by Cynthia Eden
If she hadn’t taken those three steps—those bullets would have hit her.
For a moment, Alyssa gaped. Then she screamed.
Sebastian scooped her into his arms and ran for the limo. He dove in, with Alyssa cradled in his arms. “Drive!” Sebastian yelled. “Get us the hell out of here, now! Take us to my place!”
His body was thrown over Alyssa’s and his heart was racing because, holy shit, someone had just taken shots at her! Someone had actually tried to kill Alyssa.
The limo lurched forward. He knew the glass in the windows was bullet-proof because, well, that had been his order. Why not pay for the upgrade? An upgrade that was freaking very useful at that moment.
As his heart thundered in his chest, Sebastian became aware of a few things.
One… Alyssa hadn’t made a sound. Not since her terrified scream.
Two… They were sprawled together in the back of the limo. Well, not so much sprawled as…he had her pinned to the seat. His body was on top of hers, he’d grabbed her wrists and anchored them over her head, and his legs were lodged between her spread thighs. Her dress had ridden up. Way, way up.
Three… Adrenaline coursed through his body but, because of their, um, delicate position, so did lust. He was having a rather unmistakable reaction, and he knew that Alyssa had to feel it. Feel him.
His head lifted. “Are you okay?”
Her long lashes slowly rose. Her breath came in quick hitches.
“Alyssa? Ba—” Nope. He cut himself off right before he called her baby. That would have been a fatal mistake. “Were you hit?” He didn’t think so, but—
“Someone shot at me.”
Yes. Actually, someone had shot at her three times. “Were you hit?”
“No.” Her voice was low. Breathy.
Her mouth was a few inches from his. It would be so easy to lower his head. To take her lips. To finally taste what he’d wanted for so long.
And, his head did begin to lower. She didn’t say anything. The limo was racing down the road and Alyssa was pressed tightly to him, and her mouth—
“What are you doing?” Alyssa’s hushed question seemed torn from her.
But it brought him back to reality. Stopped him when his mouth was less than an inch from hers. What was he doing? Sebastian cleared his throat. “Saving your life. Obviously.”
Chapter Two
“I realize I probably just gained superhero status in your eyes,” Sebastian continued in that deep, rumbling voice of his, “but do try to control yourself around me, if you can.”
Her heart drummed so hard and fast that Alyssa was pretty certain her entire body was shaking. She’d never been shot at in her life. The thunder of those bullets had scared the hell out of her.
And now…
She became aware of a whole lot of things. Mostly…Sebastian. Sebastian being on top of her. Between her legs. She also could have absolutely sworn… “You were going to kiss me.”
He laughed. “I saved your life, that’s what I did.”
“You were just about to kiss me.” Okay, yes, the lighting in the back of the limo was dim, but she’d been pretty sure his focus had been on her mouth, and his head had been lowering toward her, and—
“I was trying to make sure you hadn’t been hit. You know, being the amazing Good Samaritan that I am.”
His mouth was still so close to hers. His body—jeez, the guy was all muscle—was above her. He wasn’t crushing her with his weight, though. Sebastian always seemed to be conscious of his size and power.
Speaking of size… Her hips shifted a bit. “OhmyGod.”
“What?”
“You’re…you’re turned on.” She knew her face had to be blood red. What was worse? Almost getting shot or having Sebastian Ridgeway between her thighs…turned on between her thighs?
Fine, obviously, nearly getting shot was worse. But having him that way…
“Sorry,” he muttered. “It’s a reaction to the adrenaline. Nothing personal.”
Wait. Had he just told her that his arousal was nothing personal? Sonofa— “Get off,” she snarled.
“But I’m protecting you. Doing a whole human-shield bit so that you won’t get shot and—”
“I bet the limo has bulletproof glass and all kinds of fun little extras.” Because Sebastian and her brother always went over the top when it came to transport.
Although maybe that whole over the top style was more necessary than I thought.
“Yes,” Sebastian told her softly. “It does. Bulletproof glass and plenty of extras.”
“Then get off.”
His hands released hers. His fingers trailed lightly over her wrists, then he pulled back and moved his body to the seat next to her.
She immediately bolted up. Her shaking fingers grabbed her dress and yanked the fabric back down over her legs.
“Pity.”
Alyssa’s head snapped toward Sebastian.
“You’ve got truly phenomenal legs.”
Suspicion had her squinting at him. “Just how well can you see in the dark?”
“It’s not completely dark in here. Besides, I’ve enjoyed the view before.”
Her pounding heart wasn’t slowing down. “Now is not the time to mess with me.”
“Who said I was messing with you? I was giving you a heartfelt compliment. You’ve got killer legs. I’m sure you know it.”
“And I’m sure you are trying to drive me crazy! I’m sure—” But Alyssa broke off because she’d just had a thought hit her. Hard. “I wasn’t shot at.”
“Um. Yes, you were.”
She glanced around the interior of the limo. A bottle of champagne waited in an ice bucket nearby. She grabbed it, popped the cork after some twisting and semi-severe struggles, then chugged some champagne right out of the bottle.
“Alyssa?”
She plunked the bottle back down in the ice bucket and huffed out a breath. “Sorry. Needed that. First the date from hell, then the gunfire.”
“Please, help yourself,” he invited. “Though you have a little bit right…here.” His hand reached out. His fingers slid tenderly over her chin.
Heat surged through her. Dang it. She caught his wrist. “Stop it.”
“I was helping.”
Since when? And he’d totally been BSing earlier. The man was no Good Samaritan. He was a badass, a troublemaker, a heart breaker. Her list could go on and on. Sebastian had enemies for days and… “Obviously, I was not the target tonight.”
“Excuse me?”
She let go of his hand and turned to knock on the privacy screen that separated them from the driver. “Hello?”
The driver didn’t respond.
“Alyssa, you have to hit the button to lower the screen.” Humor slipped beneath Sebastian’s words. Humor? Now?
She rummaged around until she found a button that lowered the screen. And as soon as it lowered… “I want to go home.”
The driver made no response.
She rattled off her address. “Take me there, now, please.” Another thought hit her, and she spun back around toward Sebastian. “We need to call the police!”
“I’ll take care of them, after I’ve taken care of you.”
“Sebastian, I hate to break this to you, but the last thing I need is for you to take care of me. Wait, scratch that. I don’t hate to break it to you. It is my pleasure to inform you,” Alyssa crisply corrected, “that I don’t need you.”
“Then why did you look so happy to see me when I showed up in the theater box?”
“I…” Damn. Because the date was a disaster.
“And, sorry, I guess my memory is a little hazy, but when I saved your life a few moments ago, weren’t you pretty happy that I was there with my quick limo that was waiting to whisk you to safety?”
Her eyes narrowed. There was a faint, blue glow in the back of the limo. It ran along the interior, and she was pretty sure that blue glow would transform into party lights with the flick of a
switch. Everyone knew how much Sebastian liked to party.
Behind her, she heard the faint whir that told her the privacy screen was sliding back up. Alyssa whipped around and her fist instinctively tapped on the glass. “Hey! You’d better be taking me home!”
“Glass is up,” Sebastian told her patiently. “He can’t hear a thing.”
Then she’d just put that glass right back down. Her fingers flew to the button. She jabbed it, but the screen didn’t lower. “You turned it off.”
“What?”
“There’s another button somewhere back here, and you disabled this one.” Her breath huffed out as she glowered toward Sebastian. “Take me home.”
“You’re stressed.”
Ya think?
“Why don’t you take a few breaths and try to let some of that tension out?”
“I am always stressed when I’m around you.” Truth. She closed her eyes. “But this is worse. A thousand times worse than normal because tonight, I was almost hit when someone tried to take a shot at you.”
Silence. Then… “Want to say that again?”
Her eyes flew open. “You are the one with enemies!”
“I have been known to piss off a few people,” Sebastian allowed. He didn’t sound particularly concerned. Typical Sebastian. “Some would say that’s part of my charm.”
“No. No, it is not charming to be an asshole. I don’t know who told you that—”
“Well, the PR people at the company have mentioned that my—”
“If you tell me that the whole badass persona you have going on sells games, I will scream.”
He laughed.
Something else she hated—he always seemed to laugh at her. “No wonder people are shooting at you.”
“Uh, don’t want to alarm you, but I think those bullets were meant for you.”
That made zero sense. “Why would someone be shooting at me?”
He didn’t respond.
“Exactly.” Yes, sure, Isaac was probably not a super fan of hers at the moment, but she didn’t have a long line of enemies. At least, Alyssa didn’t think she did. She was kind to animals, she was friendly to children, and she never, ever flirted with another woman’s man. The shots must have been intended for Sebastian. “Unless…” Now she considered things from a new angle. “Maybe the shots weren’t meant for you or me. Maybe it was all just random.”
“That what you going with now? A random event?”
It was an option. “The police will sort this out.”
“I’m sure they will.”
She edged closer to him. His scent—warm, rich, masculine—teased her. Why did he always smell good? No, do not be distracted. “You still buddies with Detective Lewis? I bet he can help. I read an article recently about him and how he’s on the fast track to be named chief.”
“Yes, I’m still friends with Winston. I’ll be putting in a call to him just as soon as I’m sure you’re safe.”
Her breath expelled. “You mean as soon as you drop me off at my place.” Okay, now she was feeling steadier. This whole night had been crazy. And, yes, her fingers were still shaking and her insides were quivering a bit, but that was probably just due to stress. Adrenaline.
The same adrenaline that had given Sebastian one serious hard-on.
Her gaze jerked to his lap.
“Just so you know, I can see very, very well in dim lighting. Though, it’s really not that dim in here. Not with the blue illumination spilling from all the corners.”
In other words, he’d caught her staring at his crotch. Wonderful.
“Something you need?” Sebastian murmured, voice all silky and seductive.
Her stare snapped to his face. “You are an asshole.”
“Princess, tell me something I don’t know.”
“Fine. I’m not your princess, I’m not your anything, and I never will be.”
He swallowed. Glanced away. And she had the weirdest, strangest feeling…
Did I just hurt his feelings?
She…oh, God. Alyssa had one serious weakness. She hated hurting anyone. Anything. She felt guilty for days if she did that. Even if she accidentally killed a spider. She’d been working on the guilt issue. And so what if Sebastian was hurt? Though she doubted he was. Why would anything she say hurt him? But…
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was stilted. “I’m still shaking, and I’m scared, and my head is all over the place.” Alyssa pulled in a deep breath and stared down at her lap. “You tried to help me tonight. You got me away as soon as the gunfire started, and you even covered me with your body. That was actually quite heroic of you.” Now that she thought about it. “Unnecessary, especially considering the bulletproof limo, but I think your heart was in the right place.”
She could feel his gaze on her as he softly said, “And here I thought you believed I didn’t have a heart, Alyssa.”
Her tongue slid over her lower lip. “I know you have a heart. I just think that—most days—it’s frozen in ice.”
“Then maybe you can help me melt that ice.”
Was he mocking her? She peeked up at him. “I’m trying to both apologize and say thank you.”
“Yeah, well, here’s the deal.” He leaned toward her. Seemed to take up way too much space. Seemed to make her way too aware of him. “I don’t think you ever need to apologize to me. Like you said, I’m a dick.”
“I actually said you were an asshole.” To clarify.
“You don’t need to apologize and you don’t need to thank me.”
She did. “When someone tries to save your life…” Which, yes, he had…
“Fine. Thank me, then.”
“I-I was just thanking you.” Had he hit his head?
“No. Thank me for real. With a kiss.”
What?
“If you think I did a good deed, then you can thank me with a kiss. You can keep your lips closed. It can be fast. Just a little peck.” She saw him tap his own lips. “Right here.”
Had the limo stopped moving? She couldn’t tell. “Why do you want a kiss from me?”
“Because maybe I’ve always been curious about how you taste.”
“But if my lips are closed, you won’t be tasting much.”
“You’re right. You can open your mouth. Totally cool with me. I agree to your terms.” He slid forward more.
The limo lurched to a stop. Okay, now it had stopped moving. Her hand flew up and pressed to Sebastian’s chest. “Why do you play with me?”
“Who said I was playing?”
But she plowed right on, saying, “You do one good deed—”
“I’ve done way more than one. God, your mouth is gorgeous.”
“And then you screw things up by being the playboy again. Just when I think I’m seeing the real you.”
The back door opened. “Sir.” The driver cleared his throat. “We’re here.”
When the door had opened, more lights had automatically turned on in the limo’s interior, and now Alyssa could clearly see Sebastian’s face. And…
Lust.
His features were hard and tight with a dangerous lust that was directed right at her.
All of the moisture in her mouth dried up.
But in the next instant, a mask seemed to sweep over his features. He smiled, his dimples flashed, and she couldn’t read him at all.
“That’s the thing,” Sebastian rasped. “No one ever sees the real me.”
Before she could respond, he caught her hand and tugged her from the limo.
At least I’m home. At least I’ll be able to get away from him soon. At least—
Alyssa staggered to a stop. “This isn’t my house.”
“No, it’s mine.”
She knew that. He was tugging her forward, she was trying to dig in her heels, but it wasn’t working and she was having to triple time it in order to keep up with him as Sebastian headed toward the freaking sprawling cabin—mansion, more like mansion—that overlooked the Blue Ridge Mountains. A
million stars were glittering overhead while the lights blazed inside his home. The illumination spilled from all of the floor to ceiling windows in the massive structure.
“I don’t want to be here,” Alyssa huffed. “Sebastian, stop.”
He whirled toward her. “I will apologize in advance for this.”
“What?” Alarm flared through her. “What are you apologizing for?” Before he could respond, she heard the sound of another vehicle approaching. Alyssa glanced back and saw a dark SUV screeching to a stop behind the limo. “Who is that?”
“Security. They will keep an eye on you while I go and talk to the cops—”
“When did you call security?” He hadn’t been on the phone in the limo.
“Before I picked you up at the theater.”
Shock rolled through Alyssa, and then—
He scooped her up. Tossed her over his shoulder. “I’m really sorry.”
“Stop!” She surged against him. This was not happening. A million times not.
But he tightened his hold on her. Headed for the mansion. Took her in the mansion, and this was a bad dream. A nightmare. It had to be because there was no way that Sebastian Ridgeway was carrying her into his house as she tried to hurtle herself away from him. Sure, Sebastian was often over the top. The media loved his wild antics.
But this wasn’t some PR stunt designed to grab more headlines. This was her life.
This was—
He put her down on the couch. She bounced.
He grimaced. “You are going to be extra pissed about this, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.” She blew a lock of hair out of her eyes.
“But at least you’ll be alive.”
Two men in really bad suits rushed inside.
Sebastian pointed at Alyssa. “You keep her here. You make sure that her skin is not so much as bruised. When I get back, I expect her to be in perfect condition.”
She looked at his security goons. Then she looked back at him. “When you get back, I will be gone.”
Those dimples…They winked at her. “Want to bet on that, sweet—um, Alyssa?”
She surged off the couch and stood toe-to-toe with him. But since he was so tall, she did have to tip her head back to glare up at him. “This is called kidnapping, and it’s illegal. You don’t get to hold me captive. That might be your kind of kink, but it’s not mine.”
