A few minutes later, they sat at the decorative
patio table. The fading sun bounced off the beveled glass, casting it into iridescent prisms. Propping her bare feet on one of the cast iron rungs, she cut into her steak and slid another bite past her lips. Unable to help herself, she hummed with obvious bliss. The gesture drew a quiet chuckle from her lover. Tracing the beads of water off the side of his glass, he studied her with pensive curiosity.
“Good?” he asked.
“It’s heavenly,” she said, dabbing her face with a napkin. “I think you missed your true calling in life. You should have been a chef.”
Sebastian
tipped his head back and laughed. His sage eyes sparkled with humor and denial. “I don’t think so, darling. That’s not enough action and excitement for a man like me.”
“Hmm. You may be right. A professional gigolo then.”
She pondered the wisdom in her teasing when Sebastian sat back. Seconds ticked by, stretching into a full-blown minute, as his stare narrowed and he regarded her with a questioning tilt of his head. Her heart sank when he forced a stiff nod.
“Would you like to rethink that assessment?” he asked.
“Maybe?”
It came out sounding far too much like a question.
Lowering her head, Taylor speared a piece of cucumber. It didn’t provide the distraction she’d hoped for, and she glanced up again to find Sebastian’s expression remained stoic.
“
I don’t know if I should correct that way of thinking or be flattered.”
“I opt for the second,” she
said, trying her best to force a hopeful smile.
His lips twitched in response. “I am sure you do, darling
.”
He held her gaze until her
breath caught. The smoldering look in his eyes was every bit as heated as it was unforgiving. It scorched without borders, burning clear down to the depths of her soul. A slight tremble wormed through her and she wrung her hands.
“I assure you there isn’t a woman out there who would pay for my services, Taylor. They wouldn’t find me nearly as generous or kind
—inside the bedroom or out. That part of me is reserved for you and you alone.”
S
he stilled a shiver, not missing the menacing implication in his words. “Yes, Sebastian.”
He
assessed her while tracing the rim of his glass. “Do you doubt me?” he asked, his voice a silken whisper. “Would you like to experience what it would be like for someone who meant nothing to me, Taylor? Or perhaps you are suggesting I take my affections elsewhere?”
Her eyes darted
back to his. Taylor’s glossy hair whipped back and forth as she shook her head. “No! Not at all.”
“Is this
unpleasantness a byproduct of you spending time with Irene?”
“No, sir.”
He cocked his head and regarded her for another long moment. His mouth hardened with displeasure. “It would be in your best interest to see that we never have this discussion again. Neither one of us will enjoy it if we do. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered.
“Good. Come here.”
She was certain
her reluctance stamped itself clearly across her face. Setting her fork down, she drew a deep breath, praying for courage. Fear wound a treacherous path through her body, making her legs feel like they were forged from warm rubber as she rounded the table and approached his side. Sebastian tilted his head back, his eyes locking with hers. They still burned with something dark and unnamable as he ran a palm up the back of her thigh. She bit back a whimper as he jerked her forward and hauled her into his lap without warning.
A heavy fist wound in her hair, forcing her head back. Heat spiraled through her as his lips brushed across the exposed arch of her throat.
“Do you still want me?” he asked, capturing her earlobe between his teeth, his voice coming in a raspy growl that stabbed straight through her.
“Always,” she breathed.
He shifted, turning her so she straddled him. The air left her in a shallow pant as she felt the growing ridge of his erection strain against her and he lifted her with a firm rock of his hips.
“Good girl,” he whispered, grinding her down into him as he rose
beneath her with another languid buck.
Taylor
sighed, her body aching with need and the sweet promise of release as he used his hold on her hair to pull her down until his lips brushed hers in a feather light tease. Her fingers sank into the corded muscles in his shoulders as Sebastian rocked against her again, the pressure and friction driving her closer to the edge. His stubble scraped her skin leaving fiery red patches in its wake. A soft moan tumbled from her lips and she ground against him. Sebastian’s lean body stiffened beneath her. His hand left her hair and settled across her throat in warning. The other gripped her hipbone, pushing her down as he stilled her efforts and broke the kiss.
“
No.”
The simple word hung between them. Dazed, she stared back at him, her body bordering on betrayal as she struggled to
comply. His fingers tightened ever so slightly on her neck, his eyes boring into hers. Unspoken challenge brewed in their pale depths, daring her to disobey and tumble over the edge. Slowly, deliberately, he rolled his hips beneath her with an upward surge. All control threatened to flee. Desperate to escape the maddening torment, she planted her hands against his shoulders and tried to twist away.
Sebastian locked his arms
around her waist, the sinewy muscles constricting and forcing her harder into his lap.
“Where do you think you are going
, Taylor?”
The low growl vibrated through her and she responded with a distressed whimper.
“Seb…please…I can’t hold it.”
“What did I tell you?” he asked, leaning up to
trace the shell of her ear with his tongue.
She tensed
as a forceful throb wound through her. An evil voice urged her to go ahead and go for it, insisting he wasn’t inside her. He would never even know as long as she kept her face passive and her mouth quiet. The other pleaded with her to use reason. Sebastian would know. He would
always
know. His low chuckle set her insides on fire.
“You wouldn’t be thinking about disobeying me would you?” he
whispered against her ear. “Do it, darling. See how that works out for you.”
His
warm, sweet breath fanned her skin, caressing her until she swore she would go mad. Using his unyielding hold, Sebastian ground against her again, his hard, hot length rubbing against her with skilled precision. Inch by torturous inch he slid along her cleft, making her entire body shudder.
His
grip slowly lessened, and Taylor cursed his cruelty as he smiled into her hair.
“Finish your dinner,” he
ordered, urging her up with a stinging swat to her thigh.
Aching and miserable from pent up frustration, Taylor slid from his lap with a sullen pout. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a small rush of relief. At least she wouldn’t fail. She didn’t think. The first step toward her chair almost unhinged her. Freezing in place, she shook her head and held her breath
, too afraid to exhale lest it send her spiraling over the edge. When she finally managed to sit, Sebastian stared back at her with an unrepentant smirk. Her jaw dropped when he winked.
His head fell back
and the rich, husky sound of his laughter rolled through the grounds, drawing the attention of Rupert and the other guards. They glanced up at the spacious wooden deck, their expressions questioning and stunned.
Blushing, Taylor turned her attention back to the man seated across from her.
“You were messing with me?”
“Only partially,” he
admitted. “I love you, baby, but choose your battles wisely. You aren’t the only one who can tease, and judging from your reaction, I would definitely say I win.”
“You are beyond brutish, Sebastian!” She crumpled up her napkin and tossed it at him
with an indignant huff. “That was just mean!”
He shrugged. “There
are worse things I could have done. Stop throwing a tantrum and eat.”
A few bites later, she found herself watching him push
a piece of steak around with disinterest. The silent burdens he carried weighed his expression down beneath their strain.
“I’m sorry your dinner got cold,” she said, frowning. “Do you want me to heat it up?”
Sebastian glanced up from his plate with a shake of his head. “No. Don’t be sorry. I enjoy every second I spend with you. A cold dinner is worth it.”
“I imagine you’ve had much worse.”
“That I have. I ate Josh’s cooking once. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
“That bad, huh?”
A bewildered grin carved his face, affording her a glimpse of the deep dimples she loved so much.
“I thought I was going to die. The sad thing is, I’m pretty sure it was just a boxed pizza. Don’t ask me how he managed to screw that up, but he did. He
got the bright idea to add his own seasonings. It’s a wonder that man didn’t kill himself off before my sister came along. I still have no clue how Aiden managed to survive.”
Taylor
laughed and cocked a brow. “I think you’re exaggerating a bit, Agent Baas.”
“Am I? Ask my sister,” he said with a soft chortle. “He’s not allowed in the kitchen.”
Toying with the end of her fork, she sniggered beneath her breath. “I can’t imagine telling either of you that you weren’t
allowed
to do something.”
He met her eyes with a knowing smile. “I wouldn’t advise it, darling.
Not if you ever want to sit.”
“
Do you think they will get married someday, too?” She watched conflict and a brief spark of sorrow flash across his chiseled features.
Sighing, Sebastian
shrugged. “I would imagine so. If Marx allows it.”
“Would that be a bad thing?”
“No,” he stated softly. “Josh is good for her. It’s just the other things that come with it. This wasn’t the life I wanted for Monique. It’s too late for that now, though. Had I known the way things would go for us…” He trailed off, his lips flattening into a frustrated press. “Had I known a lot of things, I might have chosen a different path.”
“It’s never too late, Sebby.”
“Yes, Taylor. It is. Marx will never let me go. All I can do now is try to make the best of things. At the end of the day, that’s really all any of us can hope to do.”
Finishing
the last bite of cucumber from her plate, she reclined against the back of the padded wrought iron seat and drew her knees up to her chest. Deep purples, pinks, and oranges already painted the sky in haphazard strokes. The vibrant colors kissed the woods and distant mountain peaks as the dying sun bathed the yard in a soft golden glow. Sighing, Taylor tried to savor the moment, but no matter how hard she tried to cling to the beauty in life, the somber pall of SKALS and all it entailed kept ripping it all away.
“If Marx allows it,” she repeated. Her chest seemed to
collapse and still her heart as she pondered those words. Sebastian’s jaw twitched and he refused to meet her gaze. “These things have to…” Taylor shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around it, afraid if she said the words, they might become true. “Marx has to approve of someone getting married?”
“He seems to think so
lately, yes.”
Her mouth opened and closed
. Forcing it shut she searched his face while her own grew numb. “He doesn’t approve of us, does he?” she asked, picking at the corner of her napkin.
“That doesn’t matter, Taylor.”
“Of course it matters, Sebastian!”
He plowed a hand through his hair. The other quickly followed suit and he
tugged his curls in aggravation. Sebastian tipped his face skyward for a brief moment before he returned his attention to her.
“Marx has always had
an issue with anyone being in my life. From day one, he’s strived to distance me from my own blood and he’s succeeded. Deep down, the bastard doesn’t even like my partnership with Josh. If he had his way, I would be completely alone, isolated from everything and everyone. SKALS would be my only focus in life.” His sage eyes hardened, steeling with ire and resolution. “I don’t give a damn what I have to do, I’m not giving you up. We are getting married, and someday we will have those kids you wanted. Nothing is going to keep me from having that life with you, Taylor. Nothing.”
She twisted the diamond and platinum band on her finger, wanting so much to believe those words. “I want that too,” she whispered. “I want
us to be a family so bad. A real family. The kind I never had growing up.”
“
We’re already a family, baby,” he said softly.
“I know. It’s just—I can’t help but think about my dad sometimes
. Maybe he’s happy since he left, but he ruined everything. I didn’t just lose him. I lost my mother, too.”