The Sculptor's Seduction (The Gentlemen's Guild Book 2)

by Dr. Rebecca Sharp

  Sebastian stared at him for a second. “That’s not a bad idea. Actually, that’s not a bad idea at all. Let me think about that and talk to Cam. I think I have a few ideas how we can use you and your connections to get closer to Julian than I’ve been able to so far.” He stared off, lost in the daunting task that now had an unknown timer counting down on it; the end of which would be the second Julian found out where Tash had gone. “I have to go.” He stood. “Sorry for barging in on you. I’ll be in touch.”

  He reached out and Sloane shook his hand, actually feeling bad for the guy.

  “Oh, and Sloane, no one can know anything that I just told you. Not even Cyn.” Sloane nodded. “And don’t tell anyone where you sent Tash; the less people who know, the longer I have.” His expression was deadly serious and Sloane wasn’t about to compromise anything that might hurt Tash and consequently, hurt Cyn.

  “Of course,” he replied with a nod.

  Sebastian turned and let himself out of the apartment. Sloane stared at the door as it shut behind him, still partially in shock over what he’d just learned. Hopefully, whatever Agent GQ was thinking would work because the fact was that, even though Julian was after Tash, there was still a very real possibility that he could find out who her roommate was… a very real possibility that the danger extended to the woman he loved.

  Chapter 27

  Sloane stepped out of the shower and dressed quickly in dark jeans and a light blue tee. Even though it was Monday and he really needed to get back into the office, work was going to have to wait one more day.

  He cursed himself because he’d forgotten his phone at the studio last night. After Sebastian had left, he’d gone back over to look at his sculpture with a fresh set of eyes. But after a few hours of working on the face, he still hit the same wall that he had before – her face, the one he wanted to show, eluded him. Even after sleeping for almost fifteen hours the night before, he was still not running at one-hundred percent, which is why when he left, he hadn’t even noticed his phone that he’d set on top of the filing cabinet when he walked in.

  It was fine. There was a good chance that Sebastian hadn’t contacted him yet.

  Either way, the most important thing right now was Cyn and he was heading over to the dance studio to talk to her first – Sebastian, Sanchez, and the whole thing could piss off for the moment; right now, he needed to make things right with her. He grabbed the wrapped box containing her shoes and walked out the door.

  He walked the few blocks to the building, figuring that hopping a cab would take even longer with traffic around the park. His heart began to beat faster as he entered the lobby and stepped inside the elevator.

  Please, love me enough to forgive me.

  His silent prayer ended just as the doors opened. He could see that the lights were on in the room as he approached the glass door, knocking on it quietly before opening it.

  Walking inside his body and his heart froze when he only saw Ellie’s bright red head walking towards him from the other end of the room.

  “Oh, Sloane, I thought you were Cyn…” she exclaimed, worry written on her face.

  “Where is she?” he asked tightly.

  “I… I don’t know. I told her I would meet her here at nine this morning and usually she is here before me; when I got here the door was unlocked but no one was here. And, of course, of all days, I left my phone at home this morning so I don’t know if she called or texted me to change plans…” She trailed off.

  Sloane felt his heart stop. His jaw clenched as all of the worst possible scenarios passed through his mind.

  What if Sanchez had found her? What if he’d taken her to find where Tash was? What would he do to her? What if she’d tried to contact him for help? What if he would never see her again?

  What if she would never know how much he loved her?

  “Shit.” His body vibrated with unimaginable anger and fear. This couldn’t be happening – not after everything else that he’d done…

  His eyes closed for the briefest of moment as he sent up a silent prayer that she be ok, swearing to worship her for the rest of his life if she would just be ok.

  “Do you think she’s ok?” Ellie asked, biting her lip. “I wouldn’t be too concerned except that the lights were already on and the door opened when I got here.”

  “I have to go.” He turned on his heel and stormed out – ignoring Ellie as she called after him.

  He needed to get his goddamn phone and figure out where the hell Cyn was and if she was ok. His entire body was tightened to the point of breaking as he hailed a cab to take him to his studio. The last time he’d felt this way – this helpless – was when he’d realized that his house was on fire with his mom inside. Only right now, he felt a thousand times more on edge.

  If anything happened to her…

  The cab barely stopped in front of the florist before Sloane had the door open, tossing a fifty at the driver, and was running inside. He took the steps two at a time, throwing open the door to his studio, his eyes immediately heading for the filing cabinet, but stopping short on the raven-haired beauty standing and staring at his sculpture.

  Cyn.

  His heart stopped – whether it was in relief or disbelief he wasn’t sure.

  Cyn jumped and turned as the door behind her flew open with a loud bang only to see Sloane come rushing in through it, fear and anger clouding his face until he laid eyes on her.

  “Sloane…” she murmured. Her gaze met his; that incredible blue stare drawing her in. And she let herself be taken for just a minute; these past few weeks without him seeming like a dull, distant version of life compared to this moment, now that he was in it. She saw her handsome sculptor, the man who tried so hard to hold himself to standards that were never meant for him; the man who tried so hard to make amends for crimes that he’d never committed. And the same man who had helped her find her way back to the part of herself that she thought she didn’t deserve.

  Yet he stood there frozen and she wondered why he looked like he couldn’t believe that she was there.

  Well, maybe it was because the last time she’d seen him, he’d made it clear that he didn’t want to see her again. And maybe because she was standing on his property – uninvited.

  But, after talking to Terri and then Ellie, she just couldn’t believe that. First, she thought she’d give him some space… and it had been two weeks. But this morning after she’d gotten to the studio, she realized that waiting was ridiculous. He’d said his piece to her, but she had a few things to say and he was going to hear them regardless of whether he was ready to or not.

  Before she could recover from the shock of his entry and begin the speech she’d been practicing in her head for the past hour, he was in front of her as his arms crushed her to him.

  She didn’t understand what was happening, but she wasn’t going to question it. Her arms immediately came up around his neck, holding him equally as tight. Her body vibrated in pleasure at the warmth and hardness of his – a sensation that she’d craved every day, and more so every night, for the past few weeks.

  He held her like that for minutes on end. Her head resting on his shoulder as his face was buried in her neck. Just as she felt her eyes drift shut, relishing in the embrace, he pulled back away from her, anger once again sparking in his eyes.

  “Christ, Cyn… What the hell are you doing here?”

  Her mouth opened and closed. The vehemence in his tone a sharp contrast to the tenderness he’d just showed.

  “I… I came to talk to you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trespass—”

  “God, no. Not that.” He shook his head. “I mean what the hell were you thinking? I was just at your dance studio and Ellie is worried sick. She got there this morning and the lights were on, door unlocked… She thought something happened to you. I thought something happened to you.”

  Oh, my God. Her hand clapped over her mouth. No wonder he looked like he wanted to kill someone.

  “I
texted her. I told her that I was going to be late… I didn’t even think when she didn’t respond. Did she not get my text?”

  “She left her phone at home.”

  “Oh, my God. I’m… I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. I didn’t think. I just needed to talk to you.”

  His hands dove through his hair, pulling it back from his scalp.

  “Fuck…” He turned and took a step. “I thought Sanchez had found out who you were… that he…” Sloane trailed off and she knew he couldn’t even finish the fearful thought that he had conjectured.

  She quickly stepped toward him, grabbing his hands in hers. “I’m fine, Sloane. I’m here and I’m fine.”

  His eyes still burned through her. “Cyn—”

  “No, Sloane,” she interrupted, stopping his next words. “I need to talk to you. I came here because I need to tell you something – well, several somethings. The last time I saw you, you shut me out—” Her voice cracked. “—before I had a chance to even think with everything that was going on.” Here, she paused. Her words had come out in a rush so she took in a long breath, watching the remorse that swept over his face.

  “But I—” He tried again, the look in his eyes pleading to get something out. But she didn’t know what he was going to say or what was going to happen. She was already on the edge of breaking down from seeing him again and knowing that this truly might be the last time.

  “Please, Sloane.” She dropped his hands. Her eyes met the blue fire in his. “I know you are afraid – of yourself, of us, of what could happen to me. I know that. I also know that sometimes in life we let other people dictate the person that we become; I have lived that. I let Marcus’ actions dictate my life and my dreams these past three years. But Sloane, you have been letting your father’s actions dictate your life since your mom died. And I won’t watch you do it to yourself any longer. You pulled me back into reality – the reality that his choices don’t define me just like your father’s don’t define you.”

  His face softened and even though she saw the pain in his eyes, she also saw something else in them – something that gave her the courage to push on.

  “I love you, Sloane,” she whispered. “I love you and I just want you to know that you aren’t the type of man to take advantage of that; you aren’t the type of man to not care what effect your actions have. I want you to know that it’s ok to love me back.”

  He stared as his woman as she tried to reason with him – not knowing that she’d already won the battle before she’d even started. But, he couldn’t stop her – she needed to say the words. So, he’d watched as she stood there – dressed in what was clearly the clothes that she’d been painting in recently: a tight tank-top and baggy jeans that fell low on her hips, both splattered and stained with the lilac paint that he’d briefly seen earlier that morning. Even though she was dressed to make a mess, right now she was the most beautiful, perfect mess he’d ever seen – because she was here. And she was his.

  “Cyn,” he began, tortured. These past few minutes of fear and worry having shaken the stronghold of emotions that he’d fortified over the past few days. “What if we do this? I don’t want to – I’ve tried not to – but what if I hurt you even worse? What if, for some reason, I leave you? What if I find someone else? What if you love me so much and then I break your heart in two? What if it breaks you?”

  His mind and his mouth were in a disconnect. His mind knew that he would never do that – not the way that he felt about her. But, at the same time, he needed to say it, to get the words and his fears out there in the open. He needed her to know that this is what he worried about.

  Cyn wiped a tear off her cheek, not realizing that they’d even been collecting in her eyes. “I don’t know the future, Sloane,” she began. “I can’t promise you won’t ever hurt me. I also can’t promise I won’t ever hurt you. But life isn’t about avoiding hurt – especially when the cost of doing so is forsaking someone that you love. There are always a million ‘what ifs’ in life – What if the sky falls? What if the oceans dry up? What if the sun stops shining?”

  She paused with a small laugh to wipe the even greater number of tears from her cheeks and cleared her clogged throat.

  “But you don’t give up on life because of those unlikely possibilities. No… you can have your ‘what ifs’, well, I have some of my own. What if I was made for you and you were made for me? What if this is it, Sloane? What if this is what love is? What if we are meant to be?” She put her hand on his chest. “What if you just let me in? What if I’m your first… and last? What if you pull me close and be my one and only?” She stared up and lost herself in the blue depths of his eyes. “What if you just love me and let me love all your ‘what ifs’ away?”

  That was his angel - floating on wings and playing with fire.

  He swallowed hard. He was going to love her. If he hadn’t felt confident in it before, showing up at her place to find her missing had only cemented it in his mind. Maybe his worries would always be there to some degree in his mind, but he loved her too much to let that keep him from her.

  “Cyn,” he rasped. His hands cupped the sides of her face, his thumbs brushing away her determined tears. “I love you.” And then his mouth claimed hers.

  Was this real? Was it that… easy?

  It hadn’t been easy, no, but she’d been prepared for a much longer battle to win him because she wasn’t going to give up. No, somewhere in the past fourteen days, Sloane had become part of her new dream for her life and if there was one thing that he had shown her, it was that she deserved to fight for those dreams.

  And then, he’d spoken those three little words and every thought floating in her mind had disintegrated. His lips touched hers, a physical seal that told her she hadn’t imagined it.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, angling her head to deepen the kiss. This is what they both wanted – needed – after what happened with Tash and then the stress of being apart, both fighting for what they thought was right. The reality was that this was the only thing that was right – them, together.

  As soon as her body came flush with his, his tongue dove inside her mouth. She knew that he’d been starved for her before and now he needed to feast. And she wanted nothing more.

  His mouth pulled back. “Cyn,” he said hoarsely. “There’s so much more I need to say, angel.” She felt his hands vibrating on her face, his body physically shaking with need. “But I’ve missed you… I need you so fucking much. And then this morning… the thought of never holding you again almost killed me.”

  “Sloane.” She shushed him. “I love you. Take me however you need me because I feel the same.” Her lips barely finished forming the last word before his mouth was on hers again, demanding with his desire.

  Everything that he wanted to tell her paled against everything that he needed to show her… to make her feel. Sloane felt each one of his cells pulsating with his desire for her.

  Their kiss ignited with the burning need between them. His tongue dove inside of her mouth, tasting her Cyn-filled sweetness.

  God, he’d missed the taste of her. Every time he’d closed his eyes trying to get a few minutes of sleep these past weeks, his mind traveled straight to this – to her – her touch, her taste, the feel of her pressed against him… around him… It had been torture, but he couldn’t help letting himself have those moments of pure bliss.

  But not even her memories compared to having the real thing in his arms right now.

  His hands held her face up to his and then began to thread their way into her hair. She had it tied up on top of her head; it was unacceptable. He wanted to see her naked before him, her dark tresses spilling over her pale skin. His fingers found the tie, pulling it from her hair and setting the long locks free from their shackle. Dropping the elastic, his finger dove into her soft, thick mane, clasping her head as his lips began to explore the soft skin of her jawline up towards her ear.

  Sloane heard her moan as his hands ska
ted down over her back to grab the edge of the tank top that she was wearing, pulling the fabric roughly over her head and tossing it to the side. Her bra was next; he followed the trail of lace to the back clasp and unhooked it. She dropped her arms cooperatively so that the scrap of material could slide off easily.

  He groaned as his hands found the soft weight of her breasts, his thumbs immediately searching out the hard peaks of her nipples as he began to toy with the tender buds.

  Before he could bend to taste one of the sweet tips, he felt her tugging his shirt up and over his head. Begrudgingly, he released her neck from his lips to finish removing his tee. His hands immediately returning to the treasures that he’d revealed, watching as he kneaded her soft flesh that was flushed and swollen with arousal.

  He bit into his lip as his erection struggled painfully against his jeans. Her hands came up over his, pressing them firmer against her aching flesh and Sloane thought he might explode at the sight.

  Dropping to his knees in front of her, thankfully on the carpet, his left hand brushed hers to the side, holding up the mound so he could capture the taut peak in his mouth. Those delicious hands of hers immediately threaded through his hair, pulling his mouth harder against her as he sucked.

  Cyn gasped his name loudly – begging for what Sloane needed too. His right hand dropped to the waistband of her baggy work jeans, deftly undoing the button and zipper; the material fell to the floor without further instigation and Sloane gently bit her nipple in anticipated arousal of what his fingers would uncover next.

  As his mouth found her other breast, his left hand joined the right, resting on the soft skin on the side of her hips before hooking his fingers underneath the straps of her thong and yanking it to the floor.