by Miranda Lee
He moaned under the impact of the soft kisses she rained up and down his shaft, stunned by the feelings she evoked in him. When she finally sucked him deep into her mouth, he was propelled into a maelstrom of sensation and emotion which was totally alien to him.
He could hardly think. Hardly breathe.
Coming was only a heartbeat away when she stopped, pushing her hair out of her face as she looked up at him with a heavy-lidded gaze.
‘I won’t stop if you don’t want me to,’ she said.
Sebastian stared at her wet lips. At her flushed face. At her fiercely erect nipples.
‘It’s up to you,’ he replied thickly.
‘I’d rather do this,’ she whispered, and moved to straddle him, her hands shaking as she angled his aching flesh into her body.
He groaned at the heat of her. And the wetness. She sank down upon him to the hilt, then began to rise and fall in a most abandoned rhythm.
Sebastian could see that she’d forgotten all about protection. She was lost to her passion and her need. Lost to the heat of the moment.
He wasn’t far behind.
He momentarily thought of his earlier ruthless resolve to have unsafe sex with her before the night was out, to do his best to make her pregnant, thereby ensuring that she would marry him.
All of a sudden, however, it didn’t seem right to try to trap her. Or to let her trap herself. Emily deserved better than that. So did any child they might or might not have in the future.
Sebastian frowned, his mind swinging abruptly to the serious subject of procreation.
He’d shied away from having children in the past, mostly because he’d needed all his focus and energy to make a success of his life. But partly because he’d never had a relationship with a woman he’d felt confident of being a really good mother.
Whilst he knew Emily was just such a woman, he still wanted her to be his wife before she conceived. He never wanted any child of his to have any reason to criticise his parents. Or to feel the kind of negative emotions he’d felt whilst growing up. A child deserved to be wanted and loved right from the beginning, not used as an instrument of emotional blackmail.
Which left Sebastian no option but to revert to his original plan, that of binding Emily to him sexually this weekend so that she could not possibly say no when he asked her again to marry him. It was obvious she was enjoying being on top, but that was not the kind of sex which would achieve his aim. He needed to take command again, needed to give her a level of pleasure which she’d hopefully never experienced with any other man.
When he took her forcibly by her hips and lifted her right off him, she cried out. Whether in surprise or protest, he wasn’t sure. But it really didn’t matter.
‘Time for a change, beautiful,’ he growled as he tossed her on to the bed, then loomed over her, bending his head to one of her fiercely erect nipples, licking it, then tugging at it with his teeth. She sucked in sharply, then moaned with pleasure, reminding him of what she’d said to him earlier in the afternoon.
‘Don’t be gentle with me…’
He aimed to take her at her word this time, moving over to her other breast, where he gave her eagerly awaiting nipple the same rough treatment. Only when her breasts had to be burning did he abandon them, sliding slowly down her body, sucking and biting her stomach as he went.
Even before his mouth reached its destination, her legs had fallen wantonly apart, evidence of her fever-pitch arousal. When he stabbed his tongue against her swollen clitoris, she immediately splintered apart, crying out her release.
‘No, no,’ she whimpered when he kept going, a sure indication that no man had done this to her before, taken her beyond that moment when she thought she wanted him to stop, propelling her to a blissfully erotic place where her mind was no longer connected to her body, where her flesh reacted instinctively, like an animal in heat.
She came and she came, moaning softly each time, till at last she lay still, totally spent. Or so she thought.
Sebastian immediately knelt up between her thighs, leaning over to snatch up the condom from the bedside table. She cried out when he pulled her up from the bed and slid her roughly across his thighs. Cried out again when he drove into her.
Her big blue eyes met his, their expression dazed.
‘No more,’ she said brokenly. ‘No more…’ And her head flopped forward against his chest, her arms dangling limply by her sides.
He ignored her, cupping her buttocks with his hands and rocking her back and forth upon him, clenching his teeth hard in his jaw in an effort to harness his rapidly disintegrating control.
A sigh whispered from her lips, but she did not protest, her body deliciously soft and compliant. He knew he could not possibly last long. Yet somehow he managed to hold on whilst his mind willed her to respond. Because he knew if she did…if she could not resist…if her body could be made to crave yet another orgasm, then she would be his.
Her arms were the first part of her to come to life, lifting from her sides to wrap around his back. Then it was her lips nuzzling at his neck. Then her internal muscles, clasping and releasing him in that way women’s bodies did when they were well on their way to orgasm.
Finally, she began digging her knees into the bed and grinding herself against him. Her head jerked up and tipped back, her spine arching, her mouth gasping wide open as she took him with her in a release which had him bellowing like a bull.
Sebastian had never experienced anything like it.
Clutching her tightly against his chest, he buried his face in her hair, his flesh finally free to lose itself in hers. Which it did, for what felt like an interminable time, his spasms not stopping till long after hers.
Her having fallen asleep in his arms went unnoticed till he called her name and received no answer.
Sebastian smiled a triumphant smile, then lowered her gently back to the bed, satisfied that his mission had just about been completed.
Not that he intended to rest on his laurels.
Emily was not the sort of girl whose mind could be easily swayed or changed. He would have to reinforce his sexual hold over her when she woke, his ultimate mission being to make her totally addicted to his lovemaking before this night was out.
Not an unpleasant prospect, he conceded as he withdrew. Emily was proving herself to be a very intriguing bed partner. Marriage to her would certainly be more than a marriage of convenience. It would be both relaxing and exciting at the same time.
She sighed in her sleep when he stroked a soft hand over her breasts, her belly, her bottom. Sighed, then quivered.
A new wave of triumph washed through Sebastian as he realised she was responding to him, even when her mind was completely shut down. He might have played with her further if he hadn’t been exhausted himself. Frankly, he needed a rest if he was going to keep proving himself the exceptional lover he’d bragged about being.
But Sebastian found it difficult to take his hands from her body, difficult to leave her.
Emily had to marry him, he decided fiercely when he finally forced himself to rise and head for the bathroom.
Come tomorrow, he would not take no for an answer!
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘ANOTHER cup of coffee?’ Sebastian asked Emily as he picked up the stainless steel pot and poured himself some more.
They were sitting out on the sun-drenched balcony, wrapped in matching robes, having just finished the very substantial breakfast Sebastian had ordered the night before and which had been delivered to their suite on a beautifully appointed trolley.
‘Yes, please,’ Emily replied, thinking to herself that Sebastian was still pulling out all stops to impress her. She’d never seen him once offer to pour Lana more coffee.
There again, he’d never wanted to marry Lana.
But does he still want to marry me? came the sudden thought.
Sebastian hadn’t brought the matter up again this morning. And he would have if he wanted to, regardless of her
asking him to leave any discussion of marriage till they left here. Maybe, after last night’s performance, he didn’t think he had to offer marriage to stop her from leaving. Maybe he believed she’d settle for being his mistress instead.
Which she probably would, Emily conceded unhappily.
‘That’s enough, thank you,’ she said when her coffee cup was three-quarters full. Ironic words, ones which she wished she’d been capable of saying a couple of times last night.
Emily had known she was taking a risk agreeing to spend the night with the man she loved. She hadn’t realised, however, how great a risk it was. By the time she’d woken this morning, any resolve she’d had to just walk away had well and truly dissolved, replaced by an all-consuming need to just be with him, no matter what.
Emily shivered at the memory of everything she’d experienced in his arms. She’d thought Mark had been good in bed. By comparison, Mark had been a novice, with limited imagination and stamina. Sebastian had shown her that a night spent with him went way beyond the romantic fantasy she’d envisaged.
Emily had never known such a dominating and demanding lover. He had not just made love to her countless times in countless ways. He’d skilfully seduced her mind along with her body till she wanted him continuously, unable to say no to anything he suggested.
Even now, sitting here, sipping coffee, she wanted him. Yet less than half an hour ago they’d been making love, on the vanity unit top, her body still dripping wet from the erotically charged shower they’d just shared.
She should have been satisfied. Instead, she wanted more.
Sebastian had uncovered a level of sensuality in her which she’d never known she possessed. And now…now she was totally at his mercy.
Her only defence was pretence. So she was doing her best to act like a sophisticated woman of the world who’d been there, done that.
Who knew? Maybe she would still find the courage to walk away.
But she seriously doubted it.
The room telephone suddenly ringing brought a scowl to Sebastian’s face. He put down the coffee pot and stood up, retying his towelling robe as he did so.
‘I hope that’s not reception forgetting we have late checkout,’ he muttered as he headed inside.
Emily stood up also, but not to go inside. She walked over to the balcony railing, taking her coffee with her, sipping it slowly as she tried to find distraction from her worrying thoughts by surveying the picturesque view.
It looked spectacular in the morning light, the ocean sparkling under the rising sun. From the height of their floor, she could see above the tops of the Norfolk pines which lined the beach below, right out to the distant horizon.
It was inevitable, however, that her gaze was drawn down to the path which followed the pines and along which they’d walked the previous evening. They’d not long shared a lovely meal—brought by room service, of course—when Sebastian had suggested a stroll along the harbourside paths. She’d jumped at the chance, because by then she’d started to be consumed by the disturbing need to have him inside her all the time. She’d hoped that time away from that seductive hotel suite might break the cycle of need.
Wishful thinking…
Emily stared down at the path, wondering which pine tree it was that he’d pulled her over to, leaning her back up against the trunk whilst he’d kissed and fondled her. They must have looked like necking teenagers, or possibly honeymooners, unable to keep their hands off each other. The shadow of the tree had provided some privacy from passers-by. But people could probably have still seen them.
Yet Emily hadn’t cared. She’d thrilled to his hands on her breasts, her bottom. Only when he’d reduced her to begging him for more intimacy, did he lead her back to the hotel for more.
‘Damn and blast!’ Sebastian muttered as he strode back on to the balcony, looking irritated and exasperated.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘That wasn’t reception. It was John.’
‘John? Oh, you mean your PA.’
‘I told him where I was heading in case I didn’t come back. I always tell someone my destination when I drive off somewhere. I usually tell you, but you were coming with me. Not that I told him that.’
Emily wondered why not, if he was serious about marrying her.
‘He couldn’t contact me on my mobile, since I turned it off, so he had to ring here.’
‘A business emergency, I presume?’ she ventured.
Sebastian was a hands-on company owner who didn’t delegate well. He was always being rung at home by various company executives, who all seemed to work seven days a week.
‘There’s a problem with a retirement village I’m building in Queensland,’ he explained, frustration in his voice and in his face.
‘What kind of problem?’
‘What? Oh, nothing to worry your pretty little head about.’ His frown cleared, his mouth curving into a sexy smile as he walked over to her. ‘Mmm…You do look delicious in this robe,’ he said, moving around behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. ‘But you look better without it.’
Emily could not believe it when he started undoing the sash. ‘Sebastian! Stop that!’ she protested, panic-stricken at the way her heart immediately started to race. ‘Now look what you’ve done. You’ve made me spill my coffee.’
‘Drink it up, then.’
‘How can I possibly drink coffee with you undressing me? Sebastian! Someone might see!’
‘Would you like that?’ he purred into her ear as he opened the robe wide then cupped his hands over her breasts. ‘Does that turn you on, Emily? The thought of having someone watch me make love to you? It turned you on last night, down there, against that tree.’
‘You’re a wicked man,’ she choked out, clasping the mug more tightly between both hands.
‘You’re the wicked one,’ he growled. ‘You, and this provocative body of yours. It does things to me, Emily. You do things to me. I can’t get enough of you.’
‘You shouldn’t say such things.’
Or do such things, she thought breathlessly. He’d retied the robe, but lifted the hem at the back and tucked it into the sash at her waist.
‘Why not?’ he said thickly, his hands stroking over her bare buttocks. ‘They’re true.’
Emily stiffened when his hands dropped down to the back of her thighs, then came up between them.
‘Sebastian, no,’ she pleaded, even as her whole body trembled. ‘Please stop.’
The anguished note in her voice finally got through to Sebastian. Not an easy thing to do at that precise moment. He really meant it when he said he couldn’t get enough of her.
He couldn’t.
His success with her last night had really gone to his head. Even this morning, he’d needed the fix of her surrendering to him one more time. And now, here he was, needing it again, despite having surely proved their sexual compatibility by now.
If he ignored her protest and succeeded in seducing her against her will, things might backfire on him. As much as he wanted Emily again—with an addictive passion which superseded anything he’d felt with Lana—he wanted her as his wife even more.
‘Fine,’ he said through gritted teeth, and yanked the robe back down. ‘I would never do anything you didn’t want, Emily. But it might be wise if we removed temptation by getting dressed, then getting the hell out of here.’
He hadn’t meant to speak in such a harsh tone, but damn it all, he was more frustrated than he could ever remember.
She whirled around, her face flushed, her big blue eyes dilated with desire.
‘It’s not that I don’t want you to make love to me. I do,’ she confessed shakily. ‘Just…just not out here. And not like that.’
Aaah. So it was romance she was after now. Sebastian took the coffee cup out of her hands and put it on the balcony railing. He could do romance. When he had to.
But first…
Her eyes widened when he undid the robe again, then stripped i
t from her body. Sebastian feasted his eyes on her voluptuous curves before sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her inside.
One hour later, Emily was sitting silently in the passenger seat of Sebastian’s car as they left the hotel, certain that any offer of marriage was now not on Sebastian’s agenda. He’d had every opportunity to mention it. But he’d gone quiet after their last lovemaking, a ridiculously tender episode which had left Emily close to tears. She would have rather him ravage her than make love to her in such a gentle fashion, his eyes never leaving hers from the moment he entered her.
What had he been hoping to see?
Whatever, she’d denied him the satisfaction of witnessing her umpteenth capitulation by closing her eyes and coming very quietly. Afterwards, she’d dressed without saying a word, then accompanied him downstairs in a state of almost weary resignation to her fate.
Loving Mark had brought her heartache and bitterness. Loving her father had brought her dismay and disappointment. Loving Sebastian was going to bring her to a depth of despair she could hardly imagine.
Because he would never ever love her back.
‘I’m taking the coast road back,’ Sebastian explained when he turned down a different road from the way they’d come. ‘I want to show you the new Sea Cliff bridge. It’s quite spectacular,’ he added with a smile, his first for ages. ‘You haven’t seen it already, have you?’
‘Only on the television,’ Emily replied, her low spirits immediately lifting.
Even on the TV it had looked truly amazing, a huge serpentine construction which followed the cliffs, but away from the fragile escarpment where rock falls were common. At one point it even snaked out over the ocean itself.
‘We’ll stop and walk across it,’ Sebastian went on. ‘There’s a pedestrian path for sightseeing.’
