by JM Stewart
Christina moved in his direction anyway, stopping beside the breakfast bar. When push came to shove, Sebastian always stood up for her, had since high school. He’d teased her mercilessly sometimes but wouldn’t allow anyone else to do the same. It had annoyed her, but it had also made her feel protected. She had to be there for him now. “You don’t have to deal with this on your own, Baz. I know you. You’re going to isolate, and it’s not healthy.”
“Damn it, Christina.” He pivoted and stalked across the space between them, backed her against the counter behind her, and set his hands on either side of her. His eyes narrowed, his gaze hot and confrontational. “Go. Home.”
More than a little surprised by his sudden nearness, she swallowed hard, her heart hammering a mile a minute. He was so close, his every breath whispered over her lips, warm, with a slight hint of mint that made her yearn to discover the flavor on his tongue. She ignored the intense desire to close the remaining inches between them and held her ground. This wasn’t about her desire. He needed her, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
She angled her chin higher. “Or what? I’m not afraid of you. You can’t boss me around.”
What she expected from him, she couldn’t be certain. They’d been butting heads since they were kids. She yelled, he yelled right back. She poked him in the chest; he poked her back. Sebastian liked to play the part of the bossy control freak, expecting her to bow to his demands. It made him good at his job.
If he wanted a fight, though, she’d give him one, because she knew him enough to know he would attempt to intimidate her. No doubt in order to get her to leave him alone to his misery. If a subject had anything to do with emotion, he avoided it as if it were a highly contagious disease. She’d never let the tactic work before, and she wouldn’t now.
This time, though, he didn’t do what she expected him to. Rather, his right hand slid into her hair, and before she could blink, he pulled her mouth to his. He didn’t give her a chance to back away, to approve or deny his assault. His kiss wasn’t fleeting, either, or soft and seductive, the way she’d always envisioned. His lips plied hers, tugging and demanding. His tongue stroked the seam of her mouth, a hot slide that had her gasping and opening for him. He took full advantage and swept in, his tongue restless in her mouth.
She whimpered. What she needed to do was push him away. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He was lost in grief. Her body, however, didn’t seem to be listening. His mouth was warm and luscious, and her arms wound themselves around his neck. How many times over the years had she imagined this moment? How many times had she stroked herself to orgasm fantasizing about his hands and his mouth on her body? Yet the reality far exceeded the fantasy, and God help her, she didn’t have the strength to deny him.
Unfortunately, the fantasy didn’t last long. As abruptly as he’d grabbed her, he released her. His breaths came harsh and shallow, his chest heaving in time with the fierce pounding of her heart.
“That’s what. It’s been a shitty day, Tina, and I’m feeling very ornery and very needy.” As if to prove his point, he set his hands on the counter on either side of her and leaned into her, rocking his hips against hers.
The full press of his lean body against her had any thought of protest flitting away like wisps on a breeze. Sebastian was aroused, and his erection pressed into the softness of her stomach. He didn’t feel like a small boy, either. She itched to reach down and stroke the length of his cock. She longed to put an end to the wondering and finally discover exactly how big he really was, yearned to know the soft, intimate heat of his skin.
The intensity of his stare held her trapped. Sapphires. He had eyes the colors of deep, brilliant sapphires. They were usually intense and focused. Right then, they were in full seduction mode. Never in a million years would she have thought to find herself on the receiving end of that captivating stare. She’d never been the kind of girl who went all tongue-tied over a man, who giggled and sighed. She was a woman in a male-dominated industry; she could hold her own with most men. But right then? God help her, she wanted to do exactly that: giggle like a giddy schoolgirl and beg him to fuck her senseless.
Damn it. He’d unseated her again. She desperately needed to regain her equilibrium. She was the CEO of a company she’d founded, with software she’d created. She’d always been the brain, top of her class. McKenzie Inc. was a success because of her dedication and determination, and she’d done it by herself, without any help from her parents. She was smart, not one of those party girls who dropped their panties simply because he looked like sex on legs.
She drew a shuddering breath, trying desperately to pull her wits about her. “I hate when you call me Tina.”
It was such a stupid thing to say, but they were the only coherent words she could form. The nickname always rolled off his tongue like a sexy little pet name and drove her to distraction. She yearned for him to whisper the name in the dark…while he held her hands above her head and plunged deep inside her.
A soft bark of laughter rumbled out of him.
“And I hate when you call me Baz. I haven’t been ten years old in a long time.” His gaze flicked down her body and back up. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve grown up. There’s nothing small about me, sweetheart.”
His words were a taunt, clearly meant to gain a reaction, but all Christina could do was close her eyes. Need shuddered through her, settling warm and wet between her thighs. Oh, she’d noticed all right. Every inch of her was currently aware of how little he wasn’t. Sebastian had lit a fire in her belly no man could ever quench. Except him. This moment was a hot fantasy come to life. One she needed to resist or she’d be another one of his casualties. She’d end up like poor Jean.
The problem was, he was so close his warm breath caressed her cheek and her sense of logic went haywire.
Apparently not done tormenting her, he leaned his head beside her ear. His hot tongue traced a line up the side of her neck and ended with a flick to the underside of her earlobe. “You’re not so immune. I can feel your every reaction. Every hitch in your breath and every shiver that runs through you. Admit it. You want me as much I want you.”
Hot little shivers swept down her spine. She craved Sebastian like a starving man craved his next meal, and she was slowly losing this battle. “You’re right, Baz. I won’t deny it. I do want you. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t?”
Oh, she tried hard not to judge him for the way he chose to deal with relationships. After all, she lived a similar life. Having discovered the guys in college all attempted to use her, she’d turned the game back on them. She couldn’t blame Baz for living the same way. Doing so was easier than admitting no man had yet to see her. Her father owned one of the largest and oldest corporate law firms on the West Coast, and he came from old money. He was worth billions. All the men she dated ever saw was her money and her name.
Were Sebastian any other man, she wouldn’t have turned him down. She was young, successful, and in control of her own love life. When she wanted to spend the night with a man, she did, but she chose her lovers carefully. Though she had to admit, these days, the notion had lost its appeal. She craved something more than fleeting. In her heart of hearts, she yearned for something lasting. And Sebastian would never be that man.
She wouldn’t be one of his groupies, either. “I won’t be another notch on your bedpost, Baz. You and I have known each other for far too long for me to be another body to warm your bed.”
Okay, so that was a lie. She knew damn well if he asked, if he didn’t stop this torture soon, she’d melt to his whim and beg him to fuck her until she couldn’t walk anymore. She’d relish the exchange, too, and to hell with the pain it would leave behind.
She had to say the words, though, because if she ever gave in to the gut-wrenching desire, she’d lose her heart to him. She was already halfway there.
Sebastian didn’t seem to be listening. Rather, he trailed his lips up the side of her neck, planting soft openmouthed ki
sses along the way and leaving goose bumps in his wake. “I have to bury my father in two days and decide if I want to cave to his demands one more time, and it’s eating me alive, and you would be a delicious distraction.”
She shook her head, desperate to focus. “What demands?”
He let out a bitter, sardonic laugh against her skin. “According to his lawyer, my father left his company to me, but with conditions. In order to save the company I built from the ground up when he abandoned it after my mother left, I have to get married. Married! Can you believe that? The bastard.”
She furrowed her brow. He wasn’t making sense, and he wasn’t acting like himself at all. “Have you been drinking, Sebastian?”
He drew back, irritation and offense flaring in his gaze.
“Do you smell liquor on me? No. It’s been a long couple of days.” He bent his head again, following the curve of her jaw this time. When he reached her ear, he flicked his tongue against the lobe and groaned, low in the back of his throat. “What I need, Tina, is to lose myself in the sweet scent of a woman’s body, and you smell positively edible.”
Christina’s breathing hitched and her core throbbed. Lord help her. He was so damn intense. How the hell did she say no when she craved the exact same thing? His smile alone could make her cream her panties. Her only saving grace was remembering this was out of the ordinary even for him. Sebastian had never looked at her as anything more than Caden’s sister, let alone touched her like a woman. Clearly, this was the grief talking.
He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and bit softly. “Say my name.”
She swallowed a groan. Her resolve slipped another notch, and the word left her mouth on a bare whisper. “Baz.”
“Wrong one.” He rocked his hips into hers, his erection sliding against the softness of her stomach. “Say my name, Tina.”
The sound of her pet name on his lips sent a shudder sweeping the length of her spine. She gasped. Her traitorous hands sought out the warmth of his body, sliding up his delicious chest and over the pecs she’d admired only a few minutes ago. His skin was far better than she’d expected. Hotter, sleeker. He had the right amount of chest hair, a light dusting, and the hairs were course yet downy beneath her fingers. The last of her resolve to push him away went up in a puff of good intentions.
His name rolled off her tongue on a defeated sigh. “Sebastian.”
His lips trailed the side of her neck, licking, sucking, and nibbling. His hands wandered down her sides to her ass, and he gave her cheeks an appreciative squeeze. “God, you have the finest ass I’ve ever seen. Say my name again, sweetheart.”
“Sebastian.” This time she couldn’t help herself. His name flew off the tip of her tongue on a quiet whimper. He was gaining ground, and she couldn’t do a damn thing to stop him. Truth was, she had no desire to. His mouth on her skin was a fantasy come to life, his hands like heaven. He had complete control over her, and he knew it. Damn him.
He groaned in her ear, a sound of torment and needs denied that had the same firing through her body. His warm palm curved around her left breast, his thumb stroking the elongated, painfully tight nipple. “I love the sound of my name on your lips. God, I ache to hear you moan it when I slide into you.”
Oh, for sure he tormented her on purpose, teased her until she melted to his whim. Sebastian liked to toy, to play games, but her body melted regardless. She sagged back against the counter behind her, two desperate little seconds from begging him to do everything he’d said and then some. “Sebastian, please.”
This time, his mouth paused on her neck. Seconds ticked out, and her body sat poised, waiting for him to make the next move. She couldn’t be certain anymore if she wanted him to stop or continue, but her panties were drenched and her clit throbbed.
Finally, he pinched her left nipple, a delicious combination of pleasure and pain, and pulled back. His eyes blazed at her, the wild look in the depths one part challenge, one part hunger, and one part something she couldn’t quite reach. The hunger left her caught for a moment and stole the breath from her lungs. Sebastian had never looked at her that way before.
Before she could form a more coherent thought, he kissed her again, hard, then released her and shoved her away from him.
“You should go. Because if you don’t leave right now, I’m going to pick you up and carry you back to my bed, and I’m going to fuck you until you scream my name.” He spat the words at her like a threat, pivoted, and stalked away from her.
Christina stumbled back a step. For a moment, she could only blink and watch his progress. Confusion waged a war in her head. In that moment, she knew two things. He could have had her if he’d wanted her. For a long time, she’d yearned for a single night with him. Just one. A fantasy realized. She’d have gladly given in to his whim, for the pleasure she’d have at his hands, and damn the consequences.
Bigger than that, though, he wasn’t himself.
He stopped at the front windows and stood, unmoving, staring out over the city. His shoulders remained stiff, his back straight as a steel rod. Tension radiated off him. As her breathing calmed, a memory floated through her mind. He’d done this before, deliberately pushed her buttons. When Sebastian didn’t want to face something, he could evade like nobody’s business.
Once when they were kids, he’d pushed until she’d become so angry she’d sworn never to speak to him again. She’d never forget it. They were in fifth grade and she’d been working on her class science project when Sebastian had marched up and told her how stupid he thought her idea was. At that moment, she’d vowed never to speak to him again. Later on, she discovered he’d had a fight with his dad over how much time he’d been spending with her and Caden and not on his studies. Caden had suggested that Sebastian had likely taken his mood out on her. Rather than asking for what he needed—support and kindness—he pushed away the people he held closest to him. Sebastian was used to the people he loved leaving him. First his mother, then his father.
Ever since, she always forgave him, because she knew, deep down, Sebastian wasn’t this man. This was his coping mechanism. Besides, he was family. Did he really think she wouldn’t see through him now?
Yes, that’s exactly what happened here. He attempted to evade grief, and he’d lashed out at the first person within reach. Oh, for sure he needed someone, but not in the way he’d stated. She’d call Caden later. Being a Monday morning, he and Hannah were no doubt sitting down to breakfast. They were barely a year into their marriage, still newlyweds, and she hated disturbing them. Not to mention Hannah was six months into her first pregnancy. They’d get enough interruptions when the baby came. For now, Sebastian would have to make do with her, because no way would she leave him alone. Clearly, he’d gone down a dark road.
Decision made, she turned to the counter behind her, picked up her purse, and pulled out her cell phone. Then she dialed her assistant’s cell. Next month’s software release was slightly behind schedule, but she’d have to trust her people to make sure things were getting done. Today, family had to come first. “Hi, Paula. It’s Christina. Would you clear my schedule for today, please? We’ve had a family emergency, and I’m going to need to take the day off. Give my apologies, will you, please?”
“Of course, Miss McKenzie. Is everything all right?” The compassionate worry etching Paula’s tone immediately soothed a frazzled nerve. Paula wasn’t the most capable assistant she’d ever had. She was a bit clumsy and unsure of herself, but she did anything Christina asked with a bright smile. Now Christina was grateful for her sweet nature.
She sighed and glanced at Sebastian, who continued to stare out the living room windows. “I’m afraid we’ve had a death in the family. I’m needed at home.”
Paula gasped. “Oh no. I’m so sorry, ma’am. My condolences to you and your family. I’ll make sure you won’t be disturbed.”
“Thank you, Paula. I’ll try to check in later.”
She hung up her phone and returned it to her to purse
. Then she toed off her heels and carried them to the edge of the hallway, where she wouldn’t trip over them. On her return to the kitchen, she came up short. Sebastian now stood in the kitchen entrance, blocking her path, arms crossed and a firm scowl puckering his brow. “What are you doing?”
She stuck her chin out and pulled her shoulders back. That look meant only one thing: He was about to attempt to intimidate her again. “I’m taking care of you, that’s what.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not a child, Tina.”
Ignoring his clear attempt to push her off, she pivoted and moved around him, heading around the center island toward the fridge. Thankfully, Lupe kept it well stocked. What Sebastian needed was a friend and a full stomach. In her experience, men were simple creatures. She’d learned by growing up with Caden and her father that the way to tame a riled male usually started with a good meal, so she’d start by making Sebastian breakfast.
She pulled open the refrigerator door and peered inside, ignoring the gaze burning a hole into the back of her head. “It’s Chris, if you don’t mind, or Christina if you prefer. I’m not ten years old anymore, either, and I know darn well you’re aware of that, because you just had your hands all over the proof. I’m staying. You can grump all you want, but don’t bother attempting to bully me. I’m not one of your employees or one of your groupies. In case you’ve forgotten, I graduated from MIT at the top of my class. That means I’m smart, and I’m used to men like you who think they can push me around. You’re stuck with me for the morning, Sebastian, so deal with it.”
Chapter Two
Sebastian stood at the edge of the kitchen, dumbfounded, watching Christina move about the space like she owned it. His irritation mixed with the lust that still burned through his blood. Before he could utter a word of protest, she pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge, along with shredded cheese and orange juice. The efficiency with which she moved about his kitchen frankly surprised the hell out of him.
