"Sounds good."
"Monday is my Tae Kwon Do evening, so it'll have to be after that."
"Tell me where you'll be and I'll meet you there."
"Okay, I will. I finish up the class about seven. If we meet then it'll give you some time for yourself. Besides, don't you have a message to return?" She nodded over at the answer machine.
Sebastian puzzled over her remark, then realized she must have meant the message from Alex.
"Alex is my sister," he said. "But yes, I will have to call her back." He winked. When she smiled, he could see relief in her expression, she really must have thought it was a girlfriend. Surely not? He thought he'd clarified his status already.
"The one with the kids?"
"No, that's Sandra, my older sister. Alex is younger than me and she lives here in London too. Sandra and her family are in Yorkshire, close to my Mother, in the town I grew up in. Filey, on the east coast."
She nodded.
"It was because of Alex I bought this house. She moved down to London the year after I did and I bought the place so she could use it for a base, but she got her own place soon after."
"That explains the female touches."
Sebastian smiled. She could pull out investigative skills when she put her mind to it.
"It must be nice to have a big family. I'm an only child and I always wanted that."
"I think you appreciate it more as you get older, as a kid I always hated having sisters either side of me."
Her gaze searched his face as he spoke. "Have you been on your own since Alex moved out?"
Despite the casual sideways glance she gave him when she said it, he sensed the weight of her question. Sebastian wasn't one for beating about the bush when it came to stuff like this. "If you're asking about relationships, I had a pretty serious relationship, well—I thought it was serious—and it ended about a year ago. She left me for someone she'd started seeing on the side." It was still difficult to talk about, and the sympathy and concern in Amy's eyes really didn't make it easier. "Since then, I've been...well, off women. Until you fell into my lap and tempted me back."
Her eyes twinkled with pleasure at his remark.
"You know, I still feel a bit guilty about that Roger bloke," he added.
She gave a gentle laugh and blushed. Her skin was so pale and delicate, the flush of color was startlingly attractive. "Me, too."
"Tell me, why were you looking for a blind date?" If he was going to spill his guts, so too would she. Besides, he was curious.
"I wasn't looking, as such. I was talked into it by my boss, Janine." She shook her head. "I'd been in touch with Roger regarding Quentin's disappearance, and he asked me out. Janine said I should go for it."
"Persuasive lady, is she?"
"Yes." She laughed. "I've been buried in work for a long while too, and I thought maybe it was time." She sipped her tea. "I lived with a bloke I met at college for a while. He went overseas to do foreign correspondence."
"A mutual split?"
"Not really, it came as a bit of a shock, to be honest. I hadn't realized he was applying to work overseas. It really hurt because he did it behind my back, you know, kept secrets."
Sebastian felt a gathering of dark emotions—anger with the bloke who'd let her down and hurt her, guilt that he too was keeping secrets from her about his job. By necessity, he reminded himself. It was for her comfort, not to do her harm.
"Since then there's been nothing serious." She shook her hair out as she put down the cup. "I've been busy building my career, you know. That's the way I like to keep it, I guess." She looked at him, her lips pursed.
He nodded. "No strings?"
"No strings." The teasing glance she gave tickled him.
"It feels like a truly adult agreement, doesn't it?" Even as he said the words, they felt somehow hollow. He reached for her hand and kissed it slowly, his mouth resting up against each fingertip in turn.
She gave a murmur of approval, her eyelids growing heavy.
He felt the need to give each and every bit of her that kind of attention, and to make her eyelids close the way they did when she was overcome with pleasure. A sudden unbidden image of her bent over the table with her dress up around her waist the previous night popped into his mind. It was an image that would be emblazoned on his memory forever. Before he knew it, his blood was rushing. He wanted her again, badly.
"Oh," she exclaimed, startled, her eyes flashing wide open. Lydia had leapt up from behind the sofa and was strolling along behind their heads.
Oh no. Sebastian kept hold of Amy's hand.
The cat glanced back at him as she passed, with a rather sly expression, then jumped down beside Amy and tested her lap with one cautious paw.
"Hello, sweetheart." She stroked the cat's head.
Lydia walked onto her lap, and began purring loudly. Amy beamed, rubbing the interloper behind her ears and murmuring sounds of approval. The cat turned slowly in her lap, enjoying the fuss. Sebastian metaphorically crossed his every finger. You couldn't force a cat to like anyone, but he was hopeful.
"Are you okay with cats?"
She nodded, and Lydia purred even louder. After another moment of mutual appreciation, Lydia stepped lightly across to the arm of the sofa next to Amy, and sat down. Things were looking good.
"Sorry about the interruption." He resumed his attention to her fingertips. In between each kiss, he whispered to her. "Can I tempt you to stay here with me overnight? I could bring the bags in from the car…we could order take out."
"You're very persuasive."
He hoped so. He wanted to make love to her in his home. He wanted to be able to remember it every time he walked in, to picture her here, willingly receiving him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lydia jump down from the arm of the sofa and saunter out of the room. It looked as if she'd deemed it acceptable for them to spend time together alone. How gracious of her was that? He couldn't help smiling.
"Has anyone ever told you what a gorgeous smile you have?" Amy said.
"Wonky, yes. Gorgeous, no."
She watched him with her eyes half closed, a smile playing around her mouth—the mouth that lured him to kiss it, to taste her. Every fiber of his being was focused on her. Her lips parted. Something passed between them—that essential connection he'd felt the moment he'd made contact with her. The connection had been made deeper and richer through acknowledgement of the attraction, the physical relationship that followed intense and satisfying.
"Mm." She reached for him, siren-like, somehow languid and keen all at once. Sebastian responded. Her mouth was eager, her kiss inviting him deeper. He could tell she was as hungry for this as he was. His hands found their way around her waist. The soft thin jersey of her dress was intrusive. He felt her shifting, her body molding up against his. He drew back and looked down at her hemline. Already askew, it was rucked up over one hip and he caught sight of a flash of her black lacey underwear.
She growled in her throat, a sound that made his blood rush faster. He wanted to discover her—there were so many things he wanted to try out with her.
"Take it off," he murmured, his hands easing the jersey up.
"Someone might see," she replied, nodding at the open blinds behind the sofa.
He knelt up, reached over, and flipped the blinds shut. When he sat back down, she smiled approvingly and slowly lifted the stretch of fabric. It stroked over her hips. She rose to her knees in front of him and shimmied it off in one slow movement, her hips swayed, her breasts bouncing free of the constraint. Sebastian was riveted. The house could have been on fire and he wouldn't have noticed. Amy had his full attention.
She eased back down into the sofa, straightening her legs out, stretching them suggestively. Sebastian reached for her and ran his hand down the inside of one thigh, then back up the line of the other. Her pelvis flexed. Sebastian swallowed, the way she had moved made him solid in an instant. Her eyes were filled with naughty humor. How could he resist?
He reached between her thighs, his hand nestling in to cover the scrap of lace she wore. She moved her hips again, nudging up against him. He felt her heat, the lace scuffing gently against the palm of his hand. He was rigid with need but he wanted to take his time with this, to make it last and enjoy every second. He looped one finger over the line of lace around her hip, and eased it down. He allowed himself to scan her body.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
She whimpered, her face flushing. "You're embarrassing me."
"You'll have to get used to it." He shook his head and looked down at the tender beauty of her intimate places, his gaze following the line of her body where it curved between her thighs. He contained his urge to bury his face there, and the desperate need to press his erect cock deep inside her warmth. Instead he leaned over to trace the line of her collarbone with his mouth, kissing and tasting her, slowly moving down between her breasts.
She wriggled, whimpering, when he kissed a path across her abdomen.
He slid down to kneel in front of her and darted his tongue down into her cleft, delving lower, feeling the soft, damp flesh of her sex give way. She swore aloud. He looked up at her. Her face was flushed, her hair tousled and hanging over her face. A quiet plea escaped her open lips.
"You are very aroused, my dear." He gave a husky laugh.
"You're in a similar state yourself, if I'm not mistaken," she retorted, nodding at his fly.
"And you're surprised?" He lifted his eyebrows, accusingly. "You know," he said, with a laugh. "Now you've mentioned it, all I want to do is be inside you." He pulled his shirt over his head, casting it off.
Amy groaned, her fingers brushing against his thigh. She gave him a demanding stare. "In that case, it looks as if you'd better get on with it."
Now, his body demanded. He had to be right inside her, and soon.
Her gaze had moved down from the bare skin of his chest to the erection that sprang out from his jeans when he unzipped. He pulled his cock free, fisting the rigid shaft in front of her.
"Oh yes," she whispered
Her words pumped through him, making him fiercely proud. He ran his hand over the length of it as she watched. She was like fuel to his fire. His cock twitched with need in response to her stare.
"Turn over," he whispered.
"What?"
"Turn over, and give me a look at that beautiful derriere of yours."
The smile she gave him was blatantly naughty. Turning to kneel on the sofa, she glanced back over her shoulder at him, her lips slightly parted in anticipation.
The way she looked mesmerized him. He savored it, from the look in her eyes to the tumble of her hair over her back, down the niche of her waist, to her heart shaped bottom. Her knees were pushed into the leather, her thighs angled for balance. Her hips swayed. Sebastian swallowed.
She'd barely leaned over the back of the sofa and he'd donned a condom and knelt down behind her, then lifted her body around the waist to haul her hips back against him. He ran the swollen head of his cock back and forth between the soft damp folds of her pussy. She squirmed and gasped, her hands making fists against the back of the sofa. He increased the pressure and speed, one hand on her hip to steady himself. She began to shudder. He continued the assault, observing as her body wriggled and lurched. Then he pinned her body with his hands on her shoulders.
"Keep still," he pleaded, when her pussy lurched up against his cock. He was close to losing it. He eased inside her, his blood pounding inside hers.
"Christ, you're wet," he uttered, and eased deeper.
Amy hummed her pleasure aloud, her head falling back. He leaned over her back, his arms around her waist, holding her locked into place. He moved his face into the curve of her neck, his mouth sinking against her skin, she felt so good. He drew back then reached further inside, again and again. Each thrust made him crave more, until he was piston-like and mindless.
She met his movements, matched each rhythm, panting all the while. He could see her hands squeezing the leather upholstery, her knuckles turning white, then her cunt tightened on his length and began to spasm. She had him so deep, he struggled with it to last, or be finished. He felt the heat of her climax, and had to take charge of it.
"Don't move, please," he begged. He put his hands on her hips and began to roll back and forth, slow and deep, his body churning into hers. Amy cried out in ecstasy. Sebastian thrust home. Her head rolled back, her body clutching at him, over and over. His body stilled and he came, his cock jerking repeatedly, and for a few ecstatic moments he lost contact with everything, except the clutch of her body on his. Somewhere far, far away he heard a voice telling him it was too good, and it couldn't last, but Sebastian ignored it.
Chapter Eight
Sebastian dropped his Land Rover down into first gear and drove slowly along the Holland Park Avenue where Quentin Edwards owned an apartment. It was a resident's parking area and a traffic warden was marching along the parked cars, checking their permits, right in front of the apartment block where Sebastian wanted to be. He swore under his breath but told himself to bide his time.
The Monday morning commuter traffic had long since gone and there was a parking space here and there. In a moment the warden would be around the corner and out of sight, which Sebastian estimated would give him a couple of hours before he came back around the block. Enough time to take advantage of the parking without getting a ticket.
He idled along the curb. While he waited, he wondered what Amy was doing. She hadn't said any more about her plans for the day when he'd dropped her at the tube station that morning. The most important thing had been securing their plans for meeting up and dinner and—of course—getting one last, luscious kiss from her, before she disappeared. He'd watched her go with a level of reluctance that surprised him. It had been too long since he'd been involved with anyone that was why, he told himself.
After he delivered the pool car back to the depot he went to his office to make sure everything was under control. Once he was up to date, he made some calls and did a bit of on-line research on Quentin Edwards' last known whereabouts. He had the bit between his teeth regarding the case, and a full-on debate was raging in his head as a result.
Why did he have to get involved? Couldn't he simply ignore someone else's investigation, just for once? He had enough trouble handing work over to his team of investigators because his guardian side was highly resistant to change. It was a pattern of behavior he did try to reign in, in order to stop from crowding his people while they worked. With Amy he was on even dodgier ground. It was only going to complicate his life. After all, what could he do if he did find out any information that might be useful to Amy? It wasn't as if he could meander up to her and tell her what he'd found out, when he was supposed to be sitting quietly in the background, keeping an eye on her safety. Nothing else. Nothing. And she was mighty independent. She wouldn't take kindly to interference.
But Sebastian's guardian side couldn't help thinking of her as his beautiful damsel in distress, nonetheless. She was far from being that, but he indulged himself in the fantasy because he liked to think she needed him in some way—in more than one way, in fact. He was fast becoming possessive about Ms. Amy Norton. When she'd spoken about the man she'd previously been involved with Sebastian had the urge to flatten the bastard. Where had that come from? He wasn't sure he'd ever had that kind of nonsensical reaction to talk of an ex before.
Another nagging voice joined the debate raging in his head. Why the sudden attachment? They'd only known each other a few days but already she'd taken up residence in his mind to the extent that she was never far from his thoughts. When he'd glanced at his daily funny on email he'd wanted to share it with her, but it was a PI joke from a stateside colleague. He would have to come clean about the true nature of his job before that kind of indulgence. Given her reaction when he tried to guide her investigation in Arundel, he didn't like to think what her reaction might be and, as a result, he didn't
linger on the possibilities for too long. Instead, he tried to concentrate on the task he'd set himself for the moment.
The traffic warden had finally gone and Sebastian pulled quickly into a nearby parking spot. He walked up to the impressive apartment block. It looked like the kind of place you'd expect to find a concierge watching over proceedings, and as he walked up the steps to the reception area, he was pleased to note that was indeed the case. That would simplify matters greatly.
* * * *
"Well, look at you." Janine declared, when Amy walked into the office. "I wasn't expecting to see you in here for another couple of days."
"It's a flying visit. I'm still in the middle of the Ghost Hunter thing. How are you?"
Janine beamed. "I'm good, very good, but tell me your news first. How did it go with the hunk?"
Amy dropped her bag on the table and sat down. She put her feet up on the desk and ruffled her hand through her hair, smiling. "Better than expected, much better. In fact, it was like a dream come true."
"You two got it together after all?"
Amy had spent a good part of Friday afternoon bemoaning to Janine the unlikely situation of being stuck with her mistaken blind date on a job. Janine had seen the funny side long before Amy. But now Amy was more than pleased with the course of events. She nodded.
"That explains the sexy glow," Janine commented, with a wink.
"Is it obvious?"
"You look as if you've been working off some stress and about time too." Janine arched an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, you're right, and it is good." Monday mornings in the office weren't usually about feeling this satisfied, Amy reflected. But then she hadn't usually spent the weekend with Sebastian. "He's gorgeous, fun to be around, he cooks, he can fix cars and…well, he's a fantastic lover."
"Sounds like he might be worth holding on to."
"It's a bit of fun," Amy added, quickly. "Nothing more." She shook her head at Janine, still smiling—despite the niggling urge she'd had to qualify what she was doing. It was like the previous afternoon, when they'd agreed to keep things light. It's what she wanted too. She had her career to think of.
Minding Amy Page 9