Scarlett Red: A Billionaire SEAL Story, Part 2 (In the Shadows) (15 page)

Once I reach my room, I take my time undressing, dragging out the entire process. In my heart, I hope Sebastian will stop by, but when another half hour passes, I brush my teeth and wash my face before crawling between the cool sheets.

I don’t know how long I lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling. At least an hour. I jump when the air-conditioning kicks on, my nerves on a raw edge. Curling into a tight ball, I force my eyes closed. After last night’s lack of sleep, my early-morning crazed swimming, and the very busy day I’ve had, it’s finally catching up, and I can’t hold my eyelids open any longer.

I awake with a start in the darkness at the jarring sound of knocking on my door.

“You there?” Sebastian says, knocking again.

Heart racing, I roll over, and just as I start to throw the covers off my legs, both my calf muscles quickly cinch into horrific cramps, the kind that steal your breath. Unable to speak, I moan low in my throat and try to flex my ankles while massaging each muscle, but the cramps are just too intense.

“Let me in,” he demands, his tone changing, turning harsher.

Wanting to respond, I push my rebelling legs over the edge of the bed and try to stand to force the cramps out, but the second I attempt to put weight on them, my right ankle gives out completely and I pitch into the nightstand.

Ugh!
Breathing in short gasps, tears streaking down my cheeks, I apply pressure on the good ankle and start to hop up and down while mentally telling my right ankle to move in circles and wake the hell up.

“Open the goddamn door, T!” Sebastian growls in a low, barely controlled tone.

I gulp a grunt, but I can’t even form words to answer him; the waves of agony screaming through my muscles are just too intense.

After twenty seconds or so I’m finally able to use both legs, and as I begin to run in place, the cramps slowly ease out of my muscles. Exhaling a sigh of relief, I call out to Sebastian, “I’m coming. Give me a sec.”

Silence greets me. Great. He’s gone.

“That’s just perfect!” I snap, flopping back onto my bed in sheer frustration. While I consider having the front desk dial Sebastian’s room, my legs start to cramp again.

Argh!
Jumping up, I grab my cell phone from my nightstand and text Cynthia while I jog in place. I don’t care that it’s four a.m.

Me: What is the name of that masseuse you recommend? I’m dying here. Will have to go as soon as the spa opens tomorrow!

Once I take some pain medication, I flop back into the bed and hope like hell no more episodes happen before I can get to that masseuse.

“I
f you’ll step right this way, Miss Lone.” Theo turns his nicely tanned, six-foot frame and gestures to the table already lined with fluffy white towels. Soft music, featuring flutes, drums, and the sound of rushing water pumps through the speakers, while a light sandalwood scent floats in the air.

“Thank you for seeing me so quickly. My friend Cynthia recommended you.”

He inclines his head, smiling. “Of course. I believe you requested a hot stone massage?” he asks in a Swedish accent, light green eyes assessing me.

I nod. “I’ve never had a hot stone massage before, but a friend recommended it. I understand you do deep tissue as part of the massage. I’m not sure if deep tissue is what I need. I’ve just had the worse night of leg cramps ever.”

His blond brows pull together slightly. “Is this a common occurrence?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. Apparently, I overdid it with spontaneous exercising yesterday.”

Nodding his understanding, he hands me a neatly folded towel. “I’ll step out while you remove your clothes.”

I clutch the towel between my fingers. “All of them?”

A reassuring smile tilts his lips. “It’s up to you. I move small towels around as I work, but it’s really best with no other clothes to impede the stone’s fluid movements.”

After he steps out, I remove all my clothes, tuck my phone and room key inside them, and then lay down on my belly with the towel he gave me draped across my butt. I want these cramps worked out of my legs before I try to find Sebastian. I barely slept the last couple hours before I could call and make an appointment at seven-thirty this morning.

Theo returns a few minutes later, and the moment he begins to move the hot stones across my upper arms using a light aromatic oil to help them glide across my skin, I groan my approval.

He chuckles lightly. “Good, yes?”

“Heavenly,” I breathe out and let my entire body relax into his expert hands.

Ten minutes later, once he’s moved past my shoulders and arms, he pauses for a second and mutters in his native language.

“Is everything okay?” I ask only because I don’t want him to stop.
Ever.
Damn, why haven’t I gotten a massage before now? It would help relax my body so much after spending hours in the same position at the computer.

“The power light appears to have gone out on the unit that heats the stones. If you’re okay laying here for a few minutes, I’ll just run across to our other spa and grab that one, so I can keep going with your massage.”

“Sure,” I mumble, barely awake, my head resting between my raised arms. I’m so relaxed and sleepy, he could be gone a half hour and I wouldn’t move.

I’ve just closed my eyes when strong hands slide across my back and down my waist. “I guess you couldn’t get the unit.” I sigh. “I miss the stones, but I’ll probably need your hands on my legs more than the stones anyway.”

His hands move to my feet and begin to massage them with just the right amount of strength and skill.
God, that feels good. He has amazing hands. I was missing out while he used the stones.

“This is better.” I sigh happily as he moves to my ankles, then my calves, paying special attention to the muscles. “They’re crazy tight, right? God, it was embarrassing how many times I had to jump out of bed last night.”

Theo’s hands still on my calves. A second later he slides his thumbs around, digging deep into the calf muscles. “Ow!” I arch slightly, waving my hand behind me like a white flag. “Okay, I guess I can’t handle deep tissue. A bit softer is probably best.”

He resumes massaging with less vigor, working his way to the back of my knees. Circling his thumbs in the most sensitive spots, his hands continue to glide up my thighs, kneading and working the muscles until my legs feel completely loose and relaxed.

“Cynthia was right. You have fantastic hands,” I say, sighing in blissful pleasure.

In response, he moves his thumbs higher, pressing them along the inside of my thighs. He applies just the right amount of pressure to let me know he wants more room. When I move my legs apart just a bit, he digs in, his fingers working their magic on the back of my legs. I tilt my head slightly when his thumbs continue to move higher and I feel the towel edge up.

God, that really feels good, but I can’t help but tense slightly. His hands are a little too close for comfort considering I’m naked under the towel. The second his thumbs brush the crease where the back of my leg meets my butt, I start to jerk myself up onto my forearms. A hand presses between my shoulder blades, pushing me back down before he leans across me and says in a low growl, “What acrobatics were you doing all last night that gave you leg cramps? Because you sure as hell weren’t in your room.”

Shit! Sebastian.
His intoxicating smell only adds to the arousing pressure of his hard chest pinning me to the table. Of course the man gives one hell of a massage. Is there anything he isn’t masterful at? “Where’s my masseuse?” I demand.

“My guess is he’s currently picking out a new car,” he says in an annoyed tone as he lifts off my back, but keeps his hand firmly in place. “You didn’t answer the question.”

He paid the guy off?
Only Sebastian would do something so extreme. Even though his low, angry voice sends shivers down my spine, I let the fact that he’s pissed at me amp my own anger over his desertion for most of the night. Shrugging, I answer in a nonchalant tone, “It’s not like you were around.”

I jump when his other hand swiftly moves between my legs to cup my sex in a possessive hold, then I gasp when the towel disappears and teeth clamp briefly on my ass. Digging the tips of his fingers into the bit of hair between my legs, he folds his hand tight around me and leans across my back once more, husking in my ear, “This was mine first. Not his. You gave yourself to
me
.”

My heart pounds like crazy. I’m so turned on, but somehow I manage to keep my voice calm. “And yet you didn’t stick around, did you?”

Expelling a harsh grunt, he speaks with menace and intensity. “I went for a run. If I hadn’t, I would’ve beat the hell out of him for daring to touch you. Tell me that you didn’t spend the night with him.” I’m surprised when he plants a tender kiss on my neck and then another on my shoulder, his tone turning vulnerable in its edginess. “Tell me that you want to be with me.”

I love that I can still feel the sting of his light nip on my ass. That he wants me enough to leave his mark. His intense, volatile emotions make my hands shake and heart race at a staccato pace. It was so much easier to keep my distance from him when his powerful presence wasn’t rushing over me in a heady wave of masculine smells, decadent, knowing hands, and hard muscles pressing against me. Now I have no control. None. Tears slip freely across the bridge of my nose, but I blink and take a deep breath to stop the flow. I need to maintain some of my dignity with Sebastian, because he’s the only man who has the power to completely and totally devastate me.

“I only want to be with you, Sebastian.”

As soon as I answer, he straightens, his big hand landing on my rear end with a resounding smack. Sliding his thumb along my tingling butt cheek in a tender caress, he commands in a low tone, “Sauna, five minutes. Don’t be late.”

The sauna is outside the spa area, so I take a shower to get the oil off my skin before I head in that direction carrying my clothes and wearing a resort robe and flip-flops. I see Donald and another Hawthorne employee along the way. Noting the direction I’m headed, the sandy-haired guy takes a towel off the stack of supplies he’s carrying, along with a fresh bottle of water and hands them to me. “You’ll need water if you’re going to the sauna.”

Thanking him, I take the towel and water and make my way down the hall.

I arrive five minutes late on purpose, my stomach fluttering in anticipation. Sebastian needs to know I won’t follow every order he gives. Still I’m a bit nervous as I step into the sauna room after stowing my clothes in a keyed locker outside. And of course,
Mister Black
is nowhere in sight.

Frustrated with Sebastian, but relieved no one else is around, I exhale a sigh and pour some water over the hot stones to get the steam going. I set the water bottle on the wall shelf at one end of the bench, then step out of the knee-length robe and hang it and the towel on the hooks underneath the shelf.

Stretching out on my belly, I rest my arms above my head and close my eyes, letting the steam roll over me.

“I don’t know whether to be insulted or pleased that you’re comfortable enough to fall asleep while waiting for me,” Sebastian says in a seductive tone next to my ear.

Blinking to shake away my drowsiness, I laugh. “Probably a bit of both.” Just as I lift my head, intending to sit up, something tugs on my wrists above my head, keeping me locked in place.