He jogged down the first few steps. I trod on the first and held on to the thin rail. Sebastian waited below while I secured my footing.
The beach was visible now, in all its golden glory. It seemed completely deserted. This was such a glorious sunny day too. I expected dog walkers and kids playing, at the very least.
"Where is everybody?" I asked, edging my way down. The stairway seemed to go on forever.
"How do you mean?" Then he seemed to realize what I meant. "Oh, you mean here? This is a private beach. It's owned by the estate."
"You have your own beach?”
I don't know why this surprised me in the least. The dude had his own helicopter, a stately home, an international bank... how was a beach unexpected?
"Wow,” I said, trying not to look down. “You must spend a lot of time here."
He said nothing for a minute or so.
"I used to run along the seafront every morning whenever I stayed here. Lately I just work out at the gym in the house."
"Really?"
I couldn't believe he'd pass up the opportunity to use his private beach. A private beach, for crying out loud.
"I'd be here every day if this were my home,” I said.
He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. His eyes bore into me, as though searching for something.
"You would?"
"Yeah," I whispered, not sure where we were going with this.
Our eyes fixed on each other again.
For those brief moments, everything else faded away. I didn't hear the sea. I couldn't feel the breeze lashing my hair across my face any more.
He was two steps below where I stood, but still taller than me. His arm reached around my back and pulled me down to the step between us.
His face moved kissably close to mine.
‘I’m sorry if what I said back there sounded harsh.”
“About what?” I knew what he meant though.
“About the family thing. Not wanting to settle down. It’s just how I’ve felt for so long. Being alone is so much easier than having responsibility for another person’s happiness and… and safety.”
“Don’t apologize for the way you feel.” I let my body rest in his powerful arms. “You told me you didn’t want to be with me already. It doesn’t matter why. You don’t have to explain. It’s fine.”
It wasn’t fine, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. So I had to pretend I didn’t mind.
He ran his fingers down my arm.
“I know what I said. And I know what I said when I left you this morning too.”
His voice was a husky growl with a bass note that gave me goosebumps. I shivered.
"And I had to say that,” he went on. “I had to walk away from you. But I just want you to know..."
He trailed off, stroking the side of my face with his fingers.
My eyes closed and my lips were desperate to feel his. I had a vision of him pressed against me. Filling me, deeper and deeper. Twisting together until we blended into one.
"Finola," he whispered. “I’m going to tell you the truth now. Walking away from you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And I've had to do some pretty tough things in my life. Nothing comes close to that. I swear."
"You have some willpower," I sighed. "Because I can't seem to tear myself away from you. Not even when I find out you don’t even want to be with me. And you're not even quite human."
He traced my lips with his fingers and I kissed them. He winced, as though it pained him in some way.
"I'm human enough," he said. "Human enough to know destiny has sent you to me. Human enough to know I still can't have you. Won’t ever have you, not properly.“
He circled me in both arms then, right there on the steep cliff steps. I wasn't worried about falling any more. Resting there in his arms felt like the safest place in the world.
"Why can't you have me? I don't care about the danger. I don't care who's chasing you, or me. Why can't we deal with it together?"
He rested his forehead on mine. I felt his warm breath on my eyelashes.
The kiss I longed for never came.
He released me from the embrace abruptly.
"Let's get down to the beach," he said.
Had I offended him in some way? I couldn't tell.
We made our way down the remaining steps until we stood on the sand together. He took my hand again, pulling me right in close. Our lips were almost touching. I ached with longing.
"Over there, Finola Malley. Come with me right now and I’ll show you exactly what I think of all your questions.”
There was a hungry look in his eye. I returned his intense gaze, my core flooded with heat.
Whatever he had in mind, I was sure I wanted it too. No matter what.
12
He yanked me by the hand and set off at a brisk pace. I trotted along beside him. Actually, I had no choice. He was fast.
We reached a jutting mass of rocks and he pulled me round the corner. There was a hollow in the cliff, washed smooth by the tide.
He slammed me flat against the weather-worn rock with the weight of his body. I gasped, already wet for him.
Grasping my face in his hands, he kissed me at last.
Our tongues touched for a second. Electricity shot through me and I shuddered with need.
His mouth moved to my neck. His hands roamed over my clothes, squeezing and stroking my curves.
"Sebastian..." I sighed into the air.
"You do this to me," he growled. "I can't keep away. God help me. I can't keep away from you."
Our bodies clung together so firmly I could barely tell where I ended and Sebastian began.
He kissed me deeply again. I dug my fingers into his powerful shoulders. He felt so good. So solid, so strong. Like he could do anything.
His hands ran over the waistband of my jeans, hunting for the fastening. I helped him out and popped the buttons open. He tugged them down around my ankles with one mighty stroke.
I kicked off my shoes and jeans. He tore my shirt over my head.
There I was, standing in front of him in just underwear. I was suddenly aware it was broad daylight. He could see every inch of me. There was nowhere to hide.
With any other guy, I would have found an excuse to cover up. Maybe I’d pretend to be cold. Or I'd refuse to strip in the first place. But all my embarrassment seemed stupid now.
Sebastian Chase was the most gorgeous, physically perfect man I'd ever met. And he gazed at my whole body with a look so intense and raw it left me breathless.
He looked like a man dying of thirst who'd just stumbled on a cool, clear stream.
Desire coursed through me from head to toe.
"Let me get this off you," I murmured, fumbling with his sweater. He pushed my hand away.
"Let me look at you first," he commanded.
He held me at arms length, examining me at close range. Then he turned me round to get a good look at me from the other side.
My cheeks burned.
“Oh no… I have to…”. It was agony, knowing he could see every bit of me in bright light.
Cool it, I reasoned with myself. He knows what you look like. And he likes it. So what if he usually slept with Hollywood-perfect models? It didn’t mean he preferred them. Because what was he doing right here, right now? I was no skinny-ribs starlet. That's for sure.
He turned me back and I noticed how aroused he was.
From looking at me.
Just looking.
At me.
“Damn it, Finola. You are something else."
I blinked. “Do you mean... do you mean that in a good way?”
He pushed me hard against the wall again, alternately kissing and yanking off his own clothes.
“Does this feel like ‘a good way’ to you?”
He grabbed my hand and pressed it to the huge bulge in his pants. Another pulse of wetness soaked my panties.
He traced my collarbone with his
tongue. I moaned softly, squeezing his superhuman cock through the fabric and wishing it was inside me already.
I undid his pants and guided them down over his hips. The huge bulge in his underwear pressed toward me again.
“Is that for me?" I whispered huskily.
He threw his shirt to the ground and seized me roughly again.
“It's always been for you.”
We stared at one another, in our underwear.
The sand was slightly warm beneath my toes. The rest of me was pretty much on fire.
“I’m so ready for you right now," I whispered.
It was all the invitation Sebastian needed.
He picked me up as though I was light as air. My legs straddled him while he held my thighs and ass up.
I squirmed, hardly able to endure another moment unless he was inside me.
"Please," I gasped. “I can't wait.”
"You'll wait as long as I want you to," he barked.
I nodded.
"You," he said, grinding me against him, "are fucking beautiful. Never let me find out you've lost sight of that. Ever. Got it?"
I nodded, tears pricking the corners of my eyes.
"You're perfect. I will get very angry if you ever act otherwise.”
"Got it," I nodded.
"Good."
He shoved his hands inside my panties while my legs were still wrapped around him. His fingers dipped across my slick folds. I cried out.
“Fuck, you are ready. Just as you said."
His finger slipped inside me. I rocked against it, wanting more.
He added a second finger, stroking my clit with his thumb, spreading my juices across me.
Irresistible urges overtook me. I clawed at his hair, flexing and undulating around him. It was as though my mind and body had been taken over by a wild woman. I was driven by pure animal lust.
"I'm going to give you what you want," he growled. "It's all yours. All yours."
I cried out again, gyrating my hips with blind desperation. All I knew then was that I needed him inside me. If he didn’t enter me soon, I would go crazy.
He ripped off his underwear and unhooked my bra, with two deft swipes. My breasts sprang free. He bent to bury his face in my cleavage.
I arched my back, offering myself to him. He licked and sucked each nipple. I tipped my head back and moaned again.
He shoved my panties aside and the head of his cock pressed up against my aching pussy.
"More," I begged. "Please. Now."
He froze.
“Condoms. I left them in my pocket. Shit. I need to go get my pants."
We looked at each other for a second.
I wasn't thinking clearly, so it didn't register with me that he had brought condoms on our walk. So he obviously knew he was getting lucky, yet again. His arrogance passed me by in the heat of the moment.
In fact, I wasn't thinking clearly at all. I guess neither was he.
Because right then I said "I don't care, I need you inside me or I'll just... I'll just die".
And he grunted "Okay", kissing in a line up my throat all the way back to my mouth.
And then he plunged inside me fully, in one hard, hot stroke. And neither of us gave the risk of it another thought.
It was so stupid to just ignore the risks of going bareback. I never normally did stuff like that. Somehow I lost my mind where he was concerned.
He fucked me intensely. Each vigorous thrust sent shockwaves through me. He was still holding me up easily, as though I weighed nothing.
I hooked my feet together behind his waist, gripping onto his hard body for dear life. Strobes of heat shot outwards from my pussy. I was so close already.
From the look on Sebastian's face, he wouldn’t hold on much longer either.
He stopped moving. I yelped in protest.
Holding on to me carefully, he lowered himself onto the sand so he was lying down with me astride him.
"Your turn to do some work," he ordered. “Let me watch those beautiful curves of yours in motion."
I did as I was told. I always seemed to, where he was concerned.
Moving up and down on my knees, I slid his length out of me. Then I sank back onto him. His thick rod jammed back inside me.
With a primal roar, he sank his fingers into the soft flesh of my buttocks and hips.
I raised myself up again, then dropped once more. I rode him enthusiastically, every part of my pussy sliding against him in turn.
On the third rise and fall, he took matters into his own hands. He steered me with a firm grip on my hips.
He pumped me up and down on top of him at high speed. My breasts bounced wildly.
I was panting now, on the very edge. It looked like was too.
My clit got so much stimulation at that angle, I couldn't hold out a second longer. I screamed into the sky as the spasms of ecstasy overtook me.
Sebastian's face was red and determined. He gritted his teeth. As my pussy contracted around him, he let rip.
He roared to the sky as he pumped his hot jet of fluid inside me. He held me down on him, so I was still.
I rested on him, taking every drop of his seed deep within.
When the very last wave of orgasm had passed, we sat panting together, slick with sweat and our mingled juices.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed. We held each other close, getting our breath back.
After a while, our breathing synchronized and our chests rose and fell in unison.
Eventually, Sebastian sat up, still interlocked with me. He had softened a lot, but was still hard enough to keep us connected.
His hands smoothed my hair down as he leaned in for a tender kiss.
"I'm sorry this is so confusing," he said. "You deserve so much better than me.”
"I deserve you," I said. "No more, no less."
He kissed me again, firmer this time, but still tenderly.
"If there's any way I can protect you from the dangerous situation I’m in, I will find it. I promise you that."
Sand coated us. I suddenly felt a prickle. Sand scratching my bare ass? Ew.
He withdrew, lifting me carefully off him.
"Let's swim in the sea," he said. "Then we can dry off in the sun before we head home."
Home. I didn't know where that was any more.
All I knew was that being with Sebastian felt like home, wherever that was. When I was with him, nothing else in the world mattered. Not one bit.
And that’s what terrified me.
13
I spent most of the afternoon lounging in the garden. Sebastian flitted back and forth between phone calls and meetings. He seemed to have something very important to do.
He didn't tell me the details. I didn't ask.
The weather was warm and bright. Butterflies danced round flowers. The light was so white in Cornwall, it felt like a Mediterranean country.
I basked on the veranda, rolling my jeans up to feel the sun on my pale ankles.
Sebastian's house must have been full of staff, but I saw little sign of anyone. The only time I had company was when someone glided out to offer me food or drink, or to ask if I’d like to take a seat in the shade.
His staff must work hard. The house was gleaming. Everything ran smoothly. But, like the tooth fairy, the workers were pretty much invisible.
I was constantly aware of their work, because I was one of them really. I wasn't the kind of person to own a house like this. I was the kind of person who changed the beds and cooked the meals. So I truly appreciated their quiet toil.
We were a mile apart in backgrounds, Sebastian and I. If the whole fated mates thing hadn't sprung up, would he be trying to date me? I was under no illusion that he would. His sort and my sort just didn't mix.
It was probably madness to try and make it work.
Even if he was like an addictive drug to me. Even though the sex was incredible.
Gloomy with these thoughts, I drained my fruit juice and r
eplaced the glass on the table beside me.
Sebastian strode across the veranda, looking like a man on a mission.
"How would you like supper in town?"
"Uh, that sounds great. Do I have time to get spruced up a little?"
“Of course. We're meeting someone there too, if you don’t mind.”
I smiled inwardly. He was introducing me to his friends? Nice.
“Sure. When do we need to leave?"
"I'll drive us there at around seven. People eat early out here."
It didn't sound especially early to me. But then I wasn't used to fancy dinners with the upper classes.
"No problem. I'll just go… wash my face or something."
I looked down at my clothes. I only had one outfit with me. Oh boy. There had been no time to pack anything when Sebastian's driver collected me from London this morning.
"You're wondering if you have to wear that outfit for your entire stay here. Right?"
I looked at him. "I'm not even sure how long my 'entire stay' will be."
Sebastian ignored the indirect question. He pressed a button on a small matte silver rectangle that looked like a tiny remote control. A member of staff appeared like magic.
"Mr Chase?"
"Would you arrange for the Veyron to be brought to the front driveway by seven this evening?"
"Of course, sir."
The staff member vanished as quickly as he had arrived.
"The what?"
“My car. An agile one, to get us up all the hills between here and St. Ives.”
“Are you trying to impress me with a super-exclusive car?"
Sebastian only smiled and turned to walk back inside.
“Let me take you to your room. There are a few things in there now which might make your stay more comfortable. Follow me."
We headed through the house into the hallway. A grand double staircase circled round both sides and met in the middle on the floor above.
I trailed after Sebastian, gawping at the crazy rich world I found myself in.
We reached a long corridor dotted with dark wood doors. Sebastian threw one open with ease.
Inside was a gigantic bedroom. It had lofty high ceilings and pale primrose yellow walls. White cornicing and ornate plasterwork gave it an old world look.
Tiger Billionaire: The Whole Story (BBW Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Box Set) Page 8
