A Prince's Ransom: Kidnapped by the Billionaire (40 page)

He seemed to buy her answer, because he smiled at her broadly. “Of course! I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, and I’m glad you came. You seemed like you could use a night out. I’m sure you’ve been really stressed out with your dad in the hospital and your car in that accident.”

Oh, he didn’t know the half of it when it came to her stress levels, that was for sure and certain. And yes, since he had been her dad’s doctor, Kevin also thought that the reason she didn’t have her own car was because it’d gotten banged up and was taking a while to be repaired. That was something she’d rather he kept believing for the time being, because she definitely wasn’t ready to tell him about… Sebastian. Goddamn Sebastian. Sebastian who had agreed to leave her alone during the rest of her date, although she had a feeling he wasn’t too far away and was watching even now as she said goodbye to Kevin. Sebastian who was going to follow her to her apartment. Sebastian who wasn’t just going to creep around in the street beneath it.

“I could definitely do with some stress-relieving activities right now,” Tobin agreed without exaggeration, sighing slightly to herself. “But this was a lot of fun, and… and I’d love to get together with you again sometime, Kevin.”

He stopped walking and looked at her, apparently surprised that she herself was suggesting they go out again. “Really?”

She smirked at him. “Yeah, I think it would be a good idea. What, is being so forward also unusual for those Nebraskan girls back home?”

“Yeah, kinda,” he answered with a laugh. “But honestly I just didn’t think I’d get a second date with a girl like you. I would very much like the opportunity, though.”

“Good.” Tobin smiled. “Then call me when you have some free time in your schedule and we’ll work something out. I know your job is way more sporadic than mine, so I’ll probably be free any time you are.”

“Great!” he beamed at her. “Great, I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for coming out tonight, Tobin.”

“You’re welcome.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and chuckled to see his cheeks darken. “Have a good night, Kevin.”

“You too, Tobin.” He stood there for a long moment as she turned around and walked off, and it wasn’t until she was almost at her dad’s car that she heard him start walking himself. She glanced up at him, and giggled to see how much in a daze he seemed. Nice country boys were definitely more her speed right now.

But as her date officially ended and she climbed into her car, she felt her heart start to close in on itself. Nice country boy was not who she was going home to. Nice country boy was about the furthest thing she could ever use to describe him. For one thing, she doubted he had ever been nice a day in his life. And there was a part of her that couldn’t but think of that girl who’d stumbled out of the bathroom stall at the restaurant. Granted, she’d been completely wasted at the time, but Tobin had heard them. She had heard how into him that girl had been, and…

Goddammit, what was she doing to herself? It almost didn’t matter, though, because she shifted the gear of the car and pulled out of the bar and headed home. Pretty much no one was out, because again, it was Wednesday, but she was glad for that; it allowed her the joyous ability to glance into her rearview mirror and see a dark car trailing behind her half a block, which sent her stomach twisting into knots. Tobin took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on her driving. It was just one night. One night and then he’d be out of her life. He’d go away and leave her alone and that would be the end of it. Having her once was the only reason he was doing this. It was the only reason it was happening at all.

It didn’t take her terribly long to drive home with no traffic on the road, and she parked on the street before climbing out. Tobin was shaking, her breath trembling against her lips, and she anxiously fished her keys out of her purse as she heard another car stop in the street behind her. Walking up to the door, she thought long and hard about bolting inside before he could get there and following her in, but… no. One night. One night and it would be over. That was all she needed.

Tobin pushed the door open all the way, until the hinge didn’t let her open it any further, before she was stepping inside. Only once she was all the way through did her hand pull away from the handle, and it started slowly swinging shut—one of those doors designed not to slam and wake the other residents if someone came home in the middle of the night. She was halfway to the stairs when she heard his hand catch it, and he stepped through after her. A few seconds later, the door finished closing, and she let out a trembling breath as she climbed the flights to her apartment. He stayed several steps behind her, as though aware of how quickly she might turn around and slap him hard enough to keep any of this from happening. He probably was aware of that, actually—aware of that, and his promise that she would want this, when it happened. Did she really want it now?

Her hand was still shaking as she finally made it to her door and unlocked it carefully, quietly pushing it open. It was no later than when she’d returned after her date with the last guy she had brought home, but as she glanced around, she could see at least two of her cats were already asleep. That was good. Autumn was prowling about somewhere, but hopefully she was just in her customary perch, staring out the bathroom window—it had the best view of the street. That would keep the feline out of her room long enough to… to…

“Nice place,” Sebastian murmured, his entrance into her home sudden enough to make her jump. She had lost all chance, now, to bar him entry, because she hadn’t been quick enough to turn around and lock her damn door. Her heart was pounding as he skirted around her—not quite touching her, even though he closed and locked her door himself, his dark eyes glimmering for a moment in the reflected light from the street before he turned away and looked around a bit more. He didn’t touch anything, though, and he didn’t get too close to where he saw her cats sleeping. “Cat person?”

“I like both,” she answered without thought, because she needed to say something. Her voice was almost choked. “But cats are more independent and easier to take care of in an apartment like this. They don’t need to go for walks.”

“Fair enough,” he answered as he stepped toward the hallway that led to her bedroom. Sebastian lingered there, looking down toward what he could see of her bed, and her breath caught in her throat. “I like dogs better, but cats are fine.”

He was trying to calm her down again, she realized—like he had that night, talking to her about… anything, to make her focus on something other than how unqualified she was to be performing surgery on a person. This was a bit different, though. They hadn’t gotten into it yet. He turned back to face her, where she was still standing like a bunny in her doorway, clutching her purse like it was a life raft. Slowly, carefully, he took a few steps nearer, shrugging out of his jacket and casting it carelessly over the arm of her couch, then reaching for her purse. He tugged it free when she didn’t immediately let it go, tossing it onto the nearby table. She stared at him, without a word, and his hands carefully moved to rest on either side of the door, near her head.

Without warning, then, he was surging against her—hard enough to slam her against the door, his lips pressing ravenously at hers, a touch of anger that made her squeal and squirm. She could feel, when she couldn’t see, his nails digging into the wood, and her stomach twisted in knots… and then she swallowed it. She swallowed the fear and the uncertainty, all of it. One night. One damn night. Who the hell was she to say that him kissing her, like this, wasn’t like finding water after weeks in a desert?

She kissed him back, with all the hunger she could muster, and a touch of alcoholic buzz, her hands lifting and twisting angrily into his shirt. He smirked against her lips and only kissed her harder, lacing his fingers into her brunette hair and pressing his hard, tall body against her, so that she could barely move as her curves were squished against him. Her heartbeat thundered painfully beneath her breast, against him, and his other hand was moving downward, cupping her breast through her shirt and her bra, molding the warm flesh with a harshness that made her hiss into his lips. Sebastian refused to let her go, though, refused to pull back from the kiss, until she absolutely had no breath and had to jerk herself free, knocking her temple into the door.

His lips were still moving, though, grazing heatedly against her cheek and her jaw, stubble scraping against her skin. Without care for the slight gasp of pain that escape her, he nipped on her ear, still rolling her breast in his hand. Then he was drawing back, pulling away just as heat started to coil inside of her, and she was left gritting her teeth and staring at him.

“Go get undressed,” he growled, jerking his chin toward her bedroom. “Everything except your panties.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Now, Tobin.” The growl was harsher, harder, but he didn’t touch her, and her throat tightened—and she moved toward her bedroom, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of her blouse as she tried to walk out of her boots, unsuccessfully. Only when she got to her bedroom did she manage to get her shirt off, shoving it away, and not thinking about it before pulling off her bra and letting it fall to the floor. She pulled off her boots, undid her belt, shoved down her pants. That left her in only a pair of black lace panties, and she knew immediately, as they were exposed, that there was a damp spot. She turned her head to look for him just as he closed the door to her bedroom.

He was already entirely naked—that surprised her, and her eyes widened. She could see every inch of him, every chiseled centimeter in the lamplight and moonlight that flickered in between the blinds of her window. His cock was hard, erect, pointing straight at her belly button as she turned around to face him. Sebastian gave her just long enough to take all of that in before he was moving in on her like a predator on his prey, and his hand found purchase in her hair again, tugging her into another hard, hot kiss. He grabbed at her breast again, too, fondling the exposed orb and her hardening pink nipple, making her shudder as his rough hand ground against her.

Just as soon as she’d started to reach for him, though, he was drawing back again, and she hissed in frustrating and confusion. He moved around her, pulling her pillows out from beneath her pristinely made bed and propping them against her headboard. Absolutely nonchalantly, he sprawled out across the coverlet and leaned back, watching her.

“Show me,” he demanded.

“Show you what?” Tobin asked cautiously.

“That you want it.” His meaning became clear all at once, and her eyes darted down to his erect manhood, his throbbing length, the tip dribbling. Her hands clenched at her sides, warring inside of herself for a long moment—and then she was climbing up onto the bed too, on her hands and knees, drawing closer, and finding herself between his legs. She could feel him just watching her, as one of her hands reached out, fingertips drawing across his cock, making it twitch. Tobin drew back slightly. “Show me.”

He had reached out without her realizing it, grabbing her chin and meeting her gaze, where she was half-bent over him. “You do want it, don’t you?” he growled. “More than just a few kisses, a few gropes? Prove it, Tobin. I won’t touch you until you do.”

She swallowed a hard breath and jerked her chin free. “You’re an asshole,” she told him angrily.

“I’m aware.”

And yet even as she had said it, she was moving lower, her curls falling in a curtain around her face as she unceremoniously wrapped her lips around the head of his cock and pressed herself downward—until her mouth was as full as she could make it. She heard Sebastian moan slightly, and she shut her eyes, her tongue rubbing against him furiously. Some part of her wanted to make it hurt, and she had her teeth wrapped around the most sensitive part of him. But instead she was moving, starting to slowly bob her head up and down, and sucking—sucking hard, harder than how quickly she was moving would make him expect. He hissed and she could hear his hand almost rip her sheets.

That didn’t stop her, though, gripping his thighs and digging her own nails into his skin. The back of his head hit the wall audibly, and she started to move faster, teasing her tongue against the tip of his cock, and then moving one of her hands inward. She found his balls, fondling them as roughly as he’d fondled her breasts a few minutes before, and he let out a sound that was a mixture of a growl and a groan.

Tobin pulled her mouth back to swallow a mouthful of air, and yet before she could wrap her lips back around him, he was moving. She yelped as she found herself on her back, and only when she found herself being dragged by her thighs to the edge of her bed did she realize that he was kneeling on the floor. His lips found the inside of one knee, and he started to kiss inward, slowly, painstakingly slowly, in a way that made her squirm as she stared at him over the tips of her breast. It took him too damn long to make it to her core, and he nuzzled against the growing dampness of her panties, one of his hands lifting to rub his fingertip against her. With way too much accuracy, he found her clit through the garment, and she let out a half-strangled cry.

The sound seemed to be his assurance; he grabbed the hem of her panties with his teeth and yanked them down over her thighs, letting them join the rest of her clothes on the ground. Without any further ceremony, he was burying his lips against her slit, and she yelped, feeling him nibbling at the sensitive flesh of her outer folds. Suddenly she was soaked, and one of her hands wrenched into his auburn hair. He growled, the sound vibrating against her, and then he nipped at her clit in retribution. Her hips jerked and she whimpered.

Satisfied, his tongue made a long pass up her core, its tip dipping inside of her for just a second before flicking at the clit he’d just abused. Tobin writhed, her breath coming out in heated gasps as she spread her thighs wider, opening the folds of her womanhood. He took the invitation and dug two of his fingers into her, twisting the coarse digits around roughly and making her squeal through her teeth. Her wetness poured out from around his fingers, and she shut her eyes. Tobin’s head hit the bed beneath her, as he slid in and out of her quickly, curling his fingers and searching inside of her; only the fact that she immediately grabbed one of her pillows and slammed it over her face prevented her scream from freaking out the rest of the floor.