve to grow up in this world.”
“If you hate it so much, why not get out?”
“Obligations.”
She nodded several times. “I know them well although I’m not willing to play them any longer.” Another sigh was followed by a wrinkling of her nose. “I have premonitions sometimes, violent and angry ones that terrify me far too often.”
“Have you had one recently?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “That’s bothered me all day and when that I noticed that man outside the shop, I have to tell you that I wasn’t terrified.”
“You should have been.”
“No,” she said defiantly, turning her head in my direction. “I’m not the one in danger. You are. Someone desperately wants you dead.”
I shrank back, processing her words. That was a possibility. “Either way, whoever this is won’t get close any longer.”
“How can you be certain of that? Guards every day?”
“No. I’m going to hunt down the person responsible and they will pay.”
“Always violence. I just wish there was more. No, I know there’s more. You’re a decent and wonderful man buried deep inside,” she insisted, much like she had before.
Sadly, I knew that I would disappoint her over and over again.
The woman was still rebellious, a trait I hoped I would never break completely in her. “I did something today that might mean I’ll never be able to see Selena or my sister again.”
“What in God’s name did you do?”
“Destroyed her marriage.”
“What?” Carmen gasped. “You are many things, Sebastian, but not a homewrecker.”
“Yeah, well, the asshole deserved what he got. Winston had everything. An amazing career, a beautiful wife and child, a huge house, and all the toys in the world. What did he prefer? Having affairs and beating the shit out of my sister.”
“Oh, my God. That’s horrible.” She nibbled on her lip, obviously absorbing the information. “What did you do to him?” Her question was tentative.
“I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re asking. I simply gave him a choice. Leave my sister and never have anything to do with her again plus provide seventy-five percent of his current and all future income to take care of them.”
“That all?”
I inhaled, drinking in her perfume, my cock pushing hard against my pants. I wasn’t certain how long I’d been able to curtail my needs. “He’s also giving up a significant portion of the money he’s attempted to keep from my sister in offshore accounts.”
“In exchange?” she asked in a coy manner.
“That’s easy. Not only does he get to live, but he also is allowed to continue practicing medicine. A plastic surgeon with crushed hands is unemployable.”
She laughed, her eyes sparkling. “You’re serious.”
“I am. Elena is very important to me. No man is allowed to beat up on a woman for any reason. Period. He’s lucky I didn’t take him out to the middle of the ocean and simply drop him off.” I heard the anger increasing in my tone, could feel my blood racing.
Her grasp tightened, forcing me to look into her eyes. I could swear she was seeing me with an entirely different manner, her face lighting up and her lower lip quivering.
“That’s… deplorable what he did and heroic what you did. Your sister will come around. Might take some time but she’ll learn. If he did that to his own wife, imagine what he could do to his daughter.”
“Exactly. Not acceptable.”
She slid her other hand across the table, fingering my index finger. “Sylvie told me what you did for her all those years ago. As I said before, I know that you are a very good man inside. I also believe that you simply aren’t certain how or when to show that side of you, but when it comes to someone you care about, you have no issue doing what’s necessary. You just might be a hero.”
I breathed out, wanting nothing more than to take her into my arms. “I hope so too, Carmen. I want to be able to make you happy, but I’m no hero. That much you need to accept.”
She eased back, studying me intently. “I guess we’ll see. Who was your one love? I know you had one.”
The question caught me off guard, but I felt compelled to answer. “A bright shining star who couldn’t handle my life.”
“What happened?”
“I let her go,” I answered. “There’s no big story other than I realized that I couldn’t handle a relationship doing what I do.”
“Interesting. Maybe that’s why you refuse to let me go,” she said in such a quiet manner. “You know, it’s funny about heroes. They come along when you least expect them, like a knight in shining armor.”
If only I could be that knight. Sadly, my shield had been tarnished years before. I wasn’t a good man, but I’d attempt to be so for the woman I loved.