Scarlett Red: A Billionaire SEAL Story, Part 2 (In the Shadows)

by Michelle, P. T.

  When I start to help him remove my belt, he quickly captures my hands and lowers them to my side, his voice a rough rasp. “Keep them here for now.”

  Heart racing, I exhale to keep my breathing even and leave my hands where he put them as he slowly unwinds the belt from my waist.

  “You have no idea the things I want to do to you,” he says just before he loosens the tie inside my dress holding the last bit of cloth against my chest.

  “I can imagine,” I whisper.

  Releasing a low, wicked laugh, he peels my dress completely off before pressing his bare chest against my back. “You can try.”

  I shiver when he moves away, taking his warmth with him. Even though I’m still wearing underwear and heels, I feel completely naked.

  My skin prickles when I hear the silky slide of my belt’s material moving against itself. “I’ve had three years to think of all the things I didn’t get to do with you,” he continues before his lips barely brush against my ear. “Give me your hands.”

  Pulse thrumming, I raise them up and then bend my elbows, crossing my wrists behind my head.

  He kisses my wrist, his voice husky and amused. “Behind your back. Right above those sweet dimples I can’t wait to taste.”

  My breathing jacks and I close my eyes tight, trying not to panic. You can do this. You can do this. He’s not going to hurt you. He’d never hurt you. You know this, damnit. You know he won’t.

  “T,” he says, his tone turning commanding.

  I take a calming breath and lower my hands behind my back.

  The silk belt touches my wrists and I breathe through my nose in forced gusts, but when he moves it higher to just past my elbows, my breathing stops completely.

  “Then again, I’ve had three more years to come up with new ways to make you mine all over again,” he says as he pulls the belt and ties it so my arms are hitched back and my breasts are thrust forward.

  I hear his words and as much as I want to focus only on his voice—on him and how he makes me feel—my mind is stepping back in time, spiraling. No matter what I tell myself, I can’t stop the mental free fall that jolts my breathing to an erratic, frantic pace.

  “Three years. Can you feel it?” Sebastian says just before he steps close and clasps my hand. The second he wraps my fingers around his erection, it doesn’t matter that he’s still wearing pants. His hand folding mine around his hard cock sets me off. I can’t control the tears streaming down my cheeks.

  “Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow,” I babble the word over and over.

  “Shit!” Sebastian quickly follows that up by a long stream of other colorful curses as he yanks the binding down past my hands. The second my arms are freed, I’m lifted in his arms so fast I almost wonder if it was all a horrible dream.

  Cradling me to his chest, he walks over to his bed and sits down with me in his lap, whispering in my hair. “I’m so sorry.”

  When I nod as the tears streak down my face, he slides my shoes off and lays us both down. Pulling the covers over us, he won’t let me slide away. He hooks a strong arm around my belly and hauls me against his hard chest at the same time he slides a muscular leg between mine. Once he completely folds his massive body around me, his voice is low and concerned in my ear. “A safe word should never have to be used between us. Fucking ever, T.”

  “It’s Talia,” I manage to get out. “Talia Murphy.” I want to hear him say my real name just once. I’ve dreamed about it so long. Only, in my perfect dream world, this wasn’t how I pictured finally telling him.

  He stills behind me for a second, then exhales and presses a tender kiss to my temple, his voice hoarse. “Whatever it is, Talia, you’re not leaving this bed until you tell me.”

  I don’t know how long I lay there silently letting the tears fall. His strong arms around me feel so safe and comforting. I think I’m finally crying for the young girl who couldn’t let herself show any weakness back then.

  Once my eyes dry up, Sebastian unfolds my clenched hand. Sliding his fingers between mine, his warm breath rushes across my neck. “If you have triggers, I need to know. It’s the only way we’ll be able to work through them.”

  I take a deep breath and fold our hands to my chest. Closing my eyes, I let myself go back to that day so he can understand.

  I’m so focused on my math homework that I don’t hear Hayes step through the door connecting our apartments until his hot breath rushes across my neck.

  “What are you working on, Talia?”

  Amelia’s favorite TV show is on in the living room, completely enthralling her. That’s why I’m in here. I can’t think with the TV blaring, and I have a major test coming up in two days. I don’t have time for Hayes’ creeper crap. And why did Walt leave the freaking door unlocked again?

  Heart racing, I glance to the right, then snap, “I’m trying to concentrate and you’re not helping.”

  Hayes’ hand lands on my notebook, covering it completely as he leans over me. “How about you concentrate on me for once.”

  He smells of smoke and beer. I want to hold my breath, but panic mode overrules. “Walt…” I call out in a warning voice.

  Hayes is blocking me in, and at this point with Walt not responding, I’m just done. “I’ll study somewhere else,” I say in a snotty tone. Slamming my book closed with an annoyed huff, I stand, then push the chair hard under the table.

  Before I can pick up my book, Hayes grabs my arm and yanks it behind my back. Hooking his other hand on the crook of my neck, he shoves me over the back of the chair and presses my cheek against the table.

  “After today, you’re never going to talk to me like that again,” he grates in my ear. Releasing my neck, he twists my wrist even more. His tone is hard and angry, his actions the most violent he’s ever been toward me.

  As soon as I hear him yanking at his belt buckle and then the zipper of his pants coming undone, I call Walt’s name again. I don’t care about Hayes’ earlier threats concerning Walt’s future. All I care about is what’s happening right here and now.

  “Shut up if you don’t want the brat wandering in here,” Hayes says, his breathing changing to ragged pants.

  I’d forgotten about Amelia in my haze of fear. His comment is sobering, and it takes everything inside me not to scream as he grabs my other hand and yanks it behind my back too. When he folds my fingers around his erection, disgust rolls through me. He lets out a deep groan and grinds his hips against my butt.

  Bile rises in my throat and I gag. I try to pull my hand free of him, but his fingers are locked around mine, holding his cock in a vise hold. “Don’t you dare let go,” he warns, as he rolls his hips and moans deeper.

  All I can do is lay there as the bastard uses my hand to jerk himself off along the back of my jeans. When he’s done, he smacks my ass, then rubs his cum along my jean-covered butt and then down between my legs. Grabbing my crotch, he fists his other hand around my pinned-up bun and yanks hard as he leans over to pant in my ear, anticipation in his satisfied tone. “You’re going to be the best fuck. I can’t wait to have you.”

  Tears streak down my temple when I trail off…my voice hoarse from telling Sebastian about Hayes.

  Sebastian’s hand curves around my face. Capturing my cheek, he turns me until I roll to face him. Lowering his forehead to mine, he sounds like he’s in pain. “How old were you?”

  I put my hand on his jaw and feel the muscle twitching under my palm. “Thirteen.”

  A stillness settles into his hard frame. “This was your neighbor? A grown man who did this to you?” he asks, his voice low and tight.

  I nod. “He was Walt’s—my aunt’s boyfriend—business partner. They cooked and pushed drugs, and dragged me into the business when I was younger.”

  “I’m going to kill the son-of-a-bitch! I don’t give a goddamn how much time has passed!” Sebastian grates out, the bite in his words ruthless and vengeful.

  Every part of him vibrates with rage, and this time I press my
chest to his and snuggle close, saying in a calm tone, “Hayes is in jail for drug-dealing. He’s locked away.”

  “Not for what he should be,” he growls, his voice full of retribution. He clasps my wrist gently despite the anger in his tone. “Where the hell was Walt and your aunt during all this?”

  “My aunt never knew and Walt is dead, Sebastian. All the ghosts from my past are only in my head,” I finish on a sigh.

  He breathes in and out of his nose as if trying to settle his own emotions, then he says quietly, “That’s why exposing that drug ring on your campus was so personal to you.”

  “Yes, and because drugs directly contributed to Amelia’s death. She might’ve been Walt’s child by birth, but she was my little sister.”

  Cupping the back of my head, he slides his nose along my throat. “I wish you would’ve told me.”

  I snort. “Sure, that’s exactly how I’ll lead off next time. Want to get kinky with me? Here are a few things that might kill the mood. I’m just sayin’.”

  Sebastian expels a pained groan against my throat, then presses a warm kiss there. “I’ll understand if you want your space tonight, Talia.”

  I lean into his kiss and clasp his muscular shoulders tight. “I’ll let you in on a little known secret, Mister Black.”

  His hands move to my back, then glide along my skin to my waist. Aligning my body with his, he kisses my jaw. “Share whatever you want with me, Miss Scarlett Red.”

  I elevate myself to whisper in his ear. “I only told you because I want to stay. I want to be with you.”

  Before I can settle back into his arms, he clasps my face and slides his thumbs along my cheekbones. “Why did you choose me that night at the party?”

  It’s too dark to see his face, but the tension in his hold and the timber of his voice conveys unfathomable emotion. “Because you saw me.”

  “I couldn’t help but see you. Not then and definitely not now,” he murmurs against my lips before pressing his mouth to mine.

  When Sebastian fully captures my breath, sliding his tongue sensually along mine, each stroke more aggressive than the last, I kiss him back with just as much intensity. Breaking our kiss, his breathing uneven, he reaches for the bedside lamp, turns it on low, then looks at me with serious eyes. “Are there any other triggers? Did anything else traumatic happen to you that I need to know?”

  I’m surprised he hasn’t brought up that night he drove me home when I was thirteen. He has to know I was way beyond freaked out. I close my eyes and shake my head, shutting it out. I’m glad he seems to want to leave it alone and in the past. Meeting his steady gaze, I keep my voice firm. “Promise me you won’t treat me any differently. Things won’t work between us if you do.”

  He slides his hand to the back of my neck and clasps it in a firm hold, arching me even closer. “This is who I am, Talia. The fact that you understand and accept my…intensity, will work to our mutual benefit. I’m not going to lie and tell you I won’t worry, but it’s not in my nature to hold back. As much as I hate the idea that you might need to use your safe word, it’s more important now than ever. I need to know you will use it or we may as well end this now.”

  My heart jerks at the thought that Sebastian would walk away. I don’t think I can handle it. Not tonight. Not when my emotions are split open, raw, and on the verge of shattering into billions of tiny sharp-edged pieces inside me. “I’ll ‘rainbow’ the hell out of you if necessary. I prom—” I cut myself off when he lifts the pearls over my head.

  Sebastian drops the necklace at the same time he hooks his arm around my waist and quickly slides me onto my back, his voice a low, growling purr. “Don’t touch me until I give you permission. Understand?”

  My breathing ramps and my insides clench as I watch him snap my underwear off with a deliberate tug on either side. “Do you have to rip them every time?”

  His mouth curls in a dark smile as he sits up to push my thighs apart with deft hands. “I’ve been waiting for dessert all night. Why the hell would I take my sweet time peeling the wrapping off?”

  “Anticipation is part of the—” I let out a deep moan when he slides two fingers into my moist channel at once.

  Withdrawing his hand from my body, he lifts an eyebrow. “You’re soaked already. What were you saying about anticipation?”

  I grip the sheets beside me, hating the feeling of emptiness that quickly consumes my body the second he pulls away. Setting my foot high along his thigh, I dig my toes into its thick muscle and slowly roll my hips. “Just that it goes both ways. I know you want to taste me as much as I want you to. Is your mouth watering?”

  Smirking, he presses his thumb over my clit at the same time he eases his fingers inside once more. “How bad do you want me to devour you?” he says in a suggestive tone just before he leans forward to capture a nipple between his teeth.

  His movement pushes my foot off his leg, but I just dig my heel into the bed instead, curving my body into his hand. I absorb every sensation, enjoying how he works his hot mouth against my breast, tugging with just enough force to make me quiver all over while he strokes deep inside me.

  As he trails his mouth along my belly, nipping his way down my skin, I taunt him, even though my whole body is flushed with heat. “I think you want it more.”

  Sebastian’s hands suddenly still my hips’ movements. With his dark head bent over me, I feel the rushing heat of his shallow breathing stirring the bit of hair between my legs. I shiver and don’t fight against his hands pinning me to his bed.

  “I don’t want it more,” he says in a low, tortured tone.

  His words are so at odds with the tightness in his shoulders and the near-bruising hold he has on my body, I blink in surprise. I don’t get a chance to respond as he spears his tongue through the patch of hair, then straight down my sex in a deeply, possessive thrust, his voice a low rumble, “I’m way beyond wanting, Talia. I’ve fucking craved your taste for three years.”

  Fierce need yanks at my belly as he slides his hands along my thighs and lifts me up like I weigh nothing, his hot mouth hovering over me. “But first you’re going to tell me why you didn’t let your fiancé do this to you.”

  Is he serious? He hasn’t looked up at me, but he hasn’t moved his mouth closer either. Raging yearning tears through me as I swallow. “Why does that matter?”

  His grip tightens on my ass. “It matters. Tell me.”

  His tone is harsher, more intense. My fingers tighten on the sheets. “I don’t know. It…just felt—”

  “Wrong,” he clips out. Not a question, but a statement.

  My heart lurches. “Why would you say—”

  “Because I own this,” he says fiercely, tension creeping into his body. “You’re going to be sore as hell tomorrow, and I won’t feel an ounce of guilt. Tonight I’ll remind you why this gorgeous pussy is mine and no one else’s.”

  I cry out in amazed bliss when he thrusts his tongue deep inside me, then curls it inward, tracing every fold. Swallowing, he mumbles, “Fuck, you’re even sweeter than I remember.”

  He quickly finds my clit and sucks on the sensitive bit of skin at the same time he presses two fingers inside, going deeper than before. I writhe and rock my hips, whimpering and enjoying his thorough manipulation of my body.

  When I press closer to him, Sebastian lets out an inhuman growl of satisfaction at the same time his brilliant blue eyes snap to mine, full of primal ownership. The “mine” in his gaze, the unadulterated possession makes my insides burn thirty degrees hotter. Arching against him hadn’t been conscious. With Sebastian, I have no control. I’m lost in the haze of pleasure he’s giving me. All I can do is move with his tongue and lips pulling on my skin, making my body quiver with desperate need.

  Just when I start to quake, ready for release, he eases the pressure, but doesn’t stop arousing me. He builds up his aggressive, body-shaking attention all over again until I’m incoherently rambling, “Please, Sebastian, just let me come.�
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  “Say it.”

  “Say wh—what?” I pant out.

  He sucks on my clit harder, driving me so crazy I close my eyes and moan through the intense experience. Then he hits that spot inside me that makes my whole body bow with raging desire. “Who owns it, Talia?”

  Despite my sharply rising need for release, I can’t help but feel that if I say he owns my body that means he owns me. No one owns me.

  I stop rocking my hips when I feel something cool slide along my wet slit. Once, twice, then a third time. Lifting his head, Sebastian presses his thumb on my clit and his brilliant blue eyes take on a carnal glint. “Do you trust me?”

  “You’re the only man I’ve let touch me the way you do,” I say even as nervousness curls in my belly. That’s as close as I’m going to get to admitting he owns me, more than he’ll ever know.

  Lifting his thumb, he slides my pearl necklace under it, then lowers his thumb over a bead. Pressing the bead against my clit, he curls his fingers inside me, touching that one place that nearly does me in. “Tell me, Talia. I need to hear you say it.”

  As I stare at him, he slides the pearl necklace one bead over and then another. My thighs start shaking and I can’t feel my hands I’m gripping the sheet so tight. “Keep me, Sebastian…” I moan out.

  His smile turns almost feral. “Come for me,” he demands at the same time he gives the wet strand under his thumb a quick tug. The vibrating sensation and sheer eroticism of how he masterfully plays me sends me so far over, I scream and tremble uncontrollably. One orgasm after another races through my body in a crashing blitz of sinfully decadent contractions thrumming through me.

  After the third orgasm, I grab his hand to stop the pearls’ movement, panting out, “Owned, holy shit! So owned—”

  Sebastian’s lips cut my words off, his tongue thrusting deep into my mouth. Just when I clasp his neck to pull him fully on top of me, he breaks our kiss and stands to slide out of his pants.