“No, it’s not, Victoria.” Sebastian’s voice sounded from beside us.
I nearly cried out in relief at the sound of his voice and Vick spun around, just as stunned as I was.
He stood tall in the doorway. The darkness of the night covering half of his face. He stepped into the room, making it feel smaller. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to hold him in my arms and tell him I forgave him. If I was going to die, he needed to know he could go on with my forgiveness.
“What are you doing here?” Vick hissed. “You just had to come to her rescue, didn’t you?”
“I’m not going to let you kill her,” Sebastian’s deep voice brought me an ounce of relief.
“Well, since I’m the only one with a gun here, it looks like you’re fucked out of a choice.”
“Don’t do this. Even if Rosslyn wasn’t in the picture, you and I would’ve never happened. You were different after killing her parents and I never looked at you the same.”
I listened to Sebastian try and talk Vick down, all the while trying to think of a plan. He wasn’t going to be able to distract her forever. I reached back toward the table next to the couch, my fingers barely touching the edge of the bag I’d brought with me.
I breathed a silent sigh of relief when my fingers brushed against the cold metal tucked beneath my wallet. Wrapping my fingers around it, I stood up and held the gun behind my back.
“After everything we’ve been through, I can’t believe you’re saying this to me,” Vick sniffled. Raising the gun again, she began to silently cry. Except this time, the gun wasn’t pointed at me, it was pointed at Sebastian.
“I guess this isn’t going to end in anyone’s favor because if I can’t have you, than neither can she.”
I froze, her words destroying my whole world. The dreaded sound of a gunshot filled the apartment, echoing off the walls and slamming into my chest.
“No!” I screamed.
Sebastian fell back against the wall. His eyes locked on mine in anguish, as he began to slide down to the floor. His body went limp when he fell to the carpet and his eyes closed.
Vick turned toward me, black mascara-filled tears streaming down her face. She raised her gun at me again. “You did this, you bitch. You made me kill him.”
My grip tightened around the gun in my hand as my thumb went over the safety, unlocking it. “You were wrong about one thing, Vick. You’re not the only one...”
Her eyes filled with confusion and then panic when I pulled the gun from behind my back and shot once.
Vick’s eyes went blank as she blinked and stumbled backwards. She looked down and touched her chest, blood tainting the tips of her fingers. She fell to the floor with a heavy thud and the gun fell from her hand sliding on the floor.
I moved across the room toward Sebastian, and fell to my knees next to his still frame. Snatching my cell from my pocket, I dialed 9-1-1 and screamed into the phone that I needed help.
I didn’t listen to the dispatcher, instead, I pulled Sebastian’s head into my lap and pressed my cheek to his.
“Sebastian,” I sobbed, shaking him. “Don’t you dare die. You can’t leave me, you can’t. We just found each other, remember? Please, I just found you,” I cried into his neck.
He didn’t move. I held him close and waited until I heard the sirens from afar. I remained there, holding him in my arms, begging him not to leave, while the cops burst through the door.
Everything happened in a blur and I felt like I was no longer a part of my body as I watched them cover Vick’s body. When they finally got me to let go of Sebastian, I was pulled over to the couch and questioned. I nodded my answers and cried.
“So then she pulled the gun on you?” the officer asked. “Can you tell me what happened then?”
I was talking, but it didn’t sound like me. I explained to them everything that happened, and how Vick had been the one who killed my parents twelve years before. I didn’t tell them about Sebastian, I didn’t want his name linked to their murder. He was there, but I knew in my heart that he was just as much a victim as they were.
I was outside, standing on the sidewalk, when they brought Vick’s lifeless body down and wheeled her past me. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and cried when Sebastian’s followed.
“I want to ride with him.” I told the paramedic as they put Sebastian in the ambulance.
The paramedic looked at me funny, but nodded and helped me into the back. Another paramedic got in behind me and closed the doors.
I didn’t know if they were scared of my catatonic like state or what, but they didn’t protest when I crawled onto the gurney with Sebastian and wrapped my arms around him. He was still warm, and his pulse was slow, but at least it was still there.
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”
—FLAVIA WEEDN
I STOOD THERE STARING DOWN at the flawlessly chiseled headstone. I hadn’t been to the grave since the day we put the coffin in the ground. I hadn’t been brave enough and the guilt only made it worse. Guilt for loving the man who’d altered my life so completely in so many ways.
I’d like to think my parents would have forgiven Sebastian, too. He was so young the night they were murdered—only seventeen. And although he’d broken into our house, he never expected for anyone to get killed. Vick was the killer, and now she was dead, too.
Kneeling down, I placed a white rose on the grave and ran my fingers over the rough engraving.
“Roz?” Kyle whispered, coming to stand beside me. He gave me a small smile and then wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
I wiped at the single tear that slid down my cheek. “Hey, kiddo,”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just sad.”
I hadn’t told Kyle about Sebastian’s role in our parent’s murder. I didn’t know if he’d understand why I’d forgiven so easily. All he knew was the person responsible for our parent’s death was finally found and closure was ours.
“I think it’s okay to be sad, as long as you know it’s okay to be happy, too.”
I smiled up at him. “When did you become so smart, kid?”
“I had some help from my big sister.”
“Hey, what about me?”
Kyle pretended to be annoyed as a big hand ruffled his hair, before pulling him into a playful head lock.
“Sebastian,” he groaned. “You messed up my hair.”
Sebastian’s deep laugh was like a soft caress as it wrapped around me. Moving my arm under his, I wrapped it around his waist and pulled him close. He gave me a gentle squeeze and we moved back to give Kyle a little privacy with our parents.
I watched as he put a white rose down next to mine and then whispered something, before getting up and putting his hands in his pockets. There were no tears as he looked up at me, but his eyes glistened.
“I’m going to go wait with Mr. Martin,” Kyle said and then ran toward the car.
“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked into my hair, planting a soft kiss in the strands.
“It’s always hard visiting them, but I needed to do this for Kyle.”
“You both needed this.”
“Thank you for coming,” I said, looking up at him.
“I owe you this, Rosslyn.” He was silent for a second. “I’ve been here before.”
I pulled back. “You have? When?”
“About a year after it happened. I needed to apologize for taking them away from you and Kyle. I visited them once a week, until Vick found out and freaked.”
I didn’t want to talk about Vick, or anything to do with her, so I didn’t respond. We were together. We were both alive. That’s all that mattered.
Sebastian pulled away and took a step forward, kneeling so he could place his rose next to Kyle’s and mine.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Harris. I plan to take care of Rosslyn and Kyle for the rest of my life.”
>
His declaration brought tears to my eyes. I took his hand as he stood and held it out to me. Pulling me into his arms, I laid my head against his chest, feeling soothed by the sound of his heartbeat.
I moved my fingers along the buttons of his shirt, until I found bare skin, and then the scar of his bullet wound. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to forget what it felt like to almost lose him, focusing on the fact he was still here with me.
“We’re going to be late,” he whispered.
I nodded, letting him pull me toward Mr. Martin and Kyle.
“JONATHON HALE,” THE DEAN CALLED over the microphone.
The closer he got to the name Harris, the more nervous I became.
Looking up into the stands, I smiled at Sebastian, Kyle and Trish—flashing our secret wave. I’d done it. I’d gone to school and I’d finished the first two years at tech. After that, I’d be moving onto Cornell University for my master’s degree.
“Rosslyn Harris.”
I moved toward the stage. When I took my diploma and shook hands with the dean, I could hear Sebastian’s cheer above the applause.
After the ceremony, the crowd was clearing out and we made our way to the car.
“I’m so proud of you, Roz.” Kyle threw his arm around my shoulder.
He was taller than me now, had been for the last year. He was turning out to be such a good kid, and did well in school. Not to mention his art, which was already being sold in a few select galleries New York City. Kyle was amazing—strong for such a young age, and I couldn’t help but feel pride over playing a major part in raising him.
“Yes. We need to celebrate,” Sebastian said.
“I don’t know. I kind of just want to go home, pop some popcorn, and watch a movie,” I replied.
We all walked to the car in conversation, and when I started to get in, Sebastian pulled me to the side.
I tugged at my black dress and smiled up at him. His eyes devoured me and memories of all the times he’d loved me came rushing back.
“You look beautiful,” he said, running a single finger down my bare arm.
“Thank you.”
“I’m so proud of you, Rosslyn,” he grinned.
“Well, thank you, sir. It makes me happy to please you,” I said, as I playfully flirted.
“Is that so?” he flirted back.
“Yes.”
“So you’d do anything to make me happy then?”
I loved how frisky he was being. It was never boring with Sebastian. He kept me on my toes and made each day an adventure.
“Absolutely.”
“Then in that case, I have a new proposal for you.” His smile was so big, his adorable dimples were making an appearance.
I couldn’t help myself, I giggled. “Oh really? What kind of proposal?
He moved in, his unique scent swarming all around me. Pulling me closer, he cupped my face with his hands and stared into my eyes. “My name’s Sebastian Black, and I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you…”
THE FUCKING END…
KEEP READING FOR MORE SEBASTIAN BLACK!
Little Black Break
Copyright © 2016 by Tabatha Vargo & Melissa Andrea
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events or real people are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Little Black Break/ Tabatha Vargo/Melissa Andrea
Cover Art by Romantic Book Affairs
Formatting provided by Inkstain Interior Book Designing
Editing Services Provided by Editing4Indies
ISBN-13: 978-0-9861173-4-3
ISBN-10: 0-9861173-4-X
For the readers—
Sebastian says be naughty.
NOTHING COMPARES TO WATCHING THE woman you love suffer. I would have preferred torture with a hot poker—I would have preferred death. Her hot tears and painful moans were too much. It was breaking me—stealing my life force with every shallow breath she took. I was dying with her. I was in pain with her. And like her, I was bleeding out. My heart was breaking, and I felt as if I were bleeding to death at her side.
She screamed in agony, and the paramedics surrounded her, pushing me to the side.
I couldn’t do this.
I wouldn’t stand there and watch her die.
Moving to the side, I felt like I was going to faint for the first time in my life. I’d done this to her. I’d put her life in danger, and when she finally took her last breath, there would be no one to blame but me. Like her parents, I was responsible. I’d murdered her just as surely as I’d murdered them.
I’d planned to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I’d planned to spend the rest of my life with her, but evidently, I was paying for my sins. The woman I loved was dying in front of my eyes and I couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening.
I was a powerful man. I didn’t know what to do with the powerless feelings that moved through me, but when my eyes found hers and I saw her begging for me in their depths, I moved to her side. Twisting my fingers with hers, I squeezed.
“I’m here, baby. I’ll never leave you. Never.”
And then she sucked in a deep breath, but she never had a chance to exhale.
“YOU’VE EARNED A SPECIAL TREAT, Miss College Graduate,” Sebastian said.
I smiled when he pulled my degree from my fingers and placed it on the table beside our bed. His fingertips skimmed my inner thigh up to my pubic bone making me clench my core. Heat swarmed over me, flushing my skin and sending goosebumps down my arms and legs.
“I have?”
I loved special treats from Sebastian. He had perfected the art of giving, and I was beyond ready to receive. Already, I was breathless and wanting—squirming against the crisp sheets in need. My body was crying for him, making my every move wet and erotic—the slide of my center making my nerve endings stand in pleasure.
We needed this moment.
We needed a night in each other’s arms—an erotic moment when we could climb into each other and release all the pent-up need that we’d been carrying around for weeks.
With finals and everything I had going on over the last couple of months, on top of work and business for him, we hadn’t had much time together. I missed the feel of him, and obviously, my body did, too.
“Oh, yes. A special treat for an exceptional girl,” he purred, using the word the dean had used to describe me at graduation.
Leaning over, he placed an open-mouthed kiss on the inside of my knee—his teeth grazing my heated skin before his tongue slid into the crease behind my knee making me tremble.
He growled like a large cat when I dug my fingers into his thick hair and ran my nails across his scalp. The silky black strands slipped through my fingers like water.
“How long has it been since we played?” His question was riddled with suggestion.
“Too long. So long,” I breathed.
A low chuckle rippled across my knee from his lips. “Does my Jessica Rabbit have needs?”
I nodded my answer.
My words were trapped behind the moan I was holding in.
“I can’t hear you,” he whispered in a sing-song manner.
Pushing up my top, his fingers teased my skin before he placed a gentle kiss against my stomach.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what? Come on, beautiful, you can do better than that. Talk to me. Tell me what you want.”
I was beginning to writhe, the heels of my feet digging and twisting into the bed and sheets.
“Yes, I have needs. I want … Please. I have so many needs.”
Agai
n, a soft chuckle bounced off my skin, sending goosebumps rolling over me with its echo.
“Then let’s play.” His grin was dangerous, yet promised me all the pleasure I knew Sebastian could and would give. “Do you want to play with me, Rosslyn?”
I nodded as I dug my teeth into my bottom lip to keep from smiling. I knew exactly how Sebastian liked to play. We’d only been playing these fun bed games for the last two years.
“Good girl,” he whispered against the sensitive spot just beneath my breasts.
Freeing me from my shorts and tank, his scorching breaths bathed my center making me swallow a moan. He kissed his way up and down my body, stopping to lick the places he knew drove me mad with desire, and when he reached my breasts, he sucked my sensitive nipple between his lips and nipped at it.
I gasped. “Yes.”
“Sebastian says touch yourself.” His husky voice brushed the side of my neck, sending chills to my toes. “Slide your fingers into your sweet pussy so I can suck them clean.”
I melted beneath him, my thighs widening automatically as my wandering fingers rolled over my clit. Sensation moved over me and my body tensed. Sebastian was the king of foreplay, leaving me wet and ready—throbbing so hard I thought I’d die if he didn’t put me out of my misery.
“Please, Sebastian. Give me what I want,” I begged.
All this time together and he was still able to make me beg for his touch—make me breathe his name until he soothed the sweet ache he’d built between my thighs.
“Ah, come on, Mrs. Black. How do you expect me to hold out when you beg so sweetly?”
“I’m not Mrs. Black yet, Mr. Black,” I teased.
Sebastian had officially proposed the night I graduated from Tech with my Associate’s in Criminal Justice. He’d offered to pay for an expensive four-year college, but I was determined to do things on my own, which meant Tech it was. And with my past and the many years I’d spent needing justice for the murder of my parents, criminal justice made sense.
Little Black Box Set (The Black Trilogy) Page 21
