“Talk to me, darling. Tell me about your life before
us—your family.”
Her shoulders lifted in a sorrowful shrug. “There isn’t much to tell. My dad bailed when I was six. I don’t remember much about him, other than the fact that he had the most beautiful blue eyes and he always smelled like licorice and Old Spice. My mom did her best to hold things together when he left, but eventually the stress became too much. She sent me to live with my Uncle Roy and Bryce when I was twelve. I’d get an occasional letter or phone call from her, usually around the holidays, but that was it.”
Sebastian frowned and planted a lingering kiss against her pulse. Closing his eyes, he savored the warm, steady beat of her flesh. “Was he good to you?”
“I think so. He tried. Things were hard for him, too. He never had much money to begin with, and here he was saddled with another kid and an extra mouth to feed. We made it work though, and Bryce and I always came up with fun stuff to do.”
“He never hit you or…”
“No! God, no. He was a gruff man,
and he could have one nasty bark, but he never did anything to hurt me.”
“The point of punishment isn’t just to cause pain, Taylor. It’s meant to serve as a correction—a reminder,” he murmured, trailing a hand over the back of her thigh. “My intentions the other night were not
to hurt you, but to better your actions and serve as a reminder that you are mine.”
She shivered against him and lowered her head. “I know.”
“Do you?” he asked quietly. “What is it that you know?”
“
I know that I’m yours, Sebastian. Completely yours.”
“Good girl,” he whispered, kissing her
ear. Winding a fist in her hair, he drew her head back and wrung a soft whimper from her lips. “You have no idea how much I love hearing you say those words.”
His other hand
lifted the short hem of her white dress. He ran his palm over one globe of her ass, watching her tremble with a combination of anticipation and fear. Hooking one finger under the thin lace scrap of her panties, he rubbed it along her moistening slit. Her hips rocked instinctually against him and his cock swelled as he watched her battle the conflicting waves of desire and shame battering her body.
“Stop
worrying about what other people might think and focus on pleasing me.”
“I—I can’t,” she whispered. “Please, Sebastian. Let’s just go back to our room.”
“Do I need to give you another reminder? Was I not clear enough the first time, Taylor?”
“No.
I’m sorry. I’ll do what you want. I swear.”
He smiled against her ear. “I am going to hold you to that, darling.”
Her body shook with the onset of tears, but he didn’t want tears. He wanted compliance. A quick glance over his shoulder assured they were alone. He gave her underwear a sharp tug, yanking them halfway down her thighs. A gentle pat urged her to kick them off the rest of the way. It was a small step in the right direction. What wasn’t was her lingering reluctance. Tension hummed through her body signaling her heart wasn’t on the same par as her actions. Sighing, he released her long enough to retrieve the lacy garment from the ground and stuff it deep into his front pocket.
Letting his stare bore into her from behind, he undid his zipper and sprung his straining shaft free. Taylor stiffened as he slowly tugged her dress back up and prodded between her thighs. He felt the toned muscles there twitch as she fought the urge to press them together. Reaching around her, he clamped his hand over her throat in gentle warning. The other hand secured her hips as he drove into her tight heat and buried himself to the hilt. Her strangled cry echoed through the barren stretch of desert, wringing a smile from his lips.
“Come on,” he urged, dragging her backwards with him to a small bench.
Taylor whimpered, squirming as he pulled her onto his lap. Her feet
scrabbled against the ground seeking purchase and a way to relieve the pressure. Sebastian shook his head. He had no intentions of making it that easy.
“
This isn’t about you. Sit still and hook your feet behind my calves.”
He groaned as she obeyed
, and the position brought her down even harder. Rocking his hips, he ground up into her, drawing a muffled cry of pain. Her body shook with the strain. Snaring her chin, he turned her face enough that he could claim her lips. His hand slid under the hem of her dress between her parted thighs. Taylor moaned in understanding as his middle finger found the small nub above her slit. He pressed against it, rubbing her in hard fast strokes. Breaking their kiss, he let his head fall back to watch her face and keep a close eye on the door.
“
Is it sinking in yet, Taylor? There’s more than one way for me to prove my point,” he growled, driving up inside her. She bit back a sob at the increase in pressure, her fingers sinking into his forearm in pleading. “I don’t care if it takes all night. You’re going to give me what I want. You’re the one who decided you would rather do that in pain.”
He rubbed her slit harder. A low rumble built inside his chest as he felt her body throb and contract. Slick moisture coated his finger and her breathing hitched, signaling she was getting close. The need for release was growing unbearable. He picked up his efforts until his moans joined her whimpering gasps. He snarled in frustration, straightening
the front of her dress and pulling his hand away as the door to the observation deck cracked open. He pulled her back against his chest, so it would appear she only sat on his lap, cuddling.
An older gentleman wandered outside. His milky stare flickered over them briefly, and he
regarded them as if startled. Smoothing a hand over the red and black checkers on his plaid shirt, he offered an amicable nod, his wrinkled lips pursing into a smile.
“Newlyweds?” he asked.
Sebastian ground his teeth, doing his best to keep his annoyance from showing. It wasn’t the geezer’s fault. He had no clue what he was interrupting. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder why people had to be so nosey. Or stupid. A simple glance at their ring fingers would have answered that question. Maybe the man did notice and was just desperate for small talk. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen tonight.
“Not yet,” he replied
, giving as curt of a response as possible.
“Soon then,” the old man answered with a nod. “I remember those days well. Enjoy the love while it lasts. Life goes by too quick. Before you know it, one of you is gone and all you have left are the memories of nights like this.
It sure is beautiful out here this evening.”
Taylor winced. Her body tightened around him as she squirmed ever so slightly. Whether he meant to or not, their visitor was only prolonging her misery. Sebastian patted her thigh, trying to settle her back down.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” he stated softly, “but we were trying to have an important conversation. Do you think you could excuse us for a while? We won’t be long.”
The wizened
old man’s mouth popped open into a silent ‘o’ of understanding. His head of wiry white hair bobbed in agreement. “Yes, yes of course. I’ll grab a glass of wine and come out later. I’m sorry to have intruded.”
Sebastian forced a smile and winked. “It’s no trouble, sir.
Have a pleasant evening.”
“What an enjoyable young man you are. T
he same to you and your lovely Miss.”
Taylor sagged with relief as the door swung back shut. He couldn’t help but chuckle. Rocking beneath her, he s
lid his hand back up to the warm junction between her thighs.
“When are you going to learn to trust me, Taylor?” he murmured against her neck. “Did you really think I would let another man see your body or that I would put something that’s private between us on display? I told you, you are mine alone to enjoy. I also warned you would not like the consequences of avoiding my touch. The next time I try to express my affection, I don’t expect to be denied. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Sebastian.”
She whimpered as he ground up into her. Using his thumb, he strummed her body until it clamped in a savage grip. A
n agonized scream tore from her throat as she tightened and crashed around him in a series of devastating contractions. His own body responded in a primal surge. The pleasure was too much. Locking an arm around her waist, he heaved to his feet and shoved her face down over the bench. His head fell back with unparalleled bliss as he pounded into her with all he had. Relief found him in a quick, brutal release. His legs threatened to give out as he came, and a deafening roar drowned out her cries, echoing across the land.
He collapsed against Taylor’s back
. He gasped for breath while his heart thundered in his chest and a series of aftershocks rocked him to his core. After a few seconds, he trembled and slid his over sensitized body from hers. She remained motionless; her hands still clenched around the middle railing with white-knuckled force as he adjusted himself and zipped his pants. Leaning over her again, he brushed the damp hair away from the side of her face.
“I c-can’t move,” she whimpered.
Sebastian studied her for a moment. It wasn’t a complaint, just the simple truth. He nodded in understanding. Running his fingers through her hair, he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply.
“It’s okay,
sweetheart,” he whispered. Holding her up, he covered her mouth in passionate claim. Her lips were soft beneath his, her body pliant. She was exhausted and dazed. Scooping her up, he tucked her dress beneath her thighs and cradled her against his chest. “It’s alright, baby,” he soothed. “I got you.”
Sprawled on the couch behind her, Sebastian draped his leg over the top of Taylor’s in a search to get more comfortable. His eyes fluttered open and darted to the television before drooping back shut. It was the perfect afternoon. The kind where he felt lazy and content, too relaxed to move or give a damn about anything other than holding her. His arms tightened around Taylor in a brief hug, seeking to deepen the press of their bodies. Moaning, she leaned back, her ribs rising beneath his arm with a violent yawn. He smiled and buried his nose in the fragrant haven of her hair. It was hard to say how long they’d been sleeping, but the
Brothers and Sisters
marathon they’d been watching had played its self out and ended long ago. He tamped down a small pang of regret and shame. The show probably fell a bit too far under the girlie soap opera category, but Taylor had him hooked on it and damn if he didn’t find some of the story arcs interesting.
The stretch of her jaw was contagious. Groaning, he
surrendered to a yawn of his own and arched against her back.
“Quit that,” he
scolded.
Her body jerked with silent laughter.
“Sorry.”
Craning his head, he peered through the massive glass doors leading out onto the balcony. His gaze scanned the sky, searching for the high arc of the sun. It sat lower than he expected. Pegging the time around five, he sighed. No wonder his stomach was cramping. They’d slept through lunch and it was already pushing close to dinner. Still, he was reluctant to move. Rather than letting him rest, all the past two days had done was allow the previous weeks to catch up to him. He wanted to freeze time somehow and stay like this forever.
Taylor startled at the shrill ring of the phone. He winced. It was highly unlikely it was the front desk checking in with a courtesy call. He should have known better. It wasn’t safe to let go, to get too comfortable and relaxed. That’s when things always reared up to bite him in the ass. Slamming his eyes shut, he gave a pleading shake of his head, momentarily willing the sound to go away. For two whole days, there had been nothing but blessed silence. Radio silence, as he liked to call it. Sebastian’s heart sank knowing a break in that reprieve could only mean one thing. He offered an apologetic frown as Taylor rolled over to face him. Her grey eyes were wounded and beseeching.
“Don’t answer it. Please. For all they know, we aren’t in our room.”
Brushing the hair from her face, he kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby. I have to.”
“But you need this. We head back tomorrow morning. Can’t it wait just a few more hours? What can you do now? We’re almost four hours away.”
“Taylor,” he warned softly. Patting her thigh, he edged her out of the way and crossed the room. He picked up the phone, not bothering to mask his disappointed sigh. “Yeah?”
“
Baas?” Josh’s voice asked.
“No. It’s the Pope. What do you want, Reevers?”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re on vacation, but we got problems, Sebastian. You need to head home. They want you here first thing in the morning.”
He reached up and pinched his sinuses. “What sort of problems?”
“The kind that involve disgruntled employees.”
Sebastian lowered himself onto the edge of the bed
. His gaze darted to the other room to settle on Taylor. “I thought the team was putting that issue to bed.”
“We thought so, too. Some problems are like cockroaches. No matter what you do, they w
on’t die. The little bastards just keep resurfacing.”
“Jesus Christ, Josh,” he growled, plowing an agitated hand through his hair.