Page 104 of Brighter Shades of Light

“You can call me whatever you want,” I said, leaning up to brush my lips along his jaw. “But I prefer Mr. Miller.”

“Hey, that’s Second Lieutenant Cody Miller of the Second Combat Engineering Battalion,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’re much more than just a mister now.”

“I’ll always be your mister.”

Sebastian’s expression softened. “Just as I’ll be yours.”

We spent most of the morning in bed. The only thing that would’ve pulled my ass out of it would’ve been a fire. Then again, we set the sheets ablaze all on our own, giving our bodies time to recoup before coming together again.

When we finally got up and showered, it was late in the afternoon. We cooked and drank coffee and constantly touched in one way or another; our feet under the table as we ate, our hands as we sat on the couch afterward, our lips when we couldn’t stand the distance any longer.

I didn’t want to waste another moment with Sebastian. The next nine months were going to be devoted solely to my mission, with little room for anything else, and I knew I would look back and hate myself for not making the most of my time with him.

“Will you play for me?” I asked, after we had eaten dinner.

“Of course.” Sebastian walked over to the piano and pulled out the bench to sit down. “What would you like to hear?”

“Anything.” I leaned against the wall beside him, crossing my arms. He was too handsome, even with slightly disheveled hair and wearing the wrinkled shirt he had slept in. Maybe it made him even more so. “I just want to hear you. It’s been a while since you’ve played.”

“Very well.”

He positioned his hands over the keys and started to play. I didn’t recognize the song, but it was beautiful. It started out with a single chord, then a pause, and then it was followed by a higher note. Another chord. The melody was in minor, and the pace began slowly before gradually getting faster.

I listened as he played, saying nothing until he was finished.

“What was that?”

“The Seasonsby Tchaikovsky,” he said, glancing up at me. “It’s the autumn song. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do. But why so sad?”

“I don’t see it as sad. I think it’s soothing.” Sebastian pressed a few keys before going into a slow chord progression. “Though, I suppose the song is somewhat tarnished now. It was the one I played when I first met Emily.”

“It’s not tarnished.” I sat on the edge of the piano bench, leaning against his side. “Because now you’ve played it for me.”

He smiled and touched his head to mine. “I never knew what it was like to have my soul set on fire until I looked into your eyes.”

“Damn, babe. If you weren’t already my fiancé, you would’ve wooed me right there.”

“Wooed?” Sebastian’s smile grew wider. “Seems someone has been reading too many classics.”

“Impossible. You can never read too many.”

We turned out the lights and went up to bed, but I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. Sebastian traced the edge of my jaw before doing the same to my lips. I grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles. Even in the dark, I saw how his eyes didn’t leave my face.

Mine didn’t leave his, either.

“You should sleep,” he said, after what was probably hours but only felt like minutes.

“I know.” Yet, I didn’t close my eyes. When I did, I would fall asleep and wake up tomorrow morning having to leave him. I wanted to hold on to the present a little longer. “Will you kiss me?”

“You really need to ask, Mr. Miller?”

Tears filled my eyes as I smiled. “Yeah.”

Sebastian moved forward, touching our lips together. The kiss was gentle, but it jostled my heart and sent me into action. I shifted closer to him, pushing my tongue into his mouth.

I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.