Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 (15 page)

He pulled away gently, and she held her chest, trying hard not to pant like a thirsty dog. Now what? Was she supposed to say something?

He smiled and rested his chin on his guitar. “Sorry about that.”

Eva’s heart stopped. “You’re sorry you kissed me?”

“No, Eva, I’m not sorry I kissed you. I’m sorry I surprised you. I should’ve asked you first.”

“Oh.”

“Next time I’ll ask.”

Her smile returned. So he planned on a next time. That sounded good to her.

“Let’s finish this song,” he said.

Eva stared at her feet. How was she supposed to concentrate on the song now? She pinched her eyes closed and tried to concentrate on lyrics and melodies, but all she could think of was how her lips still tingled from the kiss.

“Are you all right?”

She snapped her eyes open, worried she was making a fool of herself so soon afterward.

“Yeah, fine. Really good actually.”

He grinned. “I’m having a hard time concentrating now, too.”

“I probably should head home anyway,” Eva said. If she got back too late, her parents would get concerned and start asking questions.

“I’ll walk you.”

Sebastian propped his guitar up against the sofa while Eva put hers in its stand. She retrieved her cane and glanced toward the door. For her to get to it, Sebastian would have to move so she could scoot by. His eyes glistened as he stared down at her, like he knew he had her trapped.

“I like you, Eva,” he said, not breaking his gaze.

Eva’s heart fluttered. These were the kind of words she’d dreamed of hearing from Sebastian, but she never dared to believe it could happen. She wasn’t the kind of girl a guy like him usually went for.

“I didn’t think I…”

“Was my type? Me, neither. I’ll be honest. But I
like
you. You’re sweet and cute and talented. You get music and songwriting. You understand what it’s like to dream, but you’re still grounded somehow.

“Also, it’s nice to be with a girl who’s not throwing herself at me. Not that I wouldn’t like you to throw yourself at me—I actually would like that—but I like that we have something more than that, something deeper.”

Eva’s legs trembled, and she almost lost her balance. Sebastian stepped closer, placing a hand on her back, preventing a humiliating tumble.

“I got you.”

“Uh, thanks.” She felt silly and wondered if Sebastian ever planned on moving out of the way. Apparently not.

He leaned in and whispered hotly into her ear. “I said I would ask you next time so this is it. Can I kiss you?”

Eva nodded mutely. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to say no to that question. Ever.

He swept her hair behind her ear and surprised her by trailing kisses from her earlobe down her neck. Her nerves shot off and she grabbed his shoulder, certain she would collapse otherwise. A soft moan escaped her lips as he worked his way under her chin, until finally, his lips landed on hers. She responded eagerly, totally getting what all the fuss was about now. She never wanted Sebastian to stop.

He moaned and pulled her tight. “You taste really good.”

She giggled. “I like you, too.”

“Okay, I have to stop now or… I might not let you go home.” Sebastian took her free hand and led her out of the flat and carefully down the stairs to the street below without letting go of her hand once.

He kissed her quickly before pushing the door open. “One for the road.”

And then he released her hand and tucked his fists in his pockets.

Right. He was a celebrity. She remembered how she’d been photographed with Sebastian the day before and all the speculation it had caused in the entertainment world. She understood how he’d have to watch himself when he was with her in public, but somehow it pinched a little.

Sebastian chatted, keeping the conversation light, and Eva nodded in all the right places. Her mind was going a million kilometers an hour: what were they now? Friends? Better than friends? Boyfriend and girlfriend?

It didn’t matter to her. She felt insanely happy. If she weren’t holding on to her cane, she’d float away through the trees.

Sebastian
liked
her. He
kissed
her. Twice! She breathed in deeply as she remembered how his lips traced her neck and set her on fire.

“Eva?”

She blinked at the sound of his voice. Had she really been daydreaming about Sebastian in his presence? If she wanted to continue to impress him, she had to be more mature about things and not act like a silly schoolgirl with a crush.

They turned left at the corner and Sebastian nodded with his chin. She looked for what he was motioning to. Then she saw it. Or rather, she saw
him
.

“Oh, no.”

Sebastian spoke under his breath. “He doesn’t look happy.”

It was her papa heading toward them. She didn’t know if he was just out for an evening stroll or if he’d been looking for her. Either way, Sebastian was right. He didn’t look happy.

“Hi, Papa,” she said when he reached them.

“Eva.” Papa stood in front of them, and his bushy brows furrowed as his dark eyes flickered between Eva and Sebastian. His thick shoulders straightened as he puffed out his barrel chest. “What are you doing?”

“I was just out for a walk and ran into Sebastian. You remember, he came to the soup kitchen once.”

“He didn’t eat any soup.”

“Yeah, he came to talk about my song.”

Papa narrowed his eyes and pierced Sebastian with his gaze. “I trust you got the information you needed?”

“Yes, Herr Baumann. Eva’s been very helpful.”

Eva would’ve burst out laughing if the situation wasn’t so awful.

“I was just walking her home,” Sebastian added.

“How gentlemanly of you. I can walk her from here. Thank you.”

Eva blushed with humiliation. “Papa!”

“What? Shall he accompany the two of us? The sidewalks aren’t that wide.” He pressed against her elbow prompting her to start walking.

“Auf Wiedersehen,” Papa said tersely to Sebastian as he turned his back to him.

Eva threw an apologetic glance over her shoulder. Sebastian raised his thumb and little finger to his ear, signaling he would call her.

Herr Baumann was a big man. He had a broad back with a thick waist and stump-like legs that shuffled to match his daughter’s slower gait. He rested a thick hand on Eva’s shoulder protectively.

Sebastian stroked the shadow on his chin as he watched them walk away until they disappeared in the crowd. He’d never had to deal with a girl’s father before. Yvonne’s parents just pretended he didn’t exist. They let their daughter date whomever she wanted as long as she was home by midnight, and they never bothered her with questions about what she did when she was out.

His own father hadn’t been part of his life for the last three years.

This was unfamiliar territory and Sebastian was unsure of how to manage it. What he did know was he wasn’t going to let Eva’s father push him around. Even if he was a pastor. Especially if he was a pastor.

“Sebastian!” He turned toward the female voice calling him. A pretty girl with long blond hair and large breasts that were about to break free from her blouse waved wildly. He didn’t know her. Two other women saddled up beside her. The leader and her friends. He’d seen this group of three many times on his tours.

They ran across the street and he considered dashing away, but decided that would be unnecessarily rude.

“Oh my God, it’s really you!” she gushed.

Sebastian nodded politely. “Hello.” Normally, when fans approached him on the street they asked him to autograph something. He was afraid to offer in this case. There was a good chance the exposed skin would be the choice spot. It had happened before, and it was an awkward situation he’d rather avoid, especially in the middle of the street.

Instead the buxom blond waved toward the Mexican restaurant halfway down the block. “We’re just going to lunch,” she said. “Come with us!”

He was going to say no, but it wouldn’t hurt for him to do a little PR, especially after the bad press his band had been getting.

He plastered on his rock star smile. “Sure, ladies. Lead the way.”

The large, street-side windows were slid open in the summer, giving the illusion that there was no outside wall at all. Sebastian took the seat nearest to the door so he could make an easy getaway if necessary. The blond brushed her breast along his back as she maneuvered for the chair beside him. He groaned inwardly. This was a bad idea. He should’ve known better.

The three women started asking questions all at once.

“I read you broke up with your girlfriend.”

“I hope that mystery girl is a hoax? Is it?”

“Did Hollow Fellows really break up?”

He faked interest and answered their questions as vaguely as he could. He was thankful to be interrupted by the waiter when he came. The blond was less than subtle with her body language, twisting completely in her seat to face him, twirling yellow strands of hair around her finger, batting eyelashes. Sebastian knew she would go home with him if he asked.

He wondered why he wasn’t interested. He was a red-blooded, heterosexual guy. Even so, one-night stands had never appealed to him. He’d always been faithful to Yvonne, though now he wondered why he’d bothered.

No, he knew why. His burden of guilt was already so big. Adding cheating to that would be more than he could take.

Besides Eva deserved better. She was everything these girls were not. She was worth waiting for and worth dealing with her overbearing parents for.

He reached for his phone and stared at the screen, careful to make sure the blond couldn’t see it was blank. “Ah, man. I forgot I have an interview to do in twenty minutes.” He stood and waved the waiter over. “So sorry, ladies. I gotta run. Lunch is on me.”

Eva’s father gently squeezed her shoulder. He glanced down at her with soft eyes, his lips pulled inward in a slight smile—his pastor face.

“
Schatz,”
he began. “You must stop seeing that boy.”

Eva’s heart lurched. “We’re just friends,” she lied. Her heart squeezed a little more. She never used to lie to her parents. To anyone at all for that matter. That habit began recently. With Sebastian.

“He’s not the right kind of boy for you. You must see that, right? He is one kind of person, and you are another. Remember how the Bible tells us not to be unevenly yoked. You know what that means, don’t you?”

She did. She heard all the sermons, but she knew he would tell her anyway.

“The farmers of old depended on oxen to plow their fields. They had to make sure that the oxen they yoked together were equal in size and strength, or the team would not be able to succeed. One would pull the other, and they wouldn’t be able to walk in a straight line. It’s the same with two people who marry. If they don’t approach life in the same way, share the same values and beliefs, one will pull the other one along in a direction she doesn’t want to go.”

“Papa, he was just walking me home. We’re hardly talking marriage.”

“Yes, but I know how young men think.”

Eva wrinkled her nose. Please, not
the talk
.

“First it’s holding hands, then kissing, then—”

“Papa!”

Her father sighed. “Don’t forget what the Bible teaches you.”

How could she forget? The lessons had been hammered home since she was a child. Honor your mother and father. Forgive your enemies.

Eva secretly harbored unforgiveness for one person. The one person responsible for her handicap. The one responsible for the physical and emotional pain she dealt with daily. The one who had stolen her confidence and made her afraid. She didn’t think God could fault her for that.

Honoring her mother and father had been easy until now. Her father wanted her to give up Sebastian, the very person who was giving her back some of the things she’d lost. Confidence. Courage.

Passion.

How could her papa make her choose?

Her father pressed the code to their building when they reached it.