The Warrior In Me

by Anita Philmar

  She peered up at him, and a twinkle of mischief sparkled in her gaze. “Don’t worry. I’ve done extensive studies on how to do fellatio.”

  “My problem isn’t how you do it. It’s that you get to it.” He groaned and rocked his hips, trying his best to encourage her to give him some relief.

  “Oh, my poor baby, you need—” She wrapped her lips around him and sucked him deep.

  “Holy shit, woman, you’re going to make me come before…” He gasped and his mind blanked. Pure bliss sped through his groin, wrapped a noose around his inside, and set his pulse a racing.

  Rocking her head, she indicated that was exactly her intention. She bobbed up and down, working her mouth deeper. She swallowed and the action played against his cock.

  He couldn’t hold back his own reaction to the heavenly delight and pulsed his hips in time with each downward thrust. Enjoying the sensuous rhythm, he jumped when one hand closed around his testicles and rolled them in her palm like a pair of dice. His control pierced, he tugged on her hair, pulling his cock free from her mouth. Semen spurted out and hit her breasts.

  Laughing, she pumped her hands over his pulsating length. “Wow, do you know how much I enjoy doing that?”

  Opening his eyes, he stared at the bright smile on her face and wondered if this was the same nerdy woman he’d done a thorough background check on only two days ago. “And how many men have you—never mind, don’t answer that.”

  She shifted her hand to his knees and stood. “Don’t worry. There haven’t been many, and none I’ve enjoyed as much as you.”

  Capturing her hand before she could move away, he kissed her fingers. “Now, you’ve taken the edge off my lust, it’s my turn to play with you.”

  “You don’t really have to.” She swiveled around and grabbed the knob to turn off the shower, but not before he caught the shadows in her brown eyes. Had other men taken pleasure from her and left her wanting?

  He rose to his feet and gathered her close. “Sorry, love, I promised you a wrestling match. I have no intentions of backing out now.”

  ****

  “Do you want me to hang up your suit?” Lily glanced at the dress shirt, tie, and pants lying on the bathroom counter.

  “No, I’ got it.” He grabbed the towel in her hand and hung it on the rack next to his. “I’ll be in, in a minute.”

  Leaving Sebastian in the bathroom, Lily walked into her bedroom and stared at her bed. With everything that had happened in the last few hours, she didn’t have the patience to lie sedately under him while he played.

  No, she needed action and some of the residual power she felt at making him come played through her system. She continued to her dresser and retrieved a nightshirt from a drawer. Her stomach rumbled, and she tried to recall the last time she’d eaten.

  A snack. The perfect excuse for heading downstairs.

  Throwing the shirt on, she strolled out her bedroom door and made it to the bottom step before Sebastian called her name.

  Giving herself a high five for making so much progress, she yelled over her shoulder, “I’ll be back. I’m just getting something to eat.”

  Her need to escape driving her the same way it had earlier. She hustled through the formal dining area and into the kitchen. Once there, she studied the granite counter tops and red maple cabinets. Expecting any second for Rosa to emerge from the pantry or walk in the back door. The woman had a sixth sense that alerted her when anyone entered her kitchen.

  Knowing she had the day off though, Lily opened the refrigerator and scanned the items inside. An array of cold cuts filled the crisper drawer. Two different casseroles dishes occupied the bottom shelf. One a seafood pasta dish from the night before, the other appeared to be some type of bean salad.

  Not excited by either, she set the grape jelly on the counter and snagged a bottle of water. She moved to the breadbox.

  “What are you making?”

  She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Sebastian in the doorway leading in from Mark’s office. Most people would have called the room a den. Mark, however, had always referred to it as his study so she had given up calling it by its correct name.

  “A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You want one?” She opened the loaf of bread and reached into the utensil drawer for a knife.

  “No, it’s not—”

  The ringing of the kitchen phone interrupted him.

  With the wall unit located beside him, Sebastian turned and picked up the receiver. “Hello.”

  Lily waited to hear who was on the other end of the line and scanned the naked parts of Sebastian’s body he’d left uncovered. Broad shoulders led to thick muscular arms and a well-toned back. A pair of black, nylon shorts smoothed over his round ass and accented the dark hair sprinkled along his legs. Her mouth watered at the length of his feet, and she swallowed the need to have his attention back on her.

  He held the phone away from his ear and returned it to its base. “They hung up.”

  “Probably because they didn’t recognize your voice.” She retrieved the jar of peanut butter from the cabinet next to the sink.

  “Or someone is checking to see if we’re home.” He marched to the security display panel by the backdoor and studied the screen. “It’s not unheard of for thieves to rob people when they know they’ll be away at a funeral.”

  “How awful, but doesn’t our system notify the police if there’s any unauthorized entry into the house?” Lily continued to fix her sandwich and refused to let Sebastian’s silence bother her. His job as her security guard meant he needed to know who entered and left the premises. Their system had monitors on each door and window to record when they were opened or closed.

  Luckily, he’d followed her into the house earlier or she would have set off the alarms. The reminder of what happened at the funeral home had her weaving her way through the breakfast nook and out the patio doors to the pool.

  The glare of the sun partially blinded her. She set her water, napkin, and sandwich on the white wrought iron table before she tugged out a chair and settled in the shade of the attached umbrella. With each bite, she relived her fight with Olivia. The woman probably hadn’t meant to provoke her. Still—

  “Lily, where are you?” Sebastian’s voice rang through the patio doors she’d left open.

  She weighed the likelihood of him finding her. Couldn’t she have at least five minutes to herself? She had to figure out what to do about Olivia.

  The screen door squeaked.

  “Why didn’t you answer me?” He stepped outside and marched toward her.

  “Were you talking to me?” She tilted her head and gazed at him in confusion. “Funny, when you didn’t answer me, I thought we’d changed the rules. I talk, you don’t listen. You talk, I don’t listen. It seemed like a fair exchange.”

  His deep scowl should have amped up her annoyance to anger. Instead, she swallowed the last of her PB & J and realized he hadn’t eaten much more than she had in the last few hours. She shoved back her chair and walked straight into his arms. “Look if I don’t get enough to eat, I get grumpy, which probably answers the question as to why you’re not exactly happy at the moment either.”

  “Food is not the problem. For some reason, you keep running from me.” He set his hands on her waist and held her close. “Want to explain what’s going on?”

  She wanted to deny his accusations, but he was right. All day, she’d suffered a number of watchful eyes judging her, picking out her flaws, and finding her lacking. At first, Sebastian’s presence had been like a barrier to shield her from the crowd. Then his close proximity had stifled her, making it hard for her to think, to breathe, to face the reality of being alone.

  “It’s too easy to lean on you.” She closed her eyes to gather her strength. Like a soothing balm, his seductive warmth bent her to his will, begging her to reconsider with a promise of a welcoming comfort if she’d only surrender.

  Familiar with this path, she recalled Mark steady p
resence in those dark days after her parents’ deaths. He’d pulled her back from the brink of hell and offered her a job, a future, a family.

  Now, damn it, he was gone, too.

  She couldn’t do it again. At least not with Sebastian. His job positioned him in the direct line of fire. His best friend and co-worker had been shot. The same could happen to him.

  Air backed up in her lungs. She gasped at the thought of him being hurt because of her. She pounded her hands on his chest. “I can’t allow myself to lean on you. I won’t. I have to learn to stand on my own.”

  “Easy, sweetheart. You’re in complete control. I’m just here to help you if the need arises.” Sebastian pulled her tight against his chest and smothered her desire to escape.

  Her mind calmed, believing the lie that it didn’t hurt anyone to stand in the circle of his arms for a few more seconds. After all, once he released her, she’d be alone again.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. Tears fell, and her heart slowly broke at what she needed to do next. Unable to move, she waited for her resolve to return.

  “Come on, let’s go inside and discuss this.” Sebastian directed her back into the house. The heat of his hand warmed her lower back, and she hurried to the couch, sitting on the wall opposite the fireplace. Mark’s solid oak desk occupied the other end of the room along with two chairs. Bookcases lined the wall on both sides of the mantle behind Mark’s workspace. Den or study the room had multiple functionalities.

  Sebastian dropped onto the sofa and caught her hand. With a sharp tug, he tried to drag her down beside him.

  “Sebastian, call your boss. I want to talk to him.” Lily locked her knees and remained standing. There was only one way to solve this problem. Although, she hated the idea of losing him, her sanity was on the line.

  He blinked and drew back. “Why? What do you have to say to him?”

  “He is in charge of this investigation, isn’t he? And maybe you should ask Bruce to come over, too.” Committed to this course of action, she tightened her resolve and straightened her shoulders.

  Sebastian pushed to his feet and released her hand to grasp her arm. “What’s going on in that head of yours? Because…”

  The insistent ring of the phone muffled his words.

  Lily tugged free of his grip and walked to the phone on Mark’s desk. She lifted the receiver and placed it next to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Ah, Mrs. Winslow. This is Rex Ledger. I’d like to talk to Sebastian.” The calm male voice and the confidence convinced her she’d made the right decision.

  “Mr. Ledger, how fortuitous that you called. I was just telling Sebastian. I wanted to talk to you.” Lily glared at Sebastian as he marched toward her. The set expression on his face told her better than any words he’d figured out what she planned to do. Still, she refused to let him dissuade her and turned away from him to concentrate on the call.

  Sebastian locked his hands on her hips and crowded her against the solid oak desk, effectively confining her. His bulk shielded her from the rest of the room and reminded her how much she appreciated his protection. Still…

  “And what would you like to tell me?” Rex said in her ear, unaware of his employee’s tight grip on her.

  Determined to ignore the man behind her, she responded, “Mark contacted you in regards to the security for our lab. He also arranged for you to provide a personal security guard for me.”

  “Yes, I have the contract right here.” Rex’s voice didn’t drown out Sebastian’s warning hiss or stop the arousing touch of his fingers over her breasts.

  “Don’t even think about it, sweetheart. It’s not happening.” He laid his hand over hers on the receiver.

  “Right, and it says I can change the level of service at any time.” She’d read through the contract before Mark had signed it. She’d couldn’t get out of it completely, but she could limit certain extra amenities.

  “That’s correct. Is there something you’d like to change?”

  “No, she’s just afraid—” Sebastian tugged on the receiver, trying his best to pull it free from her hand.

  Losing her grip, she raised her voice. “Yes, I’m no longer in need of a bodyguard.”

  Yanking the phone away from her, Sebastian lifted it to his ear. “I don’t care if she fires me or not. I’m not leaving.”

  “I told you. She’s an important asset. How did you man…” the muffled reply sizzled through her.

  What the hell was the man talking about? She was just another client.

  Snippets of other conversations with Sebastian filtered through her head. He’s interested in…wants to know…curious about the Neanderthal project. Why?

  Caged in by the solid mass of Sebastian’s body, she had to fight her desire for him and reason through Ledger’s interest in her. She couldn’t do both with Sebastian so close and slammed her elbow back into his stomach. With a grunt, Sebastian released his grip. She swiveled out of his hold and walked away.

  Sebastian wanted to go after Lily, but the telephone cord would only go so far and Rex’s voice continued to drone on in his ear. “Like I told you when you signed on for this case, we need to be careful about any technology that might provide a means to tracking us. Not everyone will want our help. Some might even want to—”

  “Damn, it, Rex.” He debated hanging up on his boss but wanted to set the man straight before he went after her. “I don’t have time for that shit right now.”

  “Then figure out what she wants, because I’m not losing her as a client or sacrificing the inside track to the Neanderthal project because you can’t…” Sebastian tightened his grip on the phone as Lily stepped back outside.

  “God, there’s someone outside with a gun.” Rex’s words and the sound of glass shattering had Sebastian racing for the door.

  Pop, pop, pop.

  “Lily, get down!”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The patio door was in pieces. Glass shards covered the tile floor and extended to where Lily lay face down on the concrete deck. Sebastian sucked in a quick breath, his heart stopping for a brief moment, then took off like a freight train.

  The instinct to go directly to her battled with his years of training. He paused and scanned the area for a gunman. With the lights off inside the house and the sun setting, it would be hard for the assailant to see him. He checked the large oleander bushes beside the pool, looking for any type of movement.

  “Sebastian, what’s going on?” Bruce called from somewhere outside.

  “Shots fired. Lily’s down, but I’m unarmed.” He silently lambasted himself for being unprepared. He’d let down his guard because of his attraction to Lily. Also, the security system should have alerted him to an intruder on the property. Why hadn’t it?

  “I’m okay,” Lily cried, the panicked tone telling him she’d stay down until he made his way to her.

  “Maintain positions. I’ll check it out,” Bruce yelled. The sound of his voice came from the corner of the house, which meant it’d take some time for him to secure the perimeter of the yard.

  Sebastian ran down the hall and up the stairs to the bedroom. Immediately catching sight of his running shoes on the floor by the bed, he shoved his feet inside and retrieved his gun from his open suitcase before he turned for the door.

  On the return trip, he sped through the dining room and into the kitchen. He caught Bruce’s all clear seconds before he hurried out the open doorway.

  Lily shifted as if to rise.

  “Don’t move. You have glass all over you,” he barked. Setting his gun on the patio table, he brushed at the glass. Once he’d cleared most of it away, he lifted her into his arms.

  “You guys want to tell me what happened?” Bruce stood a few feet away surveying the scene.

  “Someone shot at me.” Lily wrapped her arms around Sebastian’s neck and peered at Bruce with wide eyes. “Can you believe it? Me. Why would someone shoot at me?”

  Sebastian glanced at his partner and then ret
rieved his gun from the table.

  “I don’t understand. Mark said I was in danger, but he could never explain to me why?” Lily still hyped up on the adrenaline from the shooting, continued, “What possible reason could someone have for wanting me dead?”

  Good question.

  Sebastian walked into the kitchen and set his gun and Lily on the counter so he could check for other injuries. Her questions, along with a number of his own, sprinted through his head.

  Jazzy music erupted from Bruce’s pocket. He retrieved his cell phone and glanced at the display screen. “Rex. I’ll fill him in and then phone Detective Callahan.”

  Not taking his eyes off Lily, Sebastian ran his hands over her arms, legs, and down to her feet. After checking the bottoms for cuts, he glanced to where her nightshirt bunched around her thighs. With her foot in his hand, he had a clear view of her bare pussy. An insatiable longing sparked in his groin.

  Shelving his lust, he forced his gaze up to her face. Now that the chatter had ended, she sat staring off into space. Her brow scrunched up in deliberation, she appeared deep in thought. Probably in shock.

  He stepped between her legs and cradled her face in his hands. “Look at me, sweetheart. We’ll find whoever is doing this.”

  She blinked and grabbed his wrists. Her expression was set with resolve. Her brown-eyed gaze nailed him. “No. I fired you. You’re heading back to Alaska where you’ll be safe.”

  “Wrong, even if I’m no longer your bodyguard. I’m still working the case. You’ll just see less of me.” He burrowed his fingers through her hair and didn’t relinquish his hold. “Get this through your thick head. I’m not going anywhere until we’ve discovered who killed Mark and Cain.” He shook her head slightly to force her to respond. “Got it?”

  “No. I can’t be responsible for another person getting hurt.” She dug her nails into his arm and squirmed forward to slide off the counter.

  Transferring his weight, he blocked her retreat. “You’re not accountable for someone else’s actions. They are. That’s why we need to find them and make them pay for what they’ve done.”