Sinister Kisses (SKALS #1) (22 page)

She panted, lifting her fingers to her kiss swollen lips when he finally pulled back. Desire and danger danced in his eyes as he gave her a slow smile.
Taking his hand, Taylor led him deeper into the house, not missing the way he took a deep breath pulling the scent of food into his lungs. She stopped in front of the couch, her hands trailing down the ridge of his chest to the hard ripple of his abs before unhitching his belt. He lifted his arms, easing her efforts as she tugged it free. His gaze followed her, tracking her intently until she slid behind him and helped him shrug out of his coat. Draping it over her forearm, she peered up at him.

“Can I get you something more comfortable to wear?”

He seemed to ponder the offer for a minute.

“How long before dinner?” he asked, reaching out to caress the side of her neck.

“It’s ready whenever you are. I’ve just been keeping it warm until you got here.”

Sebastian nodded. “Changing can wait. Let’s eat.”

“Would you like me to fix you a plate and bring it in here? The couch would be more comfortable than the dining room.”

He tipped her chin. “I said I was fine
, Taylor. We will take our dinner in the dining room, just as we always have. Understood?”

She nibbled the inside of her lip and swallowed against the tightening lump in her throat. “Yes, Sebastian.”

This time, a small hint of a genuine smile graced his features. “That’s my girl,” he murmured, brushing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed of this face. Knowing that I would get to come home to you was the only thing that got me through the past two weeks.”

She watched as a conflicting wave of emotions crashed through him. For a moment, he looked haunted, almost scared, his torment evident. Then, it was
as if he caught himself. Sebastian’s spine straightened without warning and his expression hardened, turning into a cold, but unreadable mask. Steeling his jaw, he let his hand fall from her cheek and Taylor stared after him in heartbreak and confusion as he strode from the room.

Dinner was tense, silent. Peeking at him from beneath the dark sweep of her lashes,
she watched Sebastian attack the beans and hickory smoked pulled pork with the zest of a man who hadn’t eaten in days. She made sure to keep the food coming and the wine flowing, until some of the tension slowly seemed to ebb from his lean frame. The circles under his eyes were troubling. Her gaze kept travelling to the cut on his cheek, and the few bites of food she’d managed to choke down churned as she wondered what had happened. What had he been through that he was so tense and on edge? Loss affected people in different ways, and there was no denying fate had dealt his family a brutal blow, but there was more to it than that. He hadn’t even been able to make the services. Whatever this was, whatever had happened, it had happened at work. Her heart ached as she wondered what she could do. How she could bring back the man she loved.

She glanced up as Sebastian leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh. He rubbed his stomach and gave a quick wink.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Anything for you,” she said with a tender smile. “I wanted everything to be perfect for you. I missed you so much. I really did.”

“I know. I’m sorry. These things will come up from time to time. What I need now is a nice hot shower.”

“You don’t smell bad to me,” she teased,
standing to lean over him and sniff the side of his neck.

Shaking his head,
he shrugged away from her. “No, but I don’t smell like home either. It’s what I want right now, Taylor. What I need.” He paused for a long moment, and slid his hand around to stroke the side of her neck. “I wouldn’t object if you wanted to join me.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” she said, giggling.

“That would be wise.”

She shivered at the hard edge of warning in his voice, wondering where his sense of play had gone. Nibbling the inside of lip, she moved to
clear the table and headed into the kitchen. She felt the weight of Sebastian’s stare as he watched and waited, one hip reclined against the archway. Again, it was as if he was tracking her, assessing her every move and reaction. He was searching for something, but what? What was he looking for or waiting for? She felt very much like an ant trapped beneath a magnifying glass. The sensation was unnerving to say the least. Stilling the tremble in her hands, she started the dishwasher and resisted the urge to skirt past him. It took everything she had not to bolt up the steps as he followed on her heels.

Her breath caught when Sebastian closed the bedroom door
s behind him, and the latch clicked shut with a cold finality. Strolling around her, he cast Taylor a look that commanded she follow. She stopped short, stumbling back a step when he rounded without warning. His head cocked, and those pale sage eyes narrowed into scrutinizing slits. A tremble wormed through her as he reached up, his cool fingers brushing the nape of her neck with a tenderness that belied his smoldering expression.

“Where’s the necklace I got you, Taylor?” he asked, his voice a quiet rasp.

Her hand flitted to her throat, dancing across the barren space in confusion. “I--I must have forgotten to put it back on after my shower this morning.”

He took a slow step closer. “Is that so?” he whispered with a forced nod. “You claim to have missed me so much, yet the one token I gave you to wear as a reminder
of my love was taken off and just…forgotten?”

She shook her head frantically. “No.”

“No?”

Her eyes slammed shut as he pressed against her, his hold tightening into a painful vise. She whimpered as his fingers bit deep into muscle and bone. “
I just didn’t want it to get ruined. I’ve been wearing it every day, Sebastian,” she whispered, shaking. “I swear.”

He gave a dry snort. “Ruined?
You think I would give you some cheap trinket out of a machine? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No!”

“Which is it then? It has to be one or the other, so you tell me,” he coaxed, petting the back of her head.

“Please…” she choked. “
You’re scaring me. I don’t like it when you get like this. I’ll put it on, and I will never take it off again. I promise. I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t do this. Not tonight…”

"Do what?" he whispered. She shook her head desperately
, and he stilled it with the bite of his fingers. "What is it that you don't want me to do, Taylor?"

"Ple--please don't get upset. I messed up
. I love it. I just wanted to take care of it. Please, Sebastian. I love you. Let me make it up to you."

Taylor stumbled, almost hitting her knees as he shoved her head first toward the bathroom. She managed to catch her balance, but a thick wall of tears blurred her vision. Shaking, she choked down a sob and crossed the room to huddle near the shower. Her stomach twisted in knots while she watched him prowl after her with the slow deliberation of a jungle cat. Unable to bear the tension and fear, she pulled the frosted door open and started the water.

Her nose almost bumped his chin when she turned around. His eyes blazed with a combination of fury and desire. Remembering the savage bite of his fingers, she flinched when he reached for her. A low growl rose from his throat and Taylor fought the urge to twist away as his hands closed around the front of her sweater dress. The sound of rending fabric filled the room, rising above the steady drum of the water. She cried out as he spun her around and shoved her face first into the wall. Her breath left her in a forceful whoosh. Pressing her cheek against the cold stone tiles, she held perfectly still, allowing him to tear the clasps on her bra free. He yanked if off her shoulders and tossed it across the floor. Her nails scraped against the unforgiving wall, and she bit back a yelp of pain as he tore the thin lace underwear away with a sharp wrench that abraded her tender skin.

She jumped when the hot scald of his breath fell across her neck. His hands trailed up the sides of her arms. The hard muscle of his thigh drove between hers, wedging them apart. His lean body pinned her from behind and pressed her deeper against the wall. Taylor
stifled a whimper, her back bowing as his fingers closed around her nipples, plucking and twisting the sensitive peaks.

“You are mine,” he growled against her ear.
“You and your body belong to me. Do you know what that means?”

She shivered, hating herself as his lips trailed up the side of her neck and her response came with more than a small glimmer of truth. “That I am the luckiest girl in the world?”

He chuckled softly. One hand closed over the full mound of her breast, kneading it roughly, as the other dipped between her legs. Sebastian tensed with a rumble of appreciation upon finding her wet. Unable to help herself, she rocked against the firm glide of his fingers.

“Good answer, darling, but no,” he whispered. “
It means you will do as I say—how and when I say. Isn’t that so?”

Her breath came in a harsh pant. Biting her
tongue, she tamped down a moan. “Yes, Sebastian.”

“
Mm. Good girl,” he murmured. “Don’t cum. I want to be inside you when your body shatters.”

The rasp
of his voice alone was enough to push her to that point. She whimpered as his fingers continued their rhythmic glide. It felt so good. A constant wave of pleasure battered her starved body. Trembling, she fought to hold on. Sebastian moaned behind her, spurring the heat inside her to even greater heights. A few more strokes against her throbbing clit threatened to send her over the edge. Tensing, Taylor stiffened. The rocking motion between her legs stopped, and she froze, shaking as her body dangled dangerously on the precipice. She closed her eyes. Her lungs ached, but she knew one shallow breath, one tiny movement, would push her past the point of no return. Agonizing seconds ticked by until the threat of release wavered, and she slumped with a sigh of relief.

Sebastian
chuckled behind her. His lips pressed firmly against the side of her neck in approval. “Close call,” he breathed.

Stepping back, he peeled her off the wall and gestured to the waiting shower with a sweep of his arm. Taylor stepped inside, gasping as the hot spray pelted her skin. Her co
ld flesh responded with an instant burst of pins and needles. Through the frosty glass, she watched Sebastian’s outline as he stripped and tossed his clothes aside. Fear and anticipation warred within her, fighting for control.

She sucked in a muffled sob when he opened the door and stepped inside to join her. The sight of his body shocked her and threatened to rip away all shreds of desire. Fading bruises still mottled his ribs, painting them various shades of black and blue. His beautiful chest was darkened with burns too jagged and uneven to have come from a cigarette or cigar. An icy chill shot down her spine as one word came screaming to the forefront of her mind.
Electrodes
. Shaking her head, she ran a trembling hand over his stomach. Tears burned her eyes, mingling with the overhead spray. What had they done to him? How could anyone do this to him? Sebastian was so powerful, so virile, and strong. Her heartbroken gaze darted to his in search of understanding.

“Shh,” he soothed, pressing a finger to her lips. “It’s done
. I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”

Taylor nodded and kissed his hand, but a million questions loitered on her tongue. She turned away and grabbed the sponge, desperately needing some distraction before her mouth got her in trouble. Snaring his bottle of body wash, she squirted on a generous amount and worked it into a thick lather. Sebastian cocked his head, but said nothing as she slid behind him.
Murmuring softly, she kissed a path across the top of his shoulders. She trailed the sponge in their wake, massaging his skin with slow, gentle circles. Dropping his head forward, he rested his chin on his chest with a pleasured sigh.

Eager
to touch him, her other hand followed the path of the sponge, stroking over the firm lines of his body in a reverent glide. She blinked against the sting of the water as she kissed and scrubbed every part of him. A smile played on her lips when she inched around his side to start on Sebastian’s front. If the bliss stamped across his handsome face was any indication, her lover was at least enjoying the moment. She lathered his chest slowly, avoiding the burns. He inched back, pulling her with him until he leaned against the shower wall. Crouching before him, Taylor lathered the delicious bulges of his abs planting a tender kiss on each one. His fingers found her hair and tightened in approval. His breath surged past his clenched teeth in a sharp exhale as she wrapped her soapy hand around his straining shaft. She watched his head fall back and the urgent need play across his face as she gave it a few firm strokes. His free hand hit the wall behind him with an audible smack. The other clamped down brutally in her hair.

Sebastian’s ragged gasp echoed through the shower as she drew him into her mouth. Swirling her hand around the thick base, she hollowed her cheeks and sucked in
earnest, a low moan of pleasure rising from her throat. The ever-tightening hold in her hair wrung a pained whimper. Letting her hand fall free, she surrendered all control. He drove her head up and down slowly at first, savoring the sensation, then weeks of pent up need sprung free. Taylor gagged, her breath coming in shallow snorts as he pistoned without mercy, battering the back of her throat. The room started to pitch into a dangerous spin, and darkness swirled just out of reach when the hot, salty burst of his release flooded her mouth and Sebastian’s hoarse bellow of completion roared in her ears.