The Billionaire Takes a Bride (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #3)(75)
She turned around for that, because he deserved to know that she wasn’t afraid. “I’m not scared of you, Sebastian. It’s just that . . . this is hard.” A huge knot formed in her throat.
“Then let me make it easier for you.” He strode toward her, and god, he was so beautiful, all dusky skin and dark, curly hair and those piercing green eyes. He was dressed in a pale khaki sport-shirt that brought out the warmth in his skin and the perfection of his jaw, and jeans. This was probably Sebastian’s version of dressing down, and a miserable half-giggle escaped her.
“You being here makes it hard, Sebastian.”
“Is it because you don’t want me here?” He came to her side and lifted his hand, as if he wanted to touch her cheek, to caress her jaw. Instead, he just brushed a few curls of her wind-blown hair back.
“It’s too hard,” she whispered again. “It makes me want things I can’t have.”
His thumb brushed over her lips then, and he cupped her jaw, tilting her head up so she’d meet his gaze. “Then let me tell you why you’re wrong, love.” He leaned in and gently brushed his mouth over hers. “I love you. I don’t want you to leave me.”
Protests sprang to her throat, that he couldn’t be here, that she was protecting him, that—
“—and I know all about the video,” he added, interrupting her jumbled thoughts.
She stiffened, gaze flying up to his in shock. “What? You do?”
He nodded, pulling her against him even when she pushed against his chest. “Let me explain before you freak out, all right?” She reluctantly nodded, and he continued. “Rufus showed up to check in on you after you left, and mentioned you’d met with my mother. I figured out she’d said something, and stormed over there to give her a piece of my mind.”
Chelsea bit her lip. Boy, she hadn’t covered her tracks well, had she? She’d been in such a daze, so utterly fogged with misery and unhappiness that she hadn’t been thinking clearly. She should have said something to Rufus. He’d been nothing but kind and she’d completely forgotten about him.
“My mother told me about the video. She thought it was voluntary. When I told her it was a crime, she was apologetic.” He made a face. “She f*cked up bad, and she knows it.”
Chelsea shook her head and patted his chest. “She’s trying to protect you. Like I am.”
“Do you think I care about that video? The only thing I care about is that someone’s using it to hurt you.”
“I’m not the target, Sebastian. You are. You—”
“I know. And that’s why I’m here to tell you that I gave the video to the police.”
Stunned, she jerked away from him. “But—the blackmailer—”
“Is in custody. Remember you said you had a case that got mishandled and never went anywhere? I convinced the police it was worth looking at again.” He gave her a crooked smile. “Talked to the police chief, made a few generous donations, and, well . . . Seems that * was rather proud of himself. They were able to identify him in the video because he had a prison record.” His voice softened. “He’s not going to be able to hurt anyone again. The best lawyers money can buy are going to make sure of that.”
Chelsea stared up at him.
“Say something, love. Please. Did I do wrong? I just wanted you to get justice. I—”
She flung herself at him and kissed him, hard. He was the best man ever. Her lips crushed his in a ruthless kiss. And she wasn’t in her gear, and she didn’t feel the same kind of arousal, but she was still pleased because she enjoyed it. She enjoyed branding Sebastian with her mouth and claiming him as hers.
When she pulled away, he looked a little breathless, and she felt smugly pleased with herself. Her hand stroked down the front of his shirt. “You did that for me, Sebastian?”
“Chelsea, I would do utterly anything for you. How can you not know that?” He gestured at the roller derby building. “You want a sport? I will totally buy you the entire league. You want a house here in Austin so you can skate with Pisa on weekends? I will buy you a private jet so you can fly in and skate. You want an island? I know a realtor—”
She put her fingers over his lips, silencing him. “I don’t want any of that, Sebastian.”
“I love you, Chelsea. Come home with me, please. I don’t give a shit about the blackmailer. It’s taken care of for now. And even if something came up later, I would rather have you at my side than anywhere else. We’re strongest together. We make each other whole.” He took her hand in his and laced his fingers through hers, then brushed his lips over the back of her hand. “I’m lost without you. Like my mother without her plastic surgeon.”
Chapter Twenty-six
An awful giggle escaped her at that. “That is a horrible comparison.”
“And here I thought I was doing better.” He tilted his head, pretending to think, even as his arms went around her waist. “Like . . . Lisa and a TV camera?”
She gasped. “Lisa—did you hear? I saw an article about her and a sex tape, too.”
“Believe it or not, but that was planted.” Sebastian shrugged at Chelsea’s gasp. “I know. My mother suggested the idea to cover up our tracks while I went to the police, and to stall the criminals. No one would put out a sex tape at the same time as another, because you want to get maximum attention. So we figured that would fend someone off for a bit and give me time to go to the police.”