“I love you, Taylor,” he murmured, brushing her cheek. “I’m sorry dinner was ruined.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“I
do. I wanted tonight to be special.”
“Sebastian,
nothing matters to me but you. Are you okay?”
His face
itself seemed to shrug. “I will be.”
“That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.”
His shoulders lifted with a humorless snort. “If you want one of those, darling, you’re going to have to take me to bed.”
“I’m not
abject to that idea.” Smiling, she snaked her arms around his neck and leaned into his body. A rumbling noise of approval rose from his throat as he used his free hand to cradle her ass and grind her against him. She peered up at him. “Those things she said…were they…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say the rest of it, as if somehow speaking the word might make it true.
Sebastian stared down at her. His jaw tightened as he shook his head. “Don’t, Taylor. I don’t know
what she thinks she knows, but that woman has always hated me. Nothing would give her more pleasure than to fill your head with doubts and poison you against me. Don’t give her that satisfaction.”
A sad, forced smile twisted her features. “Yeah,” she said nodding. “Okay. Is your brother really going to go along with this?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he stated flatly. “It’s bad enough he let his wife berate me, but when he turned his back on his family I lost all respect for him. Lucian made his choices, and it would be best for all involved if I didn’t think about him or his faithless cunt of a wife again.”
Taylor
’s face blanched, and she bit the insides of her cheeks. An old saying fluttered through her mind, speeding up the forceful hammer of her heart. Sometimes it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. If he had yelled or snarled, his anger might have been easier to process. But that wasn’t Sebastian. He remained as calm and soft spoken as always. It was that forced civility and the low silken whisper of his voice that chilled Taylor the most. Especially when his eyes told a different story. She searched for something to say, some way to ease the turbulence, but Sebastian spared her the agony. Giving her cheek an affectionate caress, he then turned on his heel and strode away.
Blowing out a shaky breath, she followed the sound of laughter into the kitchen. Most of the men had assembled in the great room, drawn in by the masculine leather and the inviting glow of the fire. The smell of alcohol hung heavily in the air. It mingled with the crisp scent of aftershave, cologne, and food. Her stomach rolled with the combination, and Taylor reached for a fresh bottle of wine with shaking hands. A tense knot of dread still coiled in her stomach, no matter how much she tried to forget about the dinner disaster. One could only pray the nightcaps and dessert went better. Seeking some form of familiarity and comfort, she scanned the faces in search of Monique but came up empty.
“If you’re looking for your friend, she’s talking to her brother and laying the kids down.”
Taylor sagged with relief and flashed Josh a thankful smile. Winking, he reclined his
solid body against the counter beside her. His keen gaze studied the room as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. A sweet amaretto fragrance rose from the crystal. Sensing her perusal, he lifted the cup in offering. Taylor blushed, declining with a polite shake of her head.
“Suit yourself.” He took a leisurely sip and sighed. “Try not to be too hard on yourself, kid. What happened tonight wasn’t your fault. That twat has had i
t in for Sebastian since day one. She’s always been a jealous and vindictive bitch.” Taking another drink, he shrugged. “Either way, he’ll be alright. Baas is one of the toughest bastards I know. Take him upstairs later and let him fuck his brains out. It will make him feel much better.”
Not knowing what to say
, Taylor’s mouth opened and closed around an embarrassed laugh as she shook her head.
“You’re laughing, but it’s true, kiddo. I don’t know what
you did to the man but he’s got it bad.”
“Apparently it’s my just my mad skills between the sheets,
” she retorted.
Taylor stumbled away as Josh choked and his drink blew past his lips in a widening spray. Eyes flared, she patted his arm as he
pounded his chest and sputtered for breath. Still coughing, Josh inched away, warding her off with a dismissive wave of his hand as several people turned in their direction.
She grinned as Monique sauntered into the room giving them both a bemused expression. Approaching his side, the blonde stroked one of his biceps in supplication.
“Don’t die before dessert, hero. We need someone to help carry in the trays.”
“Great,” Josh rasped, giving his chest a final thud. “She tries to kill me and you want to work me to death. Can’t a guy catch a fucking break around here?
Where’s your brother at anyway? He’d never stand for this kind of treatment.”
Monique laughed at the teasing sparkle in his eyes. “Sebastian will be down in a minute. He
’s saying goodnight to Mia.”
“How’s he holding up?” Josh asked, sobering.
“As good as can be expected. I just spent the last ten minutes soothing him and reassuring him I would never try to take his niece away.” Hanging her head, she rubbed the faint red marks circling her wrists. “He’s a little on edge, but he’ll get through this.”
Draping his arm around her neck, Josh tugged her close and kissed the side of her head. “We all will. I’m gonna go peek in
on Aiden and say goodnight. I think it would be best if we got dessert going and cleared the house. I’ll see about bringing Baas down.”
Taylor
frowned. Her gaze kept traveling to the marks on Monique’s wrists. She waited until Josh left before turning to the blonde.
“
What happened?” she whispered.
Monique paled slightly and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
Touching her shoulder, Taylor’s face twisted with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Shrugging out from under her fingers, Monique nodded. “I’m fine. I’m much more worried about my brother.”
With that, she turned and started pulling a stack of dessert plates from the corner cabinet. Taking the hint, Taylor rummaged in the cupboard beneath the sink and pulled out a bottle of cleaning solution. The last thing she wanted was a bunch of people stepping in Josh’s drink and tracking the sticky liquor through the house. Snagging a roll of paper towels, she watched as Monique headed down the hall to start setting the dining room table. Most of their guests took her lead and followed suit.
Brushing her hair out of her eyes with the back of her arm, Taylor straightened with a quiet grunt. It had been a long day, and the outbreaks of tension had made it that much more exhausting. Moving to the tall stainless steel trash can in the corner, she stepped on
the pedal and popped the lid open with her foot. She was just about to drop the dirty paper towels in when two hands closed over her ass, giving the globes a forceful squeeze.
“
Hey handsome, what are you doing back there?” she giggled.
“Checking out the scenery.”
Taylor froze at the unfamiliar voice. Her blood ran cold. A startled yelp burst from her throat as she spun around to confront a man who was definitely not Sebastian. She staggered back a step, then another, as the man prowled after her. Her mind scrambled, searching for a name to put with the face, but she came up blank. Nothing about the hulking blond with an upturned nose rang any bells. A taunting smile rode his lips as he stalked after her.
“Where are you
running off to, pussycat?”
She cried out as she crashed into someone behind her. Strong hands steadied her, and she almost sobbed with relief as Josh peered down into her face.
“You alright?” he asked.
Nodding, she ducked behind him and scurried into the cover of the dining room.
She somehow managed to drop into her seat before her heart gave out. Tension rolled between the two men as they entered behind her. The look Josh gave the blond was anything but approving as he hissed something through his clenched teeth. She couldn’t be sure, but Taylor thought it sounded like “stupid.” Her knee jittered nervously beneath the table as she glanced around in search of Sebastian. She sighed, sagging into her chair when he strolled into the room a few seconds later. His pale gaze settled on her and her body thawed in response to his slow smile. Just his being near put all of her fears to rest.
“Did you miss me
, baby?”
“More than you know,” she admitted. Her answer
earned her an adoring wink.
“Don’t worry,
Seb,” the blond said with a chuckle. “I kept that hot little number of yours occupied for you.”
The table jumped, and she was pretty sure
she saw a pained wince flicker across the man’s face. Her breath caught as Sebastian froze. His head cocked slightly and his smile faltered.
“What was that?” he asked
, turning to face the man.
“
Baas, come on. Todd is just drunk and being stupid. Let’s have dessert,” Josh pleaded. “This cheesecake looks killer.”
Sebastian shook his head. “
No. I want to hear this.” He took a slow, methodical step toward them, his hands folding behind his back as his eyes narrowed. “You did what now?”
“Relax
. It was all in good fun. I will say this though, I thought about giving your broad a test drive while you were gone. That sweet little ass of hers fit in my hands like she was made for me,” Todd said, lifting his hands to emulate a crude grope.
Plowing a hand through his
hair, Sebastian gave a harsh bark of laughter. The sound chilled Taylor to the bone. It was hollow, crazed, and seemed to echo throughout the stunned room. Her heart leapt into her throat as he rubbed the back of his head and raised his eyebrows until his forehead wrinkled.
“Is that a fact? So,
you want to take my girl for a ride, Skippy?” he asked in an almost cheerful tone.
“Fuck yeah. I wouldn’t complain.”
“Yeah? Well come on,” he urged with a bright smile. Waving, he motioned the other man forward. Josh cursed beneath his breath, his chin falling forward to rest against his chest, as Todd obediently ambled to his feet.
“
Baas, come on. Look at him. He’s wasted.”
Sebastian chuckled. Waving his hand back and forth, he pointed two fingers in Josh’s direction as if chiding him.
“Is that supposed to matter?”
Out of nowhere, a
startling crack echoed through the room like a clap of thunder. Taylor blinked, trying to register what happened as Todd staggered backward, cupping his cheek. Sebastian struck with lethal speed, hitting him again before slinging his forearm across the man’s throat and driving him across the room until he slammed against the far wall. A framed picture of a Roman coliseum jarred off its hook and shattered against the floor.
“What did you think was going to happen
here?” he asked, leaning into Todd and deepening his hold. “Did you think you were going to take what belongs to me? That I would just sit back and let that happen? Hmm?” Horror and pain stamped the broad face staring back at him. Cold fury sparked in Sebastian’s eyes as he pressed even closer. “Answer me!”
Taylor whimpered, flinching in her seat at his roar. The brief but fearful clamp of her eyes cost her. She opened them to find
Todd still pinned as the menacing glint of steel traced a deliberate path down his cheek. Numbly, she wondered where the curved knife had come from, and how Sebastian had pulled it so fast. Her knees knocked beneath the table, shaking almost as badly as Todd’s as he slammed his eyes shut.
“No?
” Sebastian asked. “Still no answer?”
The soft, almost tender tone made her heart pound. Josh stood, his gaze flickering uncertainly between his partner and Monique. The blonde looked mortified and well past the point of fear as her lips trembled in a violent quiver.
“Baas…”
“Shut up, Josh,” he warned in a quiet rasp. “If you want to do something, hold him
up. He’s going to need all the support he can get.” He tilted his head, studying the man before him as he continued to trace his cheek in an almost gentle caress. “Where do you think I should start?” he murmured. “Maybe I should do you a favor and cut out your eyes. What do you think?”
“N-no…p-pleas
e. It was just a j-joke, man.”
“Do I look like I am laughing to you?” Sebastian asked. “Am I supposed to find you
manhandling my girl and trying to fuck her funny? Am I supposed to find humor in you disrespecting me in my home in front of my team? Is that what you are telling me?”
A keening whimper of
fear rose in her throat. Dear God he was pissed. Rage mottled his face, painting it with various shades of red as he pressed the knife beneath Todd’s left eye. A sinister bubble of blood welled around the tip.
“No!”
“No,” Sebastian agreed with a slow shake of his head. “No, it’s not funny, is it? If you touch what’s mine, if you fuck with my family, you are
DEAD
!”