by J. S. Scott
“Not just any man, baby. You fucked me,” I said arrogantly, satisfied that my tie was okay.
“The boss,” she groaned. “The damn owner of Walker.”
“Not him,” I told her as I turned her around. “Me. Sebastian.”
There was a distinct difference between fucking the boss and fucking a guy you cared about.
She wrapped her hands around my neck. “I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t you,” she said quietly, her ocean-blue eyes looked at me openly. “Sebastian is irresistible to me for some reason.”
My heartrate kicked up as I stared down at her, not giving a shit about why she cared about me. I was just damn grateful that she did.
I kissed her on the forehead so I didn’t mess up the light coat of lipstick she’d just applied, then rested my forehead against hers. “Damn good thing, because you drive me to the edge of insanity, sweetheart.” I hesitated before asking, “Dinner tonight?”
I pulled my head back to look at her. There was a noticeably mischievous look in her eyes as she answered, “Why, yes. I think I’d love to join you for dinner. But I have a problem.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I seem to have lost my panties, and this sweater dress clings. If I bend the wrong way, anybody within seeing distance will be staring at my butt crack.”
I didn’t like the thought of anybody looking at my woman’s ass. “I’ll fix it.”
“Do you keep a large supply of women’s underwear handy?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“Trust me,” I requested in an equally joking voice.
“Okay,” she said simply. “Now I have to get back to work.”
We exited the tiny bathroom, and I walked toward the door. “You have a contract to write. An order coming directly from the top,” I reminded her.
“I’ll put the job on my list,” she answered lightly.
“Make it a priority,” I insisted as I unlocked the door and turned to look at her.
“See you at five,” she said in a husky voice.
“I’ll be here,” I vowed.
I’d make it to her office to pick her up. If not, then I’d have to be dead.
This was a new start for both of us, and I sensed in my gut that it was going to be good.
I broke eye contact with her, knowing if I didn’t, I was never going to leave her office without fucking her again.
I closed the door quietly behind me, trying not to draw attention to myself, then headed for the elevator with a grin on my face.
CHAPTER 18
Paige
Later that day, I was still smiling as I finished my last contract.
I’d done a lot of thinking off and on all afternoon, and I knew Sebastian was right. I was running, moving away from anything emotionally dangerous to cocoon myself from ever getting hurt.
If I was ever going to break out of the shell of protection I’d wrapped myself in, the man to shatter it was going to be Sebastian.
I wish I could say I hadn’t been a coward for so many years, using my ambitions to distance me from having any kind of personal life. Maybe before Sebastian, it hadn’t mattered. There had never been anyone I’d wanted to be with, but my life was changing. And so was I.
The rap on my office door startled me, and I instinctively looked up at the clock. It was only four.
“Come in,” I called out, assuming it was a co-worker or my boss.
“Delivery for Ms. Paige Rutledge.”
The visitor stepped into the office and laid a wrapped box on the desk in front of me, and I scrambled in the desk drawer, desperately seeking a tip for the delivery. When I found it, I tried to hand the bills to the young guy who’d brought me the package.
He waved it away. “I work for the Walkers, ma’am,” he said politely. “I don’t do tips.”
He turned and walked out of the office, and I stuffed the money back in my purse.
I knew without a doubt that the package was from Sebastian, especially if the messenger was on a Walker salary.
Lifting the lightweight box, I opened it carefully, pushed back the liberal amount of tissue paper on the top, then gaped at the items inside.
I reached out a tentative finger to touch the delicate silk and lace, dazzled by the lingerie, but slightly dismayed. The panties were from the most expensive designers in the country, and it was a bit frightening to wear a pair of underwear that probably cost more than my car payment.
Rummaging through the tissue paper, I finally found a note:
Paige,
I didn’t want you to be walking around town with no underwear. Nobody sees your ass but me. The other item is something I noticed that you seem to miss.
S.
I laughed because it was a thoughtful gift, but not exactly without self-interest. Did he think my rounded butt would get much attention? He obviously thought so, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I noticed a small box tucked beside the panties and opened it curiously. What was inside stunned me so much that I was motionless and silent.
My mouth hung open for an undetermined amount of time while I stared at the gorgeous watch made up of rose gold, the timepiece encrusted with diamonds. I instantly adored it, and I finally gently lifted the box and removed the delicate watch, cringing as I noticed it was a very exclusive jewelry company.
It fit perfectly, and it felt so good to have a watch back on my wrist. It was absolutely stunning, but I knew I couldn’t accept a gift that expensive.
I finally picked out a pretty pair of panties, hesitating to even put them on. The lacework and bows were exquisite, but I couldn’t imagine my ass in the seductive underwear.
“He could have just gone to Walmart,” I grumbled to myself. But I knew Sebastian was trying to please me, and I hadn’t had that kind of attention in a long time. The things he’d bought were probably normal for his status, but they were far from ordinary for me.
Before I could change my mind, I carefully put my feet into the underwear, careful not to snag them on the heels of my boots. Once I’d pulled them up, I sighed. Maybe I couldn’t understand paying a fortune for panties, but they felt divine.
I actually felt…sexy.
Wrapping up the rest of the collection of panties in the tissue paper again, I placed them carefully back into the box, along with the watch case, and closed the lid. I was fairly certain that the store wouldn’t do returns on panties, even though I’d never worn the rest of them. But the watch had to go back.
I was just contemplating what to do when my phone rang.
“Paige Rutledge,” I murmured professionally into the mouthpiece of the phone.
“Hi, Paige. I’m sorry to bother you at work. This is Eva Walker.”
Trace’s wife? Why was she calling me?
Assuming she was calling about work, I answered, “What can I do for you?”
“You could attend a dinner I’m doing Thursday night at our place. I heard you were on friendly terms with Sebastian, and he doesn’t have a date. I need an ally if I’m going to get through Thanksgiving with the Walker brothers. I feel outnumbered, so Trace asked me to ask you.”
I was taken aback by the invitation, and I’d actually forgotten that Thanksgiving was coming. “Um…thanks…” Oh, shit! What should I say?
“I’d love to meet you in person. I want to see the woman who brought Sebastian to his knees,” Eva said with a delighted laugh.
“I haven’t…I don’t…Oh, hell, we just decided to give each other a trial period. We aren’t really together.”
Eva was quiet for a minute before she replied, “Sebastian said that?”
“Yes.”
“He’s so lying. He’s crazy about you.”
“It’s what he asked for,” I countered.
“What a dope,” she replied, her voice filled wit
h affection, even though she was insulting her brother-in-law. “Trace said Sebastian is done for since he met you.”
“I’m done for, too,” I confessed, completely giving up on denying the truth. Eva sounded so damn nice that I wanted to be honest with her.
“Good. Then you won’t mind coming to dinner with your future husband.”
“He’s not…He won’t…” Shit! I was starting to sound like an idiot.
“He will,” Eva said confidently. “In the meantime, please join us. Trace told me you’re new and moved from the East Coast. Nobody should be alone on Thanksgiving.”
I could tell her I’d been alone plenty at the holidays for years, but I didn’t want to sound like a major loser. “That’s very kind of you,” I said honestly. Nobody had ever given a damn whether I spent the holidays by myself, except Kenzie.
“Then you’ll come?”
Honestly, when the big boss’s wife asks you to dinner, you go. “Of course. What can I bring?”
We chatted for a while, Eva refusing to let me bring a thing except myself. I’d have to find some wine, and bring it anyway. There was no way I was going to her house and not bring something with me.
We settled on a time, an hour before the dinner would be ready since she didn’t want anyone in her kitchen, and hung up.
I sighed as I put the receiver back on the cradle. Eva seemed very nice, but the dinner was bound to be awkward. I’d never met her or anybody else she’d probably invite except Sebastian. And yeah, there was that short, embarrassing meeting I’d had with Trace Walker.
“Paige!” The booming voice pulled me back to reality.
I turned my head and saw Sebastian leaning against the frame of the open door.
“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought,” I explained.
“About what? I called your name three times and you didn’t answer.” He walked in and closed the door. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Fine. Except your sister-in-law just called and invited me to dinner on Thursday.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I said I’d go, of course. I was kind of in a difficult position.”
He nodded as he sat on the edge of my desk. “I was going to ask you to go myself, but I was a little…distracted this morning.”
“I won’t know anybody there except you.”
“You’ve met Trace.”
I smiled at him sheepishly. “Yeah, well, that was fairly mortifying. I was telling him off because I thought I was in your office.”
Sebastian’s lips turned up in that mischievous grin that I loved so much, then confirmed, “I know. He told me. He likes you. Says you have spunk.” He paused before adding, “Dane will be there, too. You haven’t met him, but he’s quiet and I doubt you’ll find him intimidating.”
“He’s coming here? I know Kenzie would love to meet him. She’s a major fan of his artwork.”
“He’ll be there. He doesn’t get out much in public, but he’ll make the family holidays.”
“Nobody else?” I asked curiously.
“Nope. Aunt Aileen asked us to come to her resort for the holidays, but we were afraid Dane might bail on us if we didn’t keep it small, so we passed this year.”
I started shutting down my computer as I said, “Okay. I might be able to handle that.”
Sebastian sat in the chair in front of my desk. “You’re not going to cancel at the last minute, are you?”
I looked up for a moment, and our eyes met knowingly. “I’d like to get conveniently ill, but no. I’m going. It was kind of Eva to invite me, and I’ve stopped running away from situations that might be uncomfortable at first.”
Sebastian lifted a brow. “Have you?”
I shrugged. “I’m going to try. I’m all grown up, and I don’t need those defenses quite as much as I did several years ago. Maybe they helped back then, but I want to be me again, Sebastian. I used to know how to live in the moment, how to have fun and enjoy nice people. I wasn’t tense every waking hour worrying about sticking to a life plan.”
He searched my face before replying. “Making plans and having goals isn’t always a bad thing. They only suck when they take priority over everything and everyone else.”
“Exactly,” I said, tearing my eyes from his face as I gathered up my purse and stood. “Were the panties and the watch your spontaneous deed for the day?” Obviously he’d stopped thinking about work long enough to order them.
He rose from his chair. “One of several things, actually. Were they okay?”
“The underwear were expensive,” I chastised him. “I may not own any, but I recognize the brands. And they’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I was the one who created your underwear dilemma in the first place,” he joked in a low, teasing baritone.
“I’m not going to argue about that.” My body let out a little involuntary shudder as I remembered that moment when he’d ripped my inexpensive lingerie in a moment of abandon passion before I added, “Sebastian, I can’t accept the watch.” I held up my wrist. “It’s gorgeous, and I did lose my watch during my move, but it’s too pricey. My old watch wasn’t expensive.”
He shrugged. “It’s just a small gift. You’re keeping it. It looks good on you.”
I sighed. “A small gift for you. A big gift for me.”
“Sorry. It was on sale. I can’t return it.”
“Since when do you buy sale items?” I questioned skeptically. I knew damn well he could return it if he chose to do so.
“Since today,” he answered with a playful smile.
“I call bullshit.”
“Can’t you just say thanks without an argument? I wanted you to have it. Call it a graduation gift.”
I burst out laughing because I couldn’t help myself. “You didn’t even know me when I graduated.”
“See how much I missed and need to make up for?” he answered impishly.
God, this man could make me crazy. “Just this once,” I agreed. “As long as you let me do something for you.”
“You can give me the contract,” he suggested.
“Sorry,” I answered, being deliberately contrary. “I was much too busy today. You’ll have to think up something else.”
In truth, there was no way I was ever going to write up that agreement. I cared too much about him to make him put his ass on the line to trust him. I was either going to change…or I wasn’t. My choice was to start being me again, trust the guy I cared about.
“My choices would be entirely X-rated,” he warned.
I’d never inspired any kind of unbridled passion in any guy, and the way Sebastian looked at me, touched me, was still so unbelievable to me.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“About this morning when you tore those panties,” I answered bluntly.
He groaned as he wrapped his arms around me. “Fuck. Don’t remind me or I’ll bend you over your desk and do it again.”
“Not with these panties you won’t,” I told him firmly, but I was smiling as I rested my hands on his broad, muscular shoulders.
“Don’t count on it,” he warned ominously, right before he kissed me.
It started as a leisurely kiss, an embrace of exploration that quickly turned carnal and needy. I moaned against his lips, and he pulled his mouth from mine.
“Jesus! I can’t touch you without wanting to bury my dick inside you,” he growled, kissing my forehead before he stepped back.
I knew what he meant. Sebastian and I were like kindling and a match. Put us together and all we wanted to do was burn.
“Can you feed me first?” I asked shakily.
“No lunch?” he asked in a disapproving voice.
I shrugged. “I was trying to make sure I put in a lot of work. I have a dinner date with the sexiest,
smartest, sweetest man on earth. I didn’t want to miss a moment of it.”
Sebastian took my coat from the hanger by the door and held it out for me as he said in a hungry, throaty tone, “He would have waited for you, no matter how long it took. You could have eaten lunch.”
My heart skittered at the heat and sincerity in his voice. “I haven’t had a date in a very long time.”
“Me either. But we’re going to make up for that.” He nuzzled against my upswept hair. “I just wish you didn’t smell so damn good.”
“I’ll change shampoos,” I told him, pretty certain my eyes were shining with mirth as I turned around to face him.
“No,” he said hastily. “Don’t. I’m a damn masochist, but I love the way your smell fucking tortures me. Besides, it wouldn’t matter. You’ll always smell the same to me.”
“Like cherry blossoms?” I asked curiously.
“No. Like you’re fucking mine,” he answered hoarsely and held out his hand.
The thought that we shouldn’t be obvious that we were more than friends when I was still at Walker with him flitted through my mind, but I discarded it just as quickly.
It was my time.
I was done working.
And I adored the way Sebastian treated me with affection.
I really was done running away from my emotions. And I wanted to feel a connection with him, too.
I smiled and took his hand, ignoring the speculative glances we got since most people were in the process of leaving for the day.
In the short period of time that it took for us to get out of the building, I realized I had my own possessive instincts.
I focused on the immense satisfaction of letting everybody know that Sebastian was taken…at least for now.
CHAPTER 19
Paige
“I think I should wear something else,” I told Sebastian nervously as I fiddled with the blue sweater I was wearing. “It doesn’t feel right to be wearing jeans to the boss’s house.”
I’d tried to dress the outfit up with a silver belt, my boots, and extra makeup. But I still felt underdressed.
“You look beautiful,” Sebastian drawled from his position on his massive bed, his back against the headboard. “I told you, we don’t dress up for the holidays. We spend our days in suits and office attire. When we aren’t working and with family, we want to be comfortable.”