"I want to hear you beg." Her eyes flew open. "You didn't think you'd get off scott free after all you put me through, did you? Beg me for what you want."
"I want you inside me. Please, Bassy. I need you. I need this."
Mariss slid down the wall to sit on the bench. Her hands trembled as they stroked his length. And then he was in her mouth. He hit the back of her throat and groaned.
"Bloody hell. Mariss, stop."
"Beg me."
Sebastian made a startled sound before he pushed her away. "I won't make it if you keep that up." He pulled her back up to her feet. "You don't play fair."
"Neither do you."
He grinned. "I never said I did."
Sebastian grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close for a kiss. With his right hand he lifted her leg over his hip. He was inside her again a second later and took up a rhythm that left them both breathless.
"I won't last much longer," he gasped with her pressed close to him. Her nails dug for purchase against his skin.
"I won't either. God, Bassy." Her teeth bit down on his shoulder.
Sebastian's body convulsed once as his release overtook him. Joy and sorrow danced together within him at what they'd just created. His mind and body pulled him in two different directions, and he thought maybe this was how it was supposed to be. If this was the love everyone spoke so highly of, he knew it had the power to both lift him up and destroy him completely. In that moment, he thought he could be okay with either outcome.
Mariss made that long, low moan that told him she was about to come. Then her muscles clenched around him and the moan rose to a higher pitch that was like music to his ears. They stayed pressed against each other for a long moment. The water coursed over them, but somehow, Mariss kept her hair dry. Sebastian's dripped in his face.
"Come on, sweetheart."
He turned off the water and wrapped Mariss in a thick towel before getting one for himself. He followed her into the room where she collapsed on the bed. He lay down next to her and pulled her under his arm so she was laying on his chest.
"How are we on time?" he asked.
"We have all the time in the world."
"Good. Rest now." He rolled onto his side and cradled her against him.
***
Mariss' soft fingers caressed his cheek and Sebastian woke to find her straddling him, her eyes staring into his. She didn't say a word when she leaned down to kiss him. Her lips were soft and pliable and he molded them to his, pulling her closer with a hand on the back of her head. She used the invitation to her advantage, opening her mouth so she could taste him. Her tongue flicked against his, exploring.
Sebastian sat her back so he could look at her. If he had to pick a type, it would be Mariss. He ran his hands down her sides, stroking her nipples through the thin fabric of his shirt as he did. He gripped her hips and pulled her down against him so she could feel what she did to him.
Lucky. He was lucky. After everything he'd done to ruin her, and Mariss still wanted to be with him. For the first time in his life, he stopped to realize that he didn't deserve what lay in his arms.
Mariss giggled. She pushed his hands away and rose up so she could pull the towel off. Sebastian sprang free, laying heavy against his stomach. Mariss picked him up and stroked him from base to tip.
"Oh, god." He'd never known a woman to make him moan like Mariss could. Whether it was from the waiting or if it was just the woman, he wasn't sure, but her hands felt so good on him that he knew he could soon become a slave to her. He had little choice in the matter when she made him feel things he didn't know were possible.
Mariss rose up. The moment the head of his dick touched her burning hot, slick opening he knew he was a goner.
"Mariss, I don't have a… Shit."
She took him smoothly. Oh god, he thought he might die from the sheer pleasure of finally being inside her. She rocked up and back and he had to fight to keep his senses about him. Sebastian palmed both her breasts and kneaded them. There was just something about real women. He growled and pulled her down to him, pressing her against his chest. He held her hips still as he worked his against her. She was so tight and hot. So ready for him.
Sebastian rolled, pinning her beneath him. He took one leg and lifted it over his shoulder.
Mariss cried out, her pleasure vibrating around him. "Fuck," she whispered.
"Mm. I like those sounds you make, Red." Sebastian pounded his hips against her, all thought of restraint gone. She gripped his arm, her nails digging into his flesh. It was a pain he could bare, to have her mark on him and know he'd brought her to the edge of pleasure.
"Bassy, I'm going to come." Tiny muscles seized around him as her climax overtook her. It was too much to fight through and he found his release a moment later. She moaned, her body shuddering, as he emptied himself inside her.
"God." He held himself up on weak arms and pressed his forehead to hers. "Oh, Red." He kissed her, soft and tender. She responded, her lips quivering beneath his. When he pulled out, she made a disgruntled sound deep in her throat. His arms gave out and he rolled to his side next to her.
***
Sebastian woke from his light doze to the soft sound of feet shuffling across the carpet and he rolled toward it. Mariss gathered her clothes and diamonds where they'd fallen on the floor.
"You're leaving."
She froze and turned to him. "Yeah, I should go."
"What time is it?" He didn't have his watch or his phone near him.
"A little after midnight."
"Stay until morning." Sebastian swung his legs over the edge of the bed. They were both naked and that fact made the atmosphere sexually charged. "Please stay. You said we had all the time in the world. What's wrong?"
He could see the guilt in her eyes when she looked at him. "Sebastian, I'm still married."
"I know. I haven't forgotten, but you came to me. You wanted this as much as I did. Please don't go now. Where is your husband? Is he home?"
She shook her head. "No. He's gone."
"Then why do you need to leave? At the risk of pissing you off, the deed is done. Staying the rest of the night won't make a difference."
"Are you begging?" she asked, incredulous.
"Is that what it will take to keep you in bed with me until sunrise?"
Mariss sighed and rubbed her forehead like she had a headache. "I'd hoped to make a clean getaway, because I knew I wouldn't make it if you woke up and caught me trying to leave."
Sebastian grinned. "Put your things down and get back into bed." He stood and pulled the covers down before he lay back down himself.
"Where do you keep your t-shirts?"
Mariss folded her jumpsuit and placed it on his dresser with her diamonds neatly on top.
"Second drawer there on the left."
He watched as she unfolded one of his white undershirts and slipped it over her head. He caught her hips as she climbed over him and pressed himself against her opening. Her heat caused him to grow, but that wasn't what he was in the mood for at the moment.
"What happened, Red? Tonight. Why did you stab Hellena's friend?" He couldn't keep the humor out of his voice, but he sobered quickly when he added, "What happened to you that you disappear into that dark place?" Mariss tried to pull away, but he held her tight. "Please, don't run. Talk to me."
Her face became a mask of emptiness. Sebastian feared he'd sent her back to that dark place.
"When I was fifteen I was attacked by an older man. The gang I was in gave me to him for some reason that they never explained. The only reason I wasn't raped was because I fought back so hard."
She stopped to take a breath. Sebastian sat up and shifted so she was sitting across his lap. Her body trembled as she spoke, but her eyes remained neutral. How long had she fought to keep these memories buried?
"He was a judge, so no one believed me and I was arrested and sent to jail. But he had men on the inside and they came at me every day until
I almost killed one. At the trial, I was acquitted because of some accidental footage from the prison."
"Where are these men now?" he asked, his anger rising up to choke him.
"The judge died a few years ago. He lived hooked up to machines and feeding tubes for the rest of his life." She gave a humorless laugh. "I really fucked him up. The guard from the jail…I severed his carotid artery and he almost bled out. I also cut his vocal chords and punctured a lung. He can no longer speak. I don't know how he lived. I tried so hard to kill him."
Sebastian tipped her chin up and a single tear glistened on her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb, then kissed her lips gently. "Are you safe?" he needed to know.
Mariss looked up at him with so much fear in her eyes that he knew the truth before she answered. "My mother kept tabs on the judge's men and let me know when I needed to be out of town or when I needed protection. Now that they know where I am… I was stupid attacking him like that. He didn't know who I was. Now he does and he'll want revenge."
Sebastian nodded and pulled her tight against him. "I won't let anything happen to you. If anything happens, promise you'll let me know."
Her body shook, but it wasn't until she gasped that he realized she was laughing. He pulled away from her with a frown.
"What?"
"It's true, isn't it? About you killing someone? I showed you mine, now you show me yours."
Sebastian grinned with all his glory. Even in the dark room he knew she saw. He heard her breath catch.
"I've shown it to you a few times already, Red. Haven't you gotten enough yet?"
"Sebastian."
"I'm feeling a bit shattered. Perhaps we should lay down." Without giving her a choice, Sebastian lay back and pulled her with him. He spooned her body with his, one arm tight across her stomach.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"You shouldn't bother yourself with things like that."
"But you know my secret. Mine is locked tighter than yours."
Sebastian froze. "What?"
"I already know what you did." She snorted. "I just want you to tell me."
She couldn't know. Sebastian had paid too much money for her to find out. "What do you know?"
"You're still not going to tell me?"
"I'm not going to tell you, because I don't believe you know what you think you know." She laughed. "But if you tell me, I will tell you whether it's true or not. That will have to suffice."
"Fair enough. You met Hellena when you were both young. She started as an underage model and was living with a man who abused her. When he found out she was attracted to you he cut her, inside and out. You killed him."
"Mariss, how did you find this out?" His arms tightened around her. He didn't believe she'd use the information against him, but he didn't want anyone using it against her.
"You have to hold up your end of the deal, Mr. Boa."
"Yes. That's all correct. He hurt Hellena very badly and she can no longer bear children." He turned her so he was looking down at her. His brows knit together in a deep frown. "How did you learn all of this?"
"I cheated." She pursed her lips. "I bribed your FBI agent friend. He owed me anyway. Plus, he felt I needed to know since I'm spending so much time with you."
Sebastian almost swore, but he bit it back. He and Herbert would have a talk tomorrow morning. He lay back down with her back pressed hard against his chest.
"Bassy, please don't be mad."
"Why do you think I'm mad?" The tightness in his voice didn't help his cause.
"You're squeezing me too hard," she giggled and wriggled in his arms.
Sebastian didn't let go. He squeezed her tighter and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. She stilled as goosebumps prickled her skin.
"You're a devious little thing, Mariss Red."
"You're not much better, Mr. Boa. If you keep kissing me like that we'll have a problem on our hands."
"Hm. Like this?" He kissed her neck again, feathery light, and scraped his teeth across the nape of her neck. She moaned. "You like that."
"God. You know things that…"
Sebastian nuzzled the back of her neck with his nose. "Hm? That what?" he teased.
"No, I don't want to talk about that right now. You know what I was going to say."
"He doesn't do you like I do." The moment he said it, Sebastian knew he should have kept it to himself. "Mariss-"
"No, he doesn't."
"Well, that's a relief." He pulled his knees up so his hips cradled hers. She wiggled her ass against him. "Stop that or we'll have to start all over again."
"That's alright. We have all night."
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Mindy Revisited
Mariss found him in the kitchen the next morning. She'd redressed in her jumpsuit, and as lovely as she looked, Sebastian found it to be quite a shame that she was no longer naked.
"I made coffee," he said and turned to retrieve the cup that had just finished brewing. He handed it to her with some creamer.
"Thank you." She added the creamer and took a sip. "I called in to work this morning."
He lifted an eyebrow. Hope gnawed at him and he felt empty inside. Sebastian pushed it back down so he wouldn't drown in it. "Oh?"
Mariss' smile was painfully wistful. His chest ached.
"Are you going to spend the day with me?" Sebastian sipped his coffee and let his eyes burn with how much he wanted that to be so.
"I can't. You know I can't."
"Still," he shrugged, playing it down so she wouldn't know how much he hurt.
"What happened in London," she started.
"Don't." Sebastian set his coffee down a little too fast. It sloshed onto the counter top and his hand, burning is skin. "Shit." He shook the liquid off to cool it.
"Bassy, just hear me out."
Her use of that nickname here, in his kitchen, set him on fire. If he hadn't been washing his hands he would have ripped her clothes off and made love to her on the kitchen floor.
Sebastian turned and frowned, forgetting the water running in the sink. He'd never made love to a woman before, but he'd consider last night just that.
"Don't look at me like that," she said, mistaking his frown for something it wasn't. "Just listen." Mariss took a deep breath. "What I said in London. It's true. Sort of. You need to understand a few things. Holden doesn't like you, which isn't such a shock, but it's more than just the fact that you 'declared your intentions'." Her voice deepened when she said that last part, like she was trying to sound like a man. "You left the sink running."
Sebastian smiled and turned. He wet a washcloth and shut the water off.
"Holden knows how you affect me. He knows that I'm physically attracted to you. Not because of anything I've said, but because he's not stupid. I never have trouble saying no to anyone. Except for him. And you. When he said what he said, well, he got exactly the reaction he wanted."
Sebastian stared at her as he wiped the counter. Of course, the husband knew the buttons to press. He'd said they were the same, but Sebastian hadn't believed him until this moment. He felt even more the fool now than he had then.
"That said, what I said was true too." She smiled at him when he felt his emotions close off. "No one does me like Holden," she said softly. "Likewise, no one does me like you. You two have completely different techniques perfected in completely different ways and for different reasons."
Sebastian nodded. "Of course." He wasn't sure what he was feeling, and that was a new feeling all together. He finished wiping the counter down and put the cloth in the sink. "May I ask you, how is Juliet? She won't talk to me."
Mariss smiled. It was so full of humor that he almost got angry.
"She's very mad at you. I won't repeat what she's said, but…" She shrugged. "I'll tell her about last night, though. She'll probably call and cuss you out."
"Of course she will." He had to laugh. "Tell her…" Tell her what? He wasn't sure.
&n
bsp; "I'll let her know you miss her. She'll love that."
He took a deep breath. "I don't suppose you have time for breakfast."
Mariss bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. Her hair danced about her face, scattering the scent of her berry shampoo.
"This can't happen again," she told him. There was a firm sadness in her voice that he couldn't help but reciprocate. "I have no willpower when I'm with you, Sebastian. I need you to stay away from me. If you stay away…at least I can function."
Sebastian rounded the counter. She turned to him, her face tilted up. He cupped it in his hand and Mariss pressed her cheek into his palm.
"Tell me that you struggle to sleep when I'm not there. At least when your husband isn't around. At least tell me that."
She nodded, her soft skin rubbing against his palm. "I do."
Sebastian's heart soared. He never knew he could feel this way about anything or anyone, but he did. He felt it for her.
"That's why. That's why you have to stay away from me. This can't happen again."
"I know," he agreed.
"Promise me you'll stay away. Please."
"I promise, Mariss. I swear."
Mariss pushed his hand away. Keeping her eyes downcast, she slipped off the stool and grabbed her clutch. She checked to be sure her phone was in it before she looked up at him.
"I have to go."
He nodded. "Kiss me once more." Fearing she'd say no, Sebastian cupped the back of her head and kissed her deeply, tasting the coffee on her tongue. He fed at her mouth, filling himself with everything that was Mariss Red. He'd need something to get him through the next few days if he might never see her again. The feel and smell of her hair, the taste of her mouth, the slide of her skin against his - all things he would miss immensely.
All too soon, she pulled away. "I have to leave or this is going to become a problem."
Sebastian nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. They walked silently to the door where she turned.
"Good bye, Bassy."
He smiled. "Good bye, Red. Be safe."
"Always."
He watched her walk to the elevator, then closed the door, locking it so he wouldn't follow her down like a lonely puppy.
The Man Without Rules Page 30