by Cynthia Eden
“You shot me!” Isaac gaped at Sebastian. “OhmyGod!”
“Bastard…” Antony rumbled from the floor. “Hurts…doesn’t it?”
Sebastian rushed for Isaac. He kicked the gun away from its position near Isaac’s foot and slammed the SOB into the desk. He wrenched Isaac’s arms behind his back.
Isaac screamed even louder.
“Now who’s the prick?” Sebastian demanded.
“You…still are,” Isaac huffed.
The door flew open.
Winston, Dex, and Ella burst inside. Their expressions were locked and tight and Ella—she immediately ran for Antony.
“You’re hurt!” She dropped to her knees beside him.
Alyssa hurried to her brother and knelt to examine him.
Sebastian kept his tight grip on Isaac and cocked his head toward Winston. “Tell me that you have cuffs on you.”
Winston held them up.
“Please arrest this asshole. Right before he shot Antony—”
Antony groaned, cutting through Sebastian’s words.
“You were shot?” Ella gasped. “You aren’t supposed to be shot! You work on a computer all day! That is a safe job!”
Sebastian shook his head. The woman had no clue. And she sure was tenderly running her hands over Antony.
What was that about?
“The bullet is still in Antony’s side.” Alyssa’s voice was high. Afraid. “He needs an ambulance.”
Dex whipped out his phone. Sebastian heard him calling for an ambulance and for his team.
Winston approached with cuffs.
“As I was saying,” Sebastian continued grimly, “right before he shot Antony, I found out that Isaac was the guy who’d hired our thugs from the Dark Web. Isaac was the mastermind. All that stuff went down because he wanted to steal Shark Gaming and Design secrets.”
Dex looked over at Sebastian. Then Isaac.
“Shark Gaming and Design,” Sebastian emphasized. This whole mess had never been about spies.
It had been about secrets, yes, tech secrets.
It had been about greed.
It had been about money.
Now, finally, it was over. His gaze darted to Alyssa. She was crouching over her brother and talking softly to him. Her hair fell over her shoulders.
Dex crept close to Sebastian. “We’ll need a private briefing, ASAP.”
Yes, they would need a briefing because Sebastian had some plans he needed to discuss with his handler.
Get ready to handle the changes that are coming.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“You’re quitting?” Dex gaped at him as they stood in Sebastian’s study. “We’ve been over this before. You can’t just walk away!”
Sebastian crossed his arms over his shoulders. Twenty-four hours had passed since they’d caught Isaac at Shark Gaming and Design. Sebastian was currently enjoying being back at home, while Isaac was raging in a jail cell. Though Isaac needed to stop the raging and get used to living behind bars.
Not like he’d be getting out any time soon.
The fact that Isaac had discovered Sebastian and Antony were spies? Well, that meant he was getting special attention from Uncle Sam. The kind of attention you didn’t want. The kind of attention that meant you were in for a whole new level of pain.
He won’t be sharing those secrets with anyone.
“Look, Antony is okay,” Dex pointed out—as if Sebastian had somehow forgotten what was happening with him. “The docs dug the bullet out. He’ll heal, and he’ll be back in the game in no time.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing…” Sebastian exhaled. “I don’t see it as a game. I see the spy world as a problem. It’s standing between me and what I want.”
“Her.”
Why deny it? “I’m making changes. You were right, I can’t eliminate all the threats, but I also can’t keep her safe when I’m halfway across the world on missions.”
“You actually think she’s going to be okay with the risks you bring to her?”
The door to Sebastian’s study opened. Alyssa stood there, clad in faded jeans and a black top that hugged her breasts. Her long hair slid over her shoulders, and her eyes seemed even bigger and darker.
Gorgeous.
“Why don’t you ask her?” Sebastian invited.
Dex immediately put his hands on his hips and spun toward her. “Do you have any idea what you’re taking on with him? You’re prepared for the fact that he might have enemies who show up, gunning for him?”
Sebastian tensed.
She sighed. “You’re trying to scare me.”
Dex nodded. “Maybe you should be scared. Isaac found out the truth. Others could, too.”
“Yes. And if that happens…” Alyssa walked straight to Sebastian. Her eyes lit up as she approached him. “If that happens, we’ll deal with it. Together.”
Together. Yes, that was exactly where he wanted to be—with her.
“Life is full of risks,” Alyssa continued quietly. “If you let those risks stop you from living, then you’ll miss out on some pretty important things. The best things.”
Sebastian’s hand lifted and curled under her chin. “I will do everything I can to protect you.”
She gave him a slow smile. “And I will do the same for you. I kinda have a vested interest in watching that sexy ass of yours.”
He laughed. God, she made him feel good.
“You two…you’re trouble. Like, seriously, do you know how much trouble this is going to cause me?” Dex groused. “You have skills that I need Sebastian! It’s not like I can just replace you at the drop of a hat.”
Sebastian glanced Dex’s way. “You still have Antony.”
“For the moment.” He heaved out a frustrated breath. “But what’s he gonna do? Fall in love, decide he wants to give up the spy life, and then screw me over, too?”
Now Sebastian shook his head. “You know, it’s not always about you.”
Alyssa turned toward Dex. “It’s not.”
He frowned. “Are you sure?” Dex tapped his chin. “I thought it was.”
Sebastian almost smiled at the guy. Yes, Dex could be a pain in the ass but, deep down, Sebastian liked him.
Dex studied them both for a moment. Then he nodded. “I will do everything I can to erase you from the system. I have a lot of pull, so…pretty soon, you’ll be like a shadow there. It will make it a whole lot harder for your enemies to find you. Harder, but not impossible. Like I warned you before, quitting isn’t the way it works.”
But Sebastian understood what Dex was saying. Every precaution would be taken. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. Thanks for your service. And good luck. I mean that.” His attention shifted to Alyssa. Sharpened on her. “He loves you more than anything. You get that, don’t you?”
She nodded. “I do now.”
“How do you feel about him? Because he’s not a prick. Or at least, not always, and he deserves someone who cares.”
Aw. Dex sounded like he cared. Now Sebastian did smile at him.
“Stop that shit,” Dex immediately snapped.
Sebastian laughed.
“Don’t worry,” Alyssa assured Dex. “I more than care.” She faced Sebastian. Gazed up at him. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m ready for risks. I’m ready for adventures. I’m ready for everything that will come our way.”
From the corner of his eye, Sebastian saw Dex slip away. The door clicked closed behind him. Sebastian waited a beat then gruffly asked, “You even ready for marriage? Maybe those kids you talked about?”
“I don’t know…are you asking?”
He would be asking. Very soon. He had plans. Hopes. Dreams—dreams that had started the day he’d first seen her.
“Say it again,” Sebastian urged her.
“Say…I don’t know?” Her dark eyes warmed with a teasing gleam. The gold flecks flared.
Sebastian shook his head.
“
Oh, you mean the part where I said I love you?”
He pulled her even closer. “Yes.”
“I love you.”
He kissed her. Took her mouth with all the fierce hunger and need that roared through him. She kissed him back the same way. With need, wild desire, and…love.
He loved her so much. Dex had been right. There was no one in the world Sebastian loved more. For him, Alyssa was it.
“You know,” she whispered against his mouth, “there is a perfectly good desk about two feet away.”
“And there’s a perfectly good bed upstairs.” He kissed her again. He loved her mouth. Loved to nip her lower lip then sweep his tongue inside her mouth and taste all of that sweetness.
I just love her.
“How about we start here…” Alyssa sensually invited. “Then work our way up?”
Any plan she wanted was perfect for him.
But Alyssa pushed against his shoulders. “Give me just a second.”
I will give you forever.
She walked away from him. Went to the door. Turned the lock. Alyssa glanced back at him with a sensual smile. “We tend to get interrupted a lot.”
He smiled at her.
For a moment, she faltered. “The smile does it to me. Every single time.”
His head tilted.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but I love your smile.”
Sebastian shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but I love every single thing about you.”
Slowly, she stalked back toward him. “You can’t know that for certain.”
But he nodded. “I do, trust me.”
Her hand slid down his chest. A sensual caress that ended at the snap of his jeans. “But there are some things about me that you don’t know yet.”
“I’m sure I’ll love them.”
“How about we find out?” Alyssa unsnapped his jeans. “Why don’t we find out…just what it’s like when I get my turn to pleasure you?” She lowered the zipper.
His over-eager cock sprang toward her. No underwear in the way. “Baby, you already give me more pleasure than I can stand.” Sex with her was better than sex with anyone else. No competition.
“But we should make sure.” She was stroking his dick. Making every muscle in his body tighten eagerly as she pumped him from root to tip. “You know, be very certain that you love what I do.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “Because if you don’t like something, tell me. I can be a quick learner.”
Then she lowered to her knees.
Fucking hell.
The sight of Alyssa on her knees before him…
She brought her mouth close to his cock. Blew lightly over the tip.
Then took him inside.
His hands clamped around her shoulders. She sucked him. Licked him. Moved her head back and forth in a rhythm that made him crazy as she took his cock deeper and deeper, and she sucked him and—
“Fucking love it.” Loved it so much he was about to come.
No, she has to come, too.
Her mouth slid off him. She licked her lips. Beamed up at him and started to go right back—
He yanked her upright. Got her those two feet to his desk. Shoved everything else off the desk and put her up there. Hey, if Alyssa wanted to use the desk, why the hell not? The bed was way too far away.
Alyssa kicked away her shoes. He hauled off her jeans and underwear, then pulled her to the edge of the desk. His cock shoved at the entrance to her body. He wanted to sink deep and never let her go.
“Alyssa.” His voice was guttural.
Her nails bit into his shoulders. “You’re making me wait!”
“I love you.”
Her breath caught. Her gaze locked on his. “I love you, too.”
He drove into her.
They both moaned. She was tight and hot and perfect. The best dream he’d ever had. Only she wasn’t a dream any longer. She was real. She was his. She was—
Wrapping her legs around his hips and telling him to go faster. Harder. So he did. He let go of his control and just held on to her. Primal desire exploded through him. He kissed her deep and long. Devoured her mouth even as he pounded into her. Over and over.
Then he was blazing a path down her neck, licking her, biting her lightly, sucking her skin.
“Sebastian!” Alyssa cried out his name even as he felt her sex contract around him with the pulses of her release.
She felt so freaking good. But he didn’t come, not yet, because he was too busy enjoying the way she felt when she climaxed around him.
Her breath heaved in and out. “I love you,” she whispered.
He came. A release that blew right through every cell in his body. So powerful that he was swept away and all he could do was hold on to her.
***
He was carrying her up the stairs.
Alyssa cracked one eye open. Smiled slowly. “Are we moving on to phase two?”
His hold tightened around her as he gave a low, deep chuckle. “Absolutely.”
“Good.” His neck was kissably close, so she leaned her head forward and kissed him. Licked the skin right over his pulse point.
He hissed out a breath. “We could always have phase two right here on the stairs.”
She licked him again. “Tempting.” Her head slid back. “You didn’t tell me…how did you feel about having my mouth—”
“Baby, I fucking loved it. Go down on me anytime. Consider it an open invitation. Please, go for it. Over and over again.”
She laughed. “I will.”
He was smiling, too, but then as he carried her up to the landing, his smile slowly faded. He paused at the top of the stairs and gazed down at her. “I love you.”
It made her heart warm every single time that he said those words.
“I will love you until the day I die,” Sebastian promised.
Her heart squeezed. “Let’s just plan on you not dying for at least a hundred more years, okay?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I.” She was exactly where she wanted to be. In his arms. “I love you.”
When his dimples flashed again, Alyssa felt her heart melt.
She’d always known that Sebastian would be dangerous to her.
She’d been right.
He’d stolen her heart, and, from here on out, he’d always hold it in the palm of his hand.
Only fair because Alyssa knew she had his heart, too. She’d keep it safe. She’d treasure it—him—always.
“I think there was promise of a phase two,” she reminded him. “You know, hint, hint.”
His laugher made her whole body feel warm as he turned and carried her to the bedroom.
Epilogue
“Don’t even think about it.” Antony Kyle had a warm, charming smile on his face, but his eyes were ice cold.
Sebastian took a sip of the ridiculously expensive champagne and fired a quick glance at his buddy. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. I see the way you’re staring at my sister. You’re about to pull some serious shit here, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t call it shit.” He’d call it romantic planning. Sebastian shrugged. “I mean, it is her birthday. I would be an incredibly crappy boyfriend if I didn’t have some sort of big plan in place for her.” He glanced across the room. Alyssa was hugging her mom. Her dad stood by her side, smiling warmly. And a few feet away, one of the caterers was carefully arranging the birthday cake that Sebastian had ordered for Alyssa.
As he watched, the caterer placed the birthday candles on top of the icing.
Almost show time.
“Just so you know, I have one rule,” Antony announced.
Here we go again.
Sebastian pulled his gaze away from the cake and focused on Antony.
“Make her happy.” Antony slapped his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Because if you don’t, then I don’t ca
re if you did save my life, I will fight you.”
A laugh tore from Sebastian.
Winston appeared at Antony’s side. He was sipping his champagne. “What’s so funny?”
Antony turned toward him. “Hey, buddy! Congrats on the promotion.”
Winston smiled.
Sebastian saluted him with his champagne flute. “You deserve every accolade. Asheville—hell, the whole state—is lucky to have you.”
“Aw, now you’re just trying to get on my good side.”
“You only have a good side,” Sebastian told him, being completely honest. “You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met. I’m lucky to call you my friend.” He cleared his throat. Motioned to Antony. “Lucky to have you both.”
Winston slanted a look at Antony. “Is he drunk?”
“He has been hitting the champagne pretty hard. But I think it’s just because he’s nervous.”
“Why’s he nervous?” Winston wanted to know.
“Because I think he’s about to ask my sister to marry him, and his crazy ass is scared she’ll say no. Like that will happen.”
The candles were being lit.
Time to do this. He shoved his champagne flute to the side. Began marching for the main table and for Alyssa.
Everyone was closing in on her. People started to sing.
“Great party, man,” a voice murmured at his side. “Thanks for the invite.”
His gaze darted to the right. Dex?
Dex winked at him. “Like I’d miss this. Always fun to see the mighty fall.”
He couldn’t deal with Dex, not right then.
He had bigger priorities.
Sebastian made it to Alyssa’s side. The candles were lit, glowing softly, and the Happy Birthday song was almost over. Alyssa turned toward him with a warm smile.
I love you, she mouthed.
His hand shoved into his pocket. She looked back at the cake. Leaned over the table. Just as the voices stopped singing, she pressed her plump lips together, closed her eyes…
And he knew she made a wish.
Then she blew out all of the candles as everyone cheered.
He sank to one knee.
The cheers stopped. In fact, everything went dead silent.
Frowning, Alyssa glanced around. When she saw him and the small box he’d just opened and offered to her, Alyssa’s eyes widened in surprise.