by Cari Quinn
After practice on the day of the party, Sarah showered and dressed. She checked the time and was surprised to see Dan should be arriving at any moment. With one final appraisal, she nodded in satisfaction and left her bedroom. Sebastian’s favorite color was blue and she’d tried to tell herself that had had nothing to do with her choice of a dress in deep sapphire, but that was a lie.
Shortly after she’d gotten downstairs, Dan rang the doorbell and she opened the door.
“Wow.” Leaning forward, he gave her a quick kiss.
“You’re not looking too shabby yourself,” she remarked, appraising his navy tuxedo. How Sebastian might fill out a tuxedo flitted through her mind and she ruthlessly tamped down the image. She was going to the party with Dan and she needed to keep her focus on him.
When she saw Tasha lounging on her wrap, spreading beige cat hair on the black silk Pashmina, she shooed her away. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
They arrived at Scott’s house on the harbor near downtown and were shown into the large living room decorated for the occasion with dozens and dozens of blooms in large vases all around the perimeter. There were also swags in fall colors draped artfully over the fireplace and windows. Waiters were passing hors d’oeuvres.
Sarah wasn’t surprised. Scott wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet. He didn’t openly flaunt his money, but he didn’t attempt to hide it either. Buying the Storm was a lark for him, a hobby to keep himself entertained. Nonetheless, Sarah was grateful since he willingly opened the pocketbook when the need arose.
While Dan went to the bar to get them a drink, Sarah chatted with Nikolai and his girlfriend, Natalia. Dan returned and handed her a cosmopolitan. She took a sip and relaxed as the fruity concoction rolled over her tongue.
She introduced Dan. At one point while he spoke to Nikolai and Natalia, the hairs on the back of Sarah’s neck stood on end. She casually shifted until she could see behind her. Rob and Sebastian stood just inside the door. Where Sebastian was concerned, she seemed to have developed a sixth sense of his location. Rob was in conversation with one of the equipment guys, but Sebastian was staring right at her.
His gaze shifted briefly to Dan before he returned it to her, slowly sweeping down her body then back up to her face. Sarah deliberately put her back to him and focused on the conversation around her. She couldn’t handle dealing with him tonight. He’d played far too prominent a role in her thoughts for weeks now and it wasn’t fair to Dan.
After the delicious but uneventful dinner, during which Sarah was thankfully seated at the opposite end of a large table from Sebastian, a bunch of the players decided to go to SoHo, a bar in the entertainment district. As they all piled into cars, Sarah asked Dan, who’d obviously been having a good time laughing and joking with the guys all through dinner and dessert, “Do you want to go?”
The side of her that appeared to enjoy torturing herself was all for the outing, but perhaps Dan’s practicality would win and she wouldn’t have to make that decision.
“Sure. This is fun. Plus, I told Rick I was a pretty good dart thrower at one time and he wants to challenge me.”
She was stuck. “Well then, we’d better go.”
They arrived at the bar, and to her dismay, Sebastian had come as well.
Get your mind away from him and focus on Dan.
She glanced at Dan’s profile as they went to the dart boards. He was a handsome and good man. Why couldn’t she just be happy with him?
Rick was already practicing when they got there, and Sarah took Dan aside. “You realize how competitive these guys are, right? They’re professional athletes who hate losing, and they always bet money on stuff like this. Hell, they bet on everything and anything. They make millions and can afford to gamble on stupid stuff. If you feel uncomfortable, we’ll leave. Okay?”
Dan grinned. “I’m pretty competitive too, and I have a few nickels to rub together myself. I’ll be fine. You just sit and watch. You can be my good luck charm.” He gave her a quick kiss, and she settled on a bar stool facing away from Sebastian.
After watching the dart match and subsequent re-match, Sarah realized she’d been swirling the ice around in her otherwise empty drink glass for a while now and decided to get herself another. She was sure Dan would’ve gotten it for her, but he was reveling in the attention of the players. In fact, he’d only glanced at her once or twice since the match had begun.
Sarah pushed off the stool and made her way through the crowd that had assembled when word spread a bunch of the players were hanging out at SoHo. It was silly to be jealous of the guys, but she didn’t like being ignored. What woman did?
One of the things she’d liked about Dan in the beginning was how he had been unimpressed by her job, but watching him now, that didn’t seem to be the case. It shouldn’t have surprised her. After all, everybody wanted to brush elbows with the Storm players. Despite that, it still irked her. He was supposed to be here with her and it wouldn’t kill him to pay her a modicum of attention.
As she waited for the bartender to notice her, the jukebox started. The first strains of “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses played, and Sarah smiled. It was one of her favorite songs. But as she listened, the smile faded. The words hit home.
The entire song centered around two people wrestling with admitting they were in love. Sarah could relate, though she wouldn’t go so far as to say she was in love with Sebastian. Obsessed, yes. Drowning in lust, definitely. But not in love.
She shuddered to think of things getting that far out of control. She glanced up to find Sebastian staring at her, his expression haunted. With a swift inhalation, she lowered her eyes to the bar, shaking her head. Forget about him.
The song continued to play, and, unable to ignore him, she raised her eyes again. Their gazes locked and she couldn’t look away. The tension flowing between them was tangible. He mesmerized her.
Sarah chewed on her nail as she tried desperately to focus her mind on something else, anything else. She ran her tongue over her parched lips and took another deep breath, willing herself to stay calm. Sebastian’s gaze fell to her lips like a silky wet caress.
The song continued. When the next verse talked about laying everything on the line for love, the world pressed in on her. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest seized, and she bolted for the back door.
Once outside, she shivered, whether from the cold or the tumult of emotions she battled, she had no idea. She wrapped her arms around herself. When the door opened behind her, she jumped, startled. Sarah half wanted it to be Sebastian and half not. Whirling, she saw him heading in her direction.
Without a word, he took off his tuxedo jacket and put it around her shoulders. Her body greedily absorbed the heat and she said a quick thanks for his thoughtfulness even as he stepped away.
He narrowed his eyes. “Mon Dieu, Sarah. What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Go back inside. You shouldn’t be out here.” Sarah refused to make eye contact, afraid it would destroy what little reserves she had. But when Sebastian didn’t respond, against her better judgment, she looked up.
He was shaking his head and frowning, his dark, expressive brows furrowing. “I can’t stay away from you. Tu me fascinent. You fascinate me.”
Sarah bit her lip as his ardent, hungry stare crumbled the wall she was desperately trying to keep between them. He was too much for her to fight against. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. She should, because she was there with another man, but that was irrelevant at the moment.
“You still won’t admit it? C’est incroyable!”
“Won’t admit what?” she whispered, dreading, yet knowing the answer.
Dan had never stood a chance, not really. He was merely an innocent bystander—collateral damage in this never-ending back and forth between her and Sebastian. She’d no doubt be racked with guilt about that later, but right now too many other thoughts, almost entirely having to do with Sebastian, jockeyed for position.
Sebastian utter
ed a stream of what sounded like curses in French. “You know what. That look in your eyes just now. I may be young, but I am not stupid. I know what it meant. You want me as much as I want you. It’s there every time I kiss you. Every time I touch you. Admit it.”
“You misinterpreted,” Sarah said, pivoting to face Sebastian and reaching for anything in her jumbled-up brain to keep control.
Sebastian moved closer again. “Tell me you didn’t buy this dress with me in mind. You know I love blue.”
She couldn’t outright lie to him and kept silent.
His hands crept under the jacket and he caressed her bare shoulders with the pads of his fingers as his gaze dropped to her lips and he licked his own. His touch was light, but thrilling. Just a few caresses had already revved her up more than Dan ever had.
With tantalizingly slow movements, he massaged her neck with his strong, agile hands. She was dangerously close to purring like Tasha if he kept it up. Her breath came in deep, uneven surges. She was in big trouble. She needed to get away from him and cursed herself when she remained rooted to the spot.
“You want me.” His breath was hot on her neck as he leaned even closer. “I can see it. It’s obvious on your face. I want you too. I think that’s clear. Tu es pour moi la plus belle fille du monde. To me you are the most beautiful girl in the world.”
His fingers continued their exquisite torture. “At least I am willing to admit how much I want you. I know you want me too. I can’t, and I won’t, leave you alone anymore, and you’re just going to have to get used to that.”
Sarah shuddered, drawing a shaky breath. He tilted her head, exposing the skin at her nape, and dragged open-mouthed kisses along the column of her throat before running his tongue up to her ear and exploring the soft folds within. A helpless moan escaped and she clenched her teeth.
The fraction of a second when Sarah could’ve resisted passed unheeded. No matter the consequences, in this moment, she wanted to experience Sebastian. She dropped her head back to give him better access, and he caught her earlobe in his teeth, nibbling and making her lose her mind by degrees.
Taking his mouth from her for the briefest of seconds, his voice deep and husky with desire, he said, “Give up, Sarah.” Then he resumed biting at her flesh and a moan rose from deep inside her.
God, but she wanted him with every cell in her body.
Her knees buckled as he broke away. He snaked a thickly-muscled arm around her waist, pulling her close once more. He backed her further into the dark of the terrace. Her breasts pressed against his chest and she squeaked as her nipples hardened.
“So beautiful,” he muttered, brushing her mouth with his fingertips. Rubbing his thumb over her lower lip, he increased the pressure, forcing her lips apart. “Open for me.”
At the command in his voice, Sarah’s body heated even more. He was no longer a young man with an infatuation. He was a hard, hot, sexual man intent on taking what he wanted.
And truth be told, he wasn’t the only one drowning in need.
Bringing his mouth down to hers, Sebastian teased his tongue over her top lip. A strangled moan broke from Sarah. His fingers wandered from her mouth to her cheek before stopping to caress her face.
She was unable to utter a word to deter him as she writhed, her desperation for his touch growing more urgent by the second. She’d never needed someone like this before and had no real idea of what to do or how to handle herself.
“Je te veux embrasser partout,” he muttered. “I want to kiss you all over.”
An image of Sebastian naked, his magnificent body laid out before her like a delectable buffet, blanketed her addled mind and her mouth watered.
A car alarm blared in the distance, bringing Sarah crashing back to reality. She wrenched her protesting body out of Sebastian’s arms, an agitated gasp escaping from her lips.
Needing to put distance between them, she scurried back into the light. Panting as she tried to catch her breath, she said the first thing that came to her. “I’m here with someone else.”
Sebastian’s eyes flashed with something she didn’t quite recognize. “Yes, you have a boyfriend, so it’s not right for me to kiss you. I’ve tried to be a gentleman, but you don’t make it easy.”
His gaze stole down her body, setting her afire again. Was sending him away the right thing to do? The logical part of her brain knew it was, but the rest of her wasn’t on board.
“Mon Dieu, you look good tonight. I love that dress, but would also love to peel it off you and run my tongue all over your body.”
Her breath caught. My God, what would that be like? Sarah knew if she said anything, they’d be right back where they’d started when Sebastian had followed her.
After an eternity, he lifted his gaze back to her face, his eyes dark as the night around them, and Sarah was wrapped up in his stare like a fine gem nestled amongst a soft bed of satin. “Merde. Go back to Dan before I carry you out of here. I can’t trust myself not to throw you over my shoulder.”
He snatched his coat, and she shivered as the cold came rushing back and goose bumps broke out on her chilled skin. “But, Sarah, know this. I want you, mon trésor. And I will find a way to have you, even if I have to wait until after you’ve realized you can’t stay with Dan.”
She escaped into the bar without another word and fled to the bathroom, where she tried to purge the potent combination of excitement and dread settling in her belly like a lead weight. Her breath still came in short bursts, and salvaging any semblance of control was getting more and more difficult. If she’d stayed, she’d been about five seconds from freeing his erection that had pressed against her stomach and dropping to her knees.
She knew better. No good could come of this, but she very much feared she couldn’t stop it now.
Collecting herself as best she could, Sarah then threw cold water on her face before rejoining the group. The last thing she wanted to do was sit there pretending everything was fine. She wanted to go home, now. She caught Dan’s eye, and he came over.
“You okay?”
“Not really. I think I ate something that didn’t agree with me. Would you mind taking me home? I’ll catch a cab if you want to stay.” Guilt weighed her down. She needed to get away from Dan as soon as possible. Her brain was a tangled mess. Alone time was necessary so she could figure out what had happened out on the patio and how she felt about it.
Dan’s eyes narrowed as he searched her face, but Sarah wasn’t sure what he saw there. Whatever it was, he agreed to see her home. She threw on her coat then grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door.
As soon as Dan pulled up to the house she jumped out of the car, mumbling something about calling him tomorrow. Once inside, she undressed, let her hair down, and climbed into a hot bath. Her head was pounding, and she leaned against the wall of the tub, closing her eyes as her mind raced.
Sarah couldn’t make sense of anything except the one thing her mind kept coming back to, she was in big trouble.
Chapter Eight
“What am I doing?” Sarah wailed the next morning as she sat on her couch talking on the phone with Marcy.
“Tell me about it.”
Exhaling audibly, Sarah began her tale. Though she wasn’t sure she wanted to admit it, she also told Marcy she’d had another nightmare. When she took a breath, Marcy whistled.
“So what do you think you should do? The stress of all this is getting to you, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know what to do. I was hoping you’d tell me.”
Marcy laughed. “I can’t do that. Besides, why would you want to take the advice of an old married woman?”
“You’re not old,” Sarah argued. “You’re only a little older than me. And I trust you. You’ve always given it to me straight.”
“You’re going to think this is stupid, but why don’t you make a pros and cons list?”
“It’s not stupid. In fact, it might be the most logical thing to do since my head is spinning. Well,
on the one hand, I do like Dan. He’s a wonderful man, you know? Solid. The sex is good. Not great, but good. After the experiences I’ve had with sex since the attack, good is welcome. He treats me well. And Dan respects me. All that adds up to nice,” Sarah said, picking at a thread on her shirt.
“But I can’t forget Sebastian. He’s smart, and funny, and when his attention is focused on me, it’s as if I’m the only person in the world. And his body is freaking unbelievable. I want him so much, and every time we kiss or touch I could swear fireworks go off around us.”
After blowing out a frustrated breath, she continued. “Everything with him adds up to way more than nice, except for the cons. I see him everywhere I turn, which is already beyond awkward and would only get worse if we dated and then broke up for some reason. He’s so young, and let’s not forget, he’s forbidden fruit. Crap.”
Marcy chuckled, but when she spoke, her tone was serious. “I’d say nice isn’t a great endorsement. Besides, nice isn’t usually the word a man wants to be called. Know what I mean? Do you think you want to stay with Dan?”
Sarah voiced what she’d already known in her heart. “No.”
Strangely, finally admitting it to herself balanced her, yet left her guilty too. “It’s not fair to him. I’m too… I don’t know what I’m too of, but it’s not right to keep stringing him along if I’m not engaged in the relationship.”
“How do you plan to tell him it’s over?”
“E-mail?” Despite knowing there was no way she could do that, she was only half-joking. It would be a hell of a lot easier.
“You’re not going to break up with him over e-mail, are you? You’re not that kind of person.”
Sarah cringed at the note of disapproval in Marcy’s tone. “No, I’m not. But we’re leaving town for a four-day road trip after tonight’s game. I doubt I’ll have time to see him in person before that.”
