by Kiki Howell
“Goodbye, Sebastian,” Remy called, twisting to catch a final glimpse of his sculpted face. Audaciously, he blew a kiss; Remy giggled and flushed.
“No,” Cassie stated harshly, never breaking step. “Bad, very bad. Stay away from him. Long term relationship to Sebastian means he lets you spend the night.”
Remy sighed, blowing out an exasperated breath. “Why do the wrong ones always have to be so adorable?” she complained, deciding not to mention the peculiar electricity which flowed through her skin when Sebastian touched her hand.
Cassie laughed, looping her arm through Remy’s and dragging her toward the parking garage. “How else would they capture their prey?”
“You don’t find him attractive?” asked Remy, curiously, peeking at Cassie’s profile.
Cassie’s jaw clenched. “Sebastian is sexy,” she finally admitted after a long pause. Cassie stopped in the middle of an empty parking space and eyed Remy. “If you repeat that I will deny it with every ounce of my being.”
“Okay,” grinned Remy, holding her hands up playfully.
Resuming her pace, Cassie shifted the suitcase in her arms. “He is a little more trouble than you can handle, even if you are single.”
“Wait,” Remy grabbed Cassie’s elbow, halting her progress again. She spun Cassie in a small circle, forcing her sister to stare directly into her eyes. “What do you mean ‘even if you are single’?”
Humming, Cassie broke free of Remy’s grip and continued her trek through the vacant parking lot toward a cherry red VW, covered in black magnets – akin to a giant ladybug. Cassie tossed the suitcase into the backseat and hopped into the driver’s chair.
“Are you coming or do you plan on spending your entire vacation in the airport?” The top half of Cassie’s body hung out the window as she gestured for Remy to follow.
“Cassie,” Remy stated severely, climbing into the cramped passenger seat. “What exactly did you do?”
She shrugged, starting the engine. “I helped you pack,” Cassie replied casually.
“How?” Remy asked suspiciously.
Without checking her mirror, Cassie zipped out the lot and onto a nearby street. “I sent some movers to your apartment immediately after your flight took off.”
“You did what!” Remy screamed. “How could you do that, Cassie? Poor Drew. You ambushed him. I just wanted a break, not to completely destroy the relationship!”
Slamming on the breaks, the car skidded to a stop in the center of an intersection, idling roughly. “Remy, you were miserable,” she held up a silencing finger. The traffic light flashed from green to red, bathing the inside of the car in scarlet. “Do not lie to me; I listened to you complain for the past six months about how unhappy Drew made you. So, I broke up with him for you.”
“Cassie, that was not your decision to make,” Remy screeched, crawling from the car in frustration. She paced in the middle of the intersection, dragging a hand through her wild hair.
“He wasn’t right for you,” retorted Cassie, climbing out after Remy. She rounded the rear of the tiny car and reached out a calming hand. Remy skirted away.
“I should go back, apologize, and tell Drew you’re crazy.” Remy glared at Cassie. “Because you are, crazy, that is.” She stalked back to the car and leaned in, ripping the purple suitcase out the backseat. Marching past Cassie, Remy trekked back toward the airport, dragging the suitcase along the asphalt.
Cassie slammed her fists against the roof of the VW. “Remy, stop! You’re being ridiculous; get back in the car,” she instructed firmly.
“No!” Remy yelled, continuing down the street. “You are just like mother, always meddling. Why do you think I left in the first place?”
“You left because Mother banished you.”
“She did what?” Remy screeched, spinning on her heel. The purple luggage flopped forgotten on the side of the road. Remy hurled herself at Cassie, fingers outstretched. Cassie nimbly dodged the attack, rolling along the side of the car. Roaring in frustration, Remy latched onto Cassie’s coat pocket and yanked. The material tore with a satisfying rip.
“Remy, please calm down,” Cassie held her hands in front of her, slowly backing away from her sister’s ire. “I discovered the truth right before Mother died. It took me five years to break the spell,” she paused, “well, four and half years and six more months to get you to leave that pathetic loser.”
Remy’s eyes bulged. “Drew is...”
“Still sitting in front of his computer screen, even as we speak,” interrupted Cassie, ducking behind the car as the light cycled back to green again.
Two headlights flashed over the car casting an odd shadow against a nearby warehouse; Cassie, crouched by the bumper and Remy, ready to spring. They both froze at the sound of a vehicle door.
“Car trouble?” a sensual voice caressed from the darkness.
Cassie recovered her composure immediately. She rose, straightening her skirt and glided closer to the new arrival. “No, Bastian.,” she mustered politely, flashing a toothy smile. “We are merely having a family discussion.”
“At three in the morning, in the middle of the street?” he asked incredulously as he stepped forward; his face illuminated by the gentle glow of a nearby streetlamp. It glinted off his sandy hair, shining like flecks of gold.
Remy’s stomach clenched as warmth flooded her body; she stared appallingly, her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth. Sebastian flowed gracefully across the street, his tailored dark suit mirroring every moment, like a second skin. His burning blue eyes locked on Remy. Instantly her heart rate tripled, fluttering so loudly she worried it would burst from her chest. A smile twitched across Sebastian’s lips.
“At least your sister is happy to see me,” he tilted his head in Remy’s direction and winked. Her heart jumped again. “Would you like a ride?” the words caressed enticingly. Unconsciously, Remy stepped toward him.
Cassie raised an eyebrow at Remy, her face a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. She situated herself between Sebastian and Remy, blocking him from view. Remy’s heartbeat slowed and she leaned against the hood, sucking in ragged breaths; her head spun wildly.
“Bastian, please,” Cassie begged earnestly. “This is not the time for your frivolity.”
“I am merely offering transportation to two stranded females,” he clarified soothingly. Even with Cassie blocking his intriguing eyes, his velvety voice set off a cascade of shivers. Remy wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.
“There is nothing wrong with my car,” bit off Cassie, slapping a restraining hand hard against his chest. “We do not need your assistance, thank you.”
“I do,” Remy piped up, swallowing the lump in her throat. Cassie whipped around glaring daggers; Remy stared defiantly. “You broke up with my boyfriend.”
“Augh!” Cassie threw her hands up. “You didn’t love him,” she burst out.
“That is not my point!” Remy yelled back.
Sebastian observed the argument with an amused grin. He inclined his head in Remy’s direction. “May I offer you some emergency transportation?”
“You may,” Remy retorted, glowering at Cassie.
“Remy, do not get in his car,” she commanded vehemently.
Pursing her lips, Remy collected the abandoned suitcase from the street and lugged it over to Sebastian’s car. Cassie’s face purpled to the color of the bag. Remy flashed a quick grin and slipped into the passenger seat.
“See you later, Cassie,” she hollered, slamming the door.
“Bastian, I expect you at the ferry landing in five minutes.”
“Now that really depends upon where my guest wishes to go,” Sebastian retorted, his lips carved into a wicked smile. He bowed elegantly and eased into the leather driver’s seat. Revving the engine, Sebastian stomped on the accelerator, nearly clipping Cassie as he passed.
Remy waved at her through the tinted window. Cassie ripped off her shoe and flung it after the car; she missed.
She hesitated. “Actually, I have no idea. I just wanted to make Cassie mad.”
Sebastian snorted. “You achieved that. Any better aim and she would have broken my back window.” He drove in silence for several moments, maneuvering the car with one hand, the other carefully draped over the passenger seat; the heat from his fingertips singed the nape of her neck.
“Cassie told me you were trouble,” Remy announced to the darkness. Peering sideways, she caught a smirk, a brief incandescent flash of amusement, quickly swallowed behind a composed façade.
“I am,” he replied evenly.
“She told me to stay away from you.”
Sebastian’s blue eyes flared momentarily; his gaze slid to Remy’s face. “You should listen to your sister.”
“What if I’m looking for trouble?” Remy pressed, daringly, surprised by her own words; her desire to infuriate Cassie overwhelming.
His fingers brushed a light caress across the side of Remy’s cheek. Her stomach clenched in anticipation, desire rushed through her core. Her breath caught. The car slammed to a stop, rocketing Remy forward. Instinctively, she braced against the leather dashboard.
Sebastian ripped off his seatbelt, twisting to stare Remy fully in the face, his blazing eyes burned passionately. His thumb brushed a trail of electricity over her lips; they parted expectantly – she nipped at the pad of his thumb, sinking her teeth lightly into his skin.
With a growl, Sebastian curled his fingers around her wrist and yanked, pulling her astride his lap. He crushed Remy’s body against his hard chest – all muscle. Demanding and unyielding, his lips nibbled urgently along the sensitive skin of her jaw, electrifying her skin with each caress. Remy shivered, moaning as Sebastian’s seductive assault continued up her throat. His hands slipped underneath her cotton shirt; tingles rippled from his fingertips.
Tugging urgently at the thin material, Sebastian whipped the camisole over Remy’s head and tossed it into the seat next to him. His teeth closed gently around the nub puckered under her lacey black bra; Remy whimpered, entwining her hands through his sandy hair. Her back arched against the steering wheel, moaning as she ground her hips into his lap.
Autonomously, her hands inched down his chest, nimbly unbuttoning his dress shirt at each interval, until the linen shirt hung loosely on his broad shoulders. Sliding her fingers into the sleeves, Remy trailed her hands up his bare upper arms, igniting fire under her fingertips.
Sebastian shifted her against the growing bulge in his pants. “I think, perhaps, your sister should have warned me about you,” he managed as his sinful lips nibbled their way up the sensitive part of her neck. Remy quivered from the tremor ricocheting through her body.
“Changed your mind?” panted Remy, hesitating.
“Not in the slightest,” rumbled Sebastian. His hands unbuttoned his pants, easing them lower on his hips. “I love skirts,” he murmured, bunching the material around Remy’s waist. His fingers slid along edge of her lacey thong. “And I half expected to see pink,” he teased, dipping his finger into her warmth.
“Never,” murmured Remy, breathlessly, rocking forward; she pressed into his hand. His fingers retracted and probed along the edges of her thong, stroking maddeningly between the lace and her sensitive skin.
“Then whose panties did Cassie wave at me?” he asked, plunging his finger deep inside her.
“It was a joke,” Remy gasped, panting due to his torturous ministrations. “She knows how much I abhor the color.”
“I see,” Sebastian’s mouth twitched delightfully.
“Are we going to talk about Cassie all night?” Remy groaned, pressing against his tormenting fingers.
“Impatient, are we?” murmured Sebastian. His lips nipped at the corner of her mouth, sending tiny sparks over her sensitive skin.
“Show me how wicked you really are,” she pleaded.
Shoving her thong aside, Sebastian thrust forward, sinking fully into Remy; she moaned, gyrating against him. He matched her urgent rhythm, slamming his hips into hers relentlessly. Pinned between the steering wheel and Sebastian’s body, Remy clung to his shoulders, her fingers dug into his flesh. With a growl, Sebastian claimed her mouth; his tongue demanding the same rhythm as his body. Teasing and tasting, he pulled her hips against his, mercilessly driving into her soft center. Blinding fire scorched through her veins.
“Oh,” she screamed, her head tilting back as the orgasm raced through her body. She trembled, nerves jangling wildly as Sebastian continued his assault, pumping feverishly until he followed her over the edge.
Panting, Remy attempted to disentangle herself from Sebastian. He locked his arms around her waist, breathing heavily. “I like your current position,” he murmured; his eyes blazed hungrily.
Remy’s phone vibrated. She ignored it; it hummed again. Wrenching it from the front pocket of her suitcase, Remy sent the call to voice mail without checking the display. Moments later Sebastian’s phone rang. He retrieved it reluctantly, lifting the phone from a cup-holder.
Remy tilted her head inquisitively, watching Cassie’s face flicker across his screen. “Cassie has your phone number?” she mouthed.
“Of course, she does,” he smiled languidly. “We have the same circle of friends.” He pressed answer and Cassie’s voice immediately screeched through the speaker.
“You bring her to the ferry dock right now, Sebastian Ayres. You have no right to kidnap my sister and subject her to your lascivious desires.”
Sebastian smirked. “Cassie, you really need to calm down.”
“Right now, Bastian, or I will hunt you down myself.” Her timber rose in pitch, threatening to blow the phone’s speaker.
Delicately depositing Remy back into the passenger seat, Sebastian placed a searing kiss on her lips; his tongue brushed across the seam. Her lips parted, inhaling his breath. Pulling away reluctantly, Sebastian’s blue eyes glowed like embers. The air around them shimmered.
“Cassie, we are behind you,” he sighed into the phone. “Stop yelling and turn around.”
Remy’s head whipped up; hastily she yanked the shirt back over her head. The red bug idled several yards in front of Sebastian’s sleek black car. The window whipped down and Cassie’s blond head popped out into the early morning air.
“Remy,” she exhaled in relief. “Stay there.” Cassie disappeared into the car again, leaving the window cracked.
“How did you do that?” Remy breathed.
“Family secret,” smiled Sebastian. His wayward hand, traced a light trail across Remy’s jaw, she shuddered. He leaned over again; his teeth grazed the same tingling spot on her jaw before drifting to her earlobe. “Cassie was right to keep you from me,” he whispered as his lips seductively caressed Remy’s skin.
Cassie jerked open the passenger door, filling the car with cold morning air. With one hand tightly gripped around Remy’s arm, she ripped her sister from the intimate enclosure of the vehicle. “I will tell your grandmother, Sebastian,” Cassie hissed through the open door, grasping the purple suitcase from the floor of the car.
“She would be pleased with my gentlemanly actions this evening,” he retorted with a wink.
“How so?” Cassie’s eyes narrowed as she wrestled with the deplorable case.
“Well, I did rescue a damsel in distress.”
Cassie growled several curse words in his direction. “Foisting yourself upon two women does not count as a rescue.”
Sebastian laughed; the deep throaty sound echoed along the empty dock. He leaned over the passenger seat, his blue eyes gleamed fiercely. “Do not forget about tomorrow night, Cassandra. Your attendance is required.”
“Like I could forget, Bastian,” she muttered haughtily.
His blistering gaze focused on Remy; she melted, caressed by the velvety voice which seeped from the car. “I expect to see you to attend as well.”
Cassie looked as though she swallowed a lemon, but held her tongue. She slammed the passenger door with more force than necessary and shoved Remy toward the cherry bug, dragging the purple abomination behind her. As Remy reached the passenger door, the gate lifted and Sebastian, revving his engine, zoomed around Cassie’s car, claiming the first spot on the ferry.
Gnashing her teeth, Cassie squeezed the suitcase into the backseat. She scowled at Sebastian’s tail lights, easing her car onto the ferry. Parking directly behind his car, Cassie forcefully ripped the parking brake into position.
Remy glanced at her curiously. “Since when does the ferry operate this early in the morning.”
“Technically, it doesn’t,” Cassie replied with a wink. “I bribed Harlan,” she thumbed in the direction of the wheelhouse.
“I take it Sebastian did the same thing.”
“Nope,” Cassie shook her head, distrustfully monitoring Sebastian as he climbed lithely from his car. His unbuttoned shirt still hung loosely around his shoulders. Cassie’s eyes narrowed as he passed her window. He playfully tipped his head, saluting Cassie with a flick of his wrist; Cassie stuck out her tongue.
“Harlan is Sebastian’s cousin,” she muttered glaring at Sebastian’s back.
“I’d like to meet Harlon,” suggested Remy, eagerly.
“Mm-hmm,” murmured Cassie, suspiciously. “You look worn out from your long journey Remy. I think you should get some sleep.”
Remy’s limbs relaxed into jelly and she slumped down in the passenger seat, her head lolling against the cool glass. “Cassie,” Remy mumbled thickly as her eyelids drooped. “Stop it.”
“Shh,” Cassie replied through a tunnel; her eyes darkened to brown. “Just rest. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
“S’not my home,” Remy muttered, fighting the false fatigue crafted by Cassie.
