by Cynthia Eden
He didn’t.
He knew he should be using more care.
He couldn’t.
Her lips parted and her body shuddered and she moaned his name as she came again. He felt the contractions of her sex around him, and he exploded. The orgasm ripped through him, damn near incinerated him, and all he could do was take and take and take the pleasure that consumed every inch of his body.
When it was over, when his heartbeat stopped thundering and his body stopped shuddering—and still thrusting eagerly into her—his eyes opened. His hands had fisted around the covers. He was over her, and as he stared down at her beautiful face…
Too rough. Too hard. Too—
Her eyes opened. She smiled at him. “That was worth waiting for.”
Oh, damn. He blinked. The world seemed to shift. Everything tilted and then…re-centered.
Right there.
On her.
Hello, fucking center of my universe.
He shook his head. Because, no, no way could he be thinking that—
Uncertainly flashed on her face. “It…wasn’t? I mean, it wasn’t as good for you?” Her voice turned hushed. “I-I—”
He was always such a colossal ass with her. “Good doesn’t begin to describe it. More like fucking fantastic.” He kissed her. “Earth shattering.”
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better.”
Another kiss. “So good that I want you again, right now.”
Her lips parted.
He knew she felt him getting harder and harder inside of her. “And I do mean…right now.” Only he had to ditch the condom. Dammit. “Give me a second.” He withdrew from her and hated that. His new favorite place was right there, buried deep in Alyssa.
She licked her lips as he stood beside the bed. Her gaze drifted over him, and he liked the way she looked at him.
Like she wants more. Just as badly as I do. “Hold the thought,” he urged her. Sebastian turned and hurried for the bathroom. He threw away the condom and he—
An alarm was beeping. What in the hell? Another intruder? It had better not be that asshole reporter Gavin back for a second round.
But, no, that alarm wasn’t the sound for his home security system.
“Sebastian?” Alyssa called. “Your phone is making a funny sound.”
He rushed back into the bedroom. Grabbed his phone from the nightstand. Stared at the screen in disbelief. “Not happening.”
She tugged the covers up to her chin. “What’s not happening?”
Sebastian’s gaze darted over her. “You should never be covered up. You’re gorgeous.”
Her brows climbed.
“I have to go to Shark Gaming and Design.” Because the message he’d just received…no damn way.
“Now? You have to go right now?”
Unfortunately, dammit, yes. “Someone’s on my computer.” He started grabbing clothes.
“Uh, shouldn’t you just alert security at the company? That’s what the security guards are there for—”
“No, baby, you don’t understand. The person is in my system. As in, some bastard managed to get past my safeguards. He’s searching my computer. Right the fuck now.” He fired off a quick text because the guards at the company did need to be alerted. “I’m telling the guards to form a perimeter around my office, but no one is to go in there until I arrive.”
She jumped out of the bed. “I’m coming with you.”
“That’s a bad idea, that’s—”
“I thought the safest place for me was with you.”
Hell, yes, it was. But… “I don’t know what I’ll be facing in there.”
“How many guards will you have surrounding your office when we arrive?”
“At least a dozen.”
“That sounds safe to me.” She stared up at him. “What if this is some trick? Some way of luring you away from me, separating us to make me vulnerable?”
It could very well be.
“I’m coming with you.”
She had been, a few minutes ago. And if he’d had his way, she would have been on the way to coming again and again.
But some jackass had interrupted his plans.
The same jackass who’d been targeting Alyssa? He didn’t buy that this attack on his system was random. No way, no day.
And leaving her at his house while he drove all the way across town…
Possibly leaving her open to whoever might be out there?
“Get dressed,” he told her. “We leave in five.”
And Sebastian put in a call to the man he trusted to have his back. Just in case this scene didn’t go as planned, he always believed in having a contingency plan in place.
Alyssa hurried for the bedroom door.
“Stop.”
She stilled.
He sucked in a deep breath. Fury and adrenaline burned through him.
Some asshole is trying to hack my files.
But… “I’ll have you again.”
She looked back at him. Her hair trailed over shoulders. Her eyes seemed extra dark and mysterious.
“And again,” he added gruffly. “This is just beginning for us. You get that, don’t you?” Once wasn’t going to be enough. He’d warned her.
There would be no going back.
Chapter Eleven
“Is there video footage of the guy going in my office? Is there footage of him getting into the building? Getting off the elevator and onto my freaking floor?”
Alyssa tensed when Sebastian asked his rapid-fire questions. They’d made it to Shark Gaming and Design, and Sebastian had immediately been greeted by the head of security, Ella Webb. She’d ridden up on the elevator with them and given status updates to Sebastian. Now they stood just beyond the elevator, in the small lobby on Sebastian’s floor. It was the top floor of the building, and three different corridors stretched out from the lobby. One corridor led to Research and Development, one led to HR, and the final corridor led to Antony and Sebastian’s offices.
Alyssa had known Ella for a while and always found the other woman to be no-nonsense and more than capable of handling any situation that arose. Ella sort of oozed quiet confidence, a trait that Alyssa had often envied. The two women had even gone out for a few ladies’ nights. Ella had some mean dance moves, and she knew how to stop annoying, would-be suitors dead in their tracks.
At Sebastian’s questions, Ella shook her head. “Negative.” Unease flickered over her face.
It was the first time Alyssa had ever seen Ella appear uncertain.
Then Ella continued, and Alyssa understood the reason behind the uncertainty as Ella revealed, “I reviewed the footage, and the feeds went out for a few moments. So brief it wasn’t detected by our system. The guy knows what he’s doing.”
“No, he doesn’t. If he knew exactly what he was doing,” Sebastian retorted, “he wouldn’t have set off my fail-safe.”
Alyssa had no idea what his fail-safe was, but she was certainly grateful for it, especially if they were about to catch the bad guy and end this nightmare.
“Our guards have maintained their positions as ordered. No one has gone in your office, and no one has come out.”
“Then unless he’s pulled a serious Houdini on us, I’m about to catch my prey.” Sebastian nodded. “Good job, Ella.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s a crap job, and we both know it. He got in your office. On my watch. I apologize, and please know, this will not happen again.” Her spine straightened. “I also don’t think you should be the one going in there to confront him. You don’t have experience dealing with perps like this, and I do. You know I worked for five years as a cop. I should handle this, not you. You’re in way over your head. And, ah, of course, I mean that with respect.”
You’re in way over your head. Ella didn’t know about Sebastian’s side jobs. No one did.
Well, now I do.
Ella’s gaze flickered to Alyssa. “Tell him to stand down. He’ll listen to you.”
/>
“Excuse me?”
Ella sighed. “He always listens to you.”
“No, no, he doesn’t—”
“You told him to put in the exercise room on the third floor, and he did it a week after you mentioned it would help staff deal with stress. You told him that it would be great if we had a coffee shop closer to the building, and he put in one downstairs so I think that—”
“Ella,” Sebastian cut through her words.
Her brows rose.
“I got this,” he assured her. “But I want you sticking to Alyssa like glue while I’m inside with the perp. She doesn’t leave your line of sight, not even for a moment, got me?”
Ella immediately nodded.
“Good.” He turned to Alyssa. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
Her gaze darted around the lobby area. Down the corridor that led to Sebastian’s office, she could see the guards as they waited.
Sebastian took a step toward that corridor.
Alyssa grabbed his arm. “Do you have a weapon?”
He looked back at her.
Ella cleared her throat but didn’t speak.
“I’m good,” Sebastian assured her.
This scene didn’t feel good to her. “Why don’t you let the guards go in first? There are a lot of them.”
His face hardened. “Because this bastard broke into my office. He is trying to hack into my computer, and I will be the one that the SOB deals with. I’m not risking my people in a confrontation with him.” He lowered his head, bringing his mouth close to her ear, and he whispered, “If this is about my work for Uncle Sam, my guards might not be equipped for the kind of trouble he could bring them. I’ve got this.” When he pulled back, his lips skimmed over her cheek. “Trust me.”
It wasn’t about trust. It was about her wanting to keep Sebastian safe.
He squeezed her hand.
And walked away.
Ella sidled closer. “You two are an item now?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She knew exactly what Ella was talking about. Because maybe when she and Ella went out, they shared over the occasional glass of wine and talked about their men troubles. And the men they’d like to have trouble with.
“You are such a dirty liar,” Ella whispered. “Tell me the truth. I saw him holding your hand when you walked into the building. Security footage caught that part.”
Of course, it had.
Alyssa was still staring after Sebastian’s back.
“So, was one time enough?” Ella asked, voice barely more than a breath. “Because I think you once told me that a hate fuck would be good for the soul.”
Jeez. She had said that. After too many glasses of wine. “It wasn’t about hate,” she muttered.
Ella sucked in a quick breath.
And Alyssa realized what she’d confessed.
“Antony will lose his overprotective mind,” Ella warned.
First, we have to find him. They had to make sure he was safe. They had to help him.
After that, they could deal with the fallout.
***
Sebastian didn’t go into his office via the main door. That would have been too obvious, and Sebastian tried not to be an obvious man.
So he entered Antony’s office, instead. Fun little fact, he and his buddy had secretly installed a passageway that connected the two offices. A passageway that could double as a safe room when shit hit the fan. Because, unfortunately, they’d been in several situations when the shit had blown sky high.
The passageway would open to the left of Sebastian’s desk. When he stepped out, he’d be right on the bastard who thought he could hack Sebastian’s system.
He had his gun ready. He’d taken the liberty of bringing a few weapons with him. He hadn’t shown them to Alyssa because, hell, seeing him with the knife earlier had seemed like more than enough show-and-tell business for one night.
Before he left the passageway, he checked the weapon once more. When the panel soundlessly slid open, he stepped out. “Give me a fucking reason not to shoot you.” His voice was low and lethal, and he had his gun aimed at the shadowy figure who sat behind his desk.
The glow from Sebastian’s dual screens fell onto the man. His fingers were poised over the keyboard. His whole body stiffened.
After a tense moment, his head turned slightly toward Sebastian. “A reason? Well, how about the fact that if you shoot me, then you lose the best—and only—partner that you’ve ever had,” Antony Kyle responded.
Antony Kyle.
Sebastian didn’t lower his weapon. “You went dark.”
“Well, yeah.” Antony shrugged. “Trying to get some alone time, if you know what I mean. I had Dex breathing down my neck and pressuring me to take other assignments, and I wasn’t even sure I wanted to stay in the business longer and—”
“How did they find out about Alyssa? How did your cover get blown?”
Now Antony jerked, as if his body had just been surged with electricity. “My cover has not been blown.” He rose and put his body right in front of Sebastian—and Sebastian’s gun. “I’ve been friendly so far because, you know, we’re friends, but want to tell me why you’re pointing your gun at me?”
“Want to tell me why you broke into my office?”
“Uh, I just did.” Antony’s gaze was hard behind the lenses of his glasses. “I told you, I was trying to get alone time. Didn’t know if Dex was tracking my online activity—you know that jerk does that sometimes when he’s keeping tabs on me—so I figured if I came here, to your office, it would just look as if you were the one in Shark doing some late-night work.” His hands were loose at his sides. “Now what the hell did you mean about Alyssa?”
“You know exactly what I meant! You sent me the text asking me to protect her!” This was some bull—
“I didn’t send you any text,” Antony responded slowly. “I told you, I went dark. As in, dark from everyone. I haven’t used my phone in days. Hell, I didn’t even take it with me on the mission. I left it here in my office. I did not text you.”
“You told me your cover was blown.”
Antony shook his head.
“You told me to protect her.”
Once more, a negative shake of Antony’s head.
“To do anything necessary.”
Antony’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I never contacted you about Alyssa.”
Tension poured through Sebastian’s body. If Antony didn’t contact me, who did? “You didn’t see any of the media reports? You haven’t heard what’s happened?” Sebastian demanded.
“I’ve been staying off-line, like I said. This is my first time to be at a computer. Got some big damn decisions to make. I went off-grid for a reason. Now tell me what is up with my sister!”
Sebastian lowered his gun. “Someone shot at Alyssa. The same person later trashed her house.”
Antony’s eyes widened. “Someone shot at my sister? Is she hurt? OhmyGod, was Alyssa hit?”
“I got her.” He should say more. Sebastian cleared his throat. “She’s safe. I’ve been taking care of her.”
Antony’s grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug. “Thank you. God, you know how important she is to me! If something happened to her…”
Sebastian was stiff. Too tense. “Nothing will happen to her.” Not on his watch.
Antony pulled back. Frowned. “Where is my sister right now?”
Sebastian backed away and stalked for the door. “Waiting with the guards.”
Antony rushed up behind him just as Sebastian hauled open the door. “Stand down,” Sebastian immediately snapped to the assembled guards.
“Wow.” Antony’s voice was low. “They were out here the whole time? How’d you even know I was in your office? ‘Cause, man, I was careful. Made sure no one saw me entering this building.”
That would explain the mysterious tech glitches. Figured they’d come from one of the guys who knew the system inside and out. “I knew you were
in here because no one touches my tech without my knowledge.” No one could get to the secrets he had.
No one.
He hurried forward. “Go back to your stations,” he ordered the guards. He flashed his smile at them and gave a rough laugh. “The situation is contained. One of your bosses just forgot to follow protocol and decided to scare us all to death.”
“Low key,” Antony muttered. “I was trying to be—”
“Antony!” Alyssa’s shocked voice. And then she was rushing forward. Her whole face lit up as she ran forward.
She’s not running to me. Sebastian wanted that. He wanted Alyssa to light up and run to him.
Sebastian stepped to the side. He got out of the way.
Alyssa ran into her brother’s arms and hugged him tightly. Antony buried his face in her hair.
“Everything okay?” Ella asked. Her voice seemed oddly cautious—even for Ella—as she sidled closer.
Sebastian nodded. “Sorry for the false alarm. Didn’t realize Antony was in tonight.” Because the bastard had gone dark.
And…
Antony didn’t contact me. Sebastian was keeping his mask in place and trying not to show just how unnerved he was. If Antony hadn’t contacted him about Alyssa that first time, then it meant the perp they were after had done it.
The perp had deliberately contacted Sebastian right in the middle of a giant press conference. He’d deliberately chosen that moment to reveal that Alyssa was being threatened.
Why?
Only one answer came to mind for Sebastian, and it wasn’t good.
He was testing me. The guy had caught Sebastian in the spotlight, and he’d forced him to choose…
I chose her.
“If you don’t need me, I want to talk with the guards,” Ella said. “Unless there is something else I need to know about?”
He gave a flash of his dimples. “We’re good.”
Ella nodded briskly, then strode away. As she hurried off, her gaze darted toward Antony.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Alyssa said as she eased away from her brother. “I was afraid something had happened to you, and when Sebastian told me—” She stopped. Pressed her lips together.
I told her everything. I thought there was no choice, and I told her.
Antony didn’t know that part, not yet.