Chapter 6

"Oh my God."

The beach was so beautiful, Jane couldn't believe it. There weren't many people around so it was kind of empty but it didn't matter. She didn't remember the last time she'd gone to a beach. Her father had dumped so many responsibilities on her that her daily routine consisted of a shower, breakfast, work, dinner and sleep.

Oh, how wonderful it felt to be away from all that madness, Jane thought. She really could live like this for the rest of her life. A town like this was everything she wanted: peace and quiet and familiarly.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sebastian muttered from her left. A quick glance at him told her he was on duty, as he'd taken off his top. Only his shorts remained. "The sound of the waves calms me."

He had a woven neckpiece around his neck, and his shoulders told that he worked out. His upper body was long; he was probably six foot three or so. Specks of hair dusted his broad chest, disappeared then reappeared as her gaze moved down to just above the line of his shorts. Did they run past it too? She wanted to know. She wanted to peel off every layer of clothing he had on and unravel the perfection she knew lay beneath.

"Like what you see?"

Her eyes found his. The knowing smirk on his face only added to her embarrassment. She couldn't believe she'd been staring at a man with lust in her eyes and worse, he'd caught her.

"Shut up." She mumbled, looking back at the ocean. Okay, so maybe she was attracted to him. It wasn't a big deal, neither was it surprising. He was handsome and…entirely male. The only weird thing about it was that she was constantly fighting the resilient urge to jump him whenever they were together. It was strong, unlike anything she'd ever known. It was scary too, because they'd only just met. He didn't seem unfazed by her either. Jane had caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking. The different between them was that he wasn't shy about it.

A big wave came on and the sound brought her out of her reverie. Stormbrooke seemed too good to be true. Jane imagined starting a family in a small town like it. That was highly unlikely, given the kind of family she came from. Who knew, her parents might probably find someone else to pair her off with if she actually succeeded in ruining this one. She might not even mind as much, she figured. If she'd gotten to spend time with her so called fiancé, she might have actually liked the man, whatever his defaults. Love was blind, right?

Jane wasn't materialistic in the slightest. Having been born into wealth, she'd never lacked for anything. Money wasn't anything new. There was nothing to look forward to in a relationship but genuine affection and respect.

Sebastian was right; the waves were soothing. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to picture what her life would look like in five years. Would she still be on the run like right now, fighting to be heard or would she finally bend to the parent's whim, stuck with a man she didn't love?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sebastian spoke up, causing her eyes to snap open.

She gave him a look. "Shouldn't you be off doing whatever it is lifeguards do?"

He shrugged, his shoulders stretching a little. "I honestly don't do much around here. It's a weekday so there aren't a lot of people around." A sky-blue blanket appeared out of nowhere. He spread the piece of cloth on the sand, sat down and then patted the small space next to him. "So what were you thinking about? I could see smoke coming out of your ears."

Jane really didn't want to tell Sebastian that her parents were forcing her to marry someone she hadn't met. In fact, she didn't want to talk about her parents. Stormbrooke was an opportunity for her to live a new life as a different person for a few days. She wanted more than to push her family far into the back of her mind and locked them there until she was ready to face her demons.

"I'm really sorry about taking out my frustration on you earlier." She said instead.

His expression told her he knew she'd changed the subject. "Easy there. You've apologized twice now. I might actually start to think you like me."

Jane snorted, tugging a stray lock of hair behind her ears. "You wish." She appreciated that he didn't push.

He stared at her intensely, like he was at the window to her soul, looking in from the outside. His piercing gaze made her shift uncomfortably on the blanket, and her breath quickened.

"I do. I really do."

His words were low, but they couldn't have been any louder if he'd yelled it. The tiny hairs on her skin prickled and Jane could swear her heart skipped a few beats. She'd never felt anything like this before, not even with Elijah. Sebastian managed to set her body on fire with just a mere look.

"Tell me, Jane. Do you have a man in your life?"

"Uh…" she stuttered. "No." Not if you didn't count her supposed fiancé.

He hummed in his throat. "Why does that give me immense satisfaction?"

A large hand skimmed down her bare arm and Jane thought her body was on actual fire. She'd never longed for a man's touch this bad before. Sebastian made her…feel.

"I think I want to kiss you, Jane. Is that weird?" His voice was barely above a whisper now and it was taking all of her concentration to keep up with him. Her eyes sealed shut, her lips spread open.

Touch me, please.

His hands move down to her exposed thighs, gently kneading the soft skin there.

"Do you want me to kiss you, Jane?"