Take Me Down (Suits in Pursuit) (12 page)

Sebastian leaned down, kissed her, nibbling and sucking her bottom lip. “Think you can handle this?” he asked, a touch of danger and a dare edging his question.

“Yes,” Ashley whimpered, hoping she was right as she watched him stuffed himself into the condom that appeared too snug for his swollen penis. Every inch of her burned. She would burst into flames at any moment. “I can handle it.”

A slow, sexy smiled crawled across his lips. “I’m about to give you everything you want, baby.”

Sebastian held his cock, ready to guide himself into her wet opening.

Ripped out of the moment, Ashley bolted forward. “Did you hear that?” Her heart leaped in her chest.

Heavy lids covered Sebastian’s lustful gaze. “Did I hear what?” He whispered the question.

Sebastian leaned forward. The tip of his cock surged between her moist folds.

Ashley’s back arched. Her walls ached with desire. “Ahhh, yes. I want you so bad.” She tossed her head back against the wall.

“Yoo-hoo!” A man’s cheery voice rang out from the gallery below. Then silence. Then footsteps. Clack. Clack. Clack. The sound drew louder with every step.

“Shit!” Sebastian stumbled back, nearly crashed to the floor. He clung on to the wall to right his position and then yanked up his pants to his waist. His throbbing erection prevented the zipper from closing. Nervous fingers fumbled to button his shirt.

“Get dressed, baby. Quickly.” Sebastian faced the stairs. “I’ll cover you,” he whispered, shielding her view of the staircase.

The footsteps grew louder, nearer as the intruder ascended the staircase. Frantic, Ashley leaped down from the cabinet, raised her dress over her naked bosoms. Her eyes scoured the floor, hunting for the evidence of their impropriety, her destroyed panties. She remembered seeing them sail over the rail. “Oh, shit.” Smoothing the rumpled dress with her clammy palms, she slid on her sandals. The visitor appeared with not a millisecond left to spare.

A bald head peaked over the staircase’s top riser. Then two bushy brows and a pair of dark, beady eyes. The man’s face came into view. “Well, hello, folks.” The gruff voice greeted them, his tone salty and brows raised. He paused, scanned the room, and then frowned. Glaring eyes rolled up Sebastian’s six-foot-plus frame. His stare idled on Sebastian’s shirt, misaligned buttons and holes fastened together out of sequence.

“Either you dressed blindfolded before you arrived or you just got dressed in a hurry.” The man walked closer to them, placed both hands on his hips.

He glanced at Ashley, pursed his lips. “I suppose these belong to you,” he said, opening his left fist, his hand raised high. Red lacy thongs dangled in the air from disfigured fingers.

Ashley glowered at him, her cheeks warming. She could cram the four-foot dwarf into the trash bin she had seen in the corner.

Sebastian snatched the panties out of the man’s hand. “I’ll take those.” Stuffing them into his back pocket, he placed a protective arm around Ashley’s shoulders.

“This isn’t a whorehouse. I’m sure Miss Kennedy wouldn’t approve of your behavior.”

A hand mounted Ashley’s hip. She struggled to break free of Sebastian’s hold.

He squeezed her shoulder. “I’ve got this, baby,” Sebastian whispered into her ear.

Before she could protest, Sebastian had jacked the man up against the wall. He held the scrawny imp at least a foot off the floor by the jugular. “You don’t want to fuck with me,” Sebastian warned. Fire flashed in Sebastian’s eyes. Ashley moved back. “I don’t appreciate you coming into my place, interrupting my date, and insulting my lady. Get the hell out!” Sebastian released the man. The man crumbled to the floor, nearly passed out.

The man held his throat and gasped hoarsely for air. He scrambled away from Sebastian and to his feet. “I’m sorry. Miss… Miss Kennedy,” he rasped. Sebastian’s larynx-crushing chokehold made speaking difficult for the man. “Miss Kennedy asked me to stop by… make sure you had everything you needed.”

Ashley didn’t imagine that Sebastian could get so mad. One minute he was ready to pound into her until the cabinet broke. The next minute, he was ready to pound the man’s face into dust. She had already been turned on by Sebastian’s ostensible swagger. Coming to her defense had earned him some major points. Tonight proved one thing only. The hunger they shared had to be satisfied.

Chapter Eight

Sebastian’s firm grasp fused Ashley’s hand to the console between them. He regarded her with a sullen expression, his lips tugged into a frown. “I’m sorry.” He spoke softly, stared straight ahead, and waited for the light to turn green. “I wanted this evening to be special. I owe you that at the very least.” A melancholy tune, Sam Smith’s “Safe With Me” piped through the stereo and matched his mood.

Ashley saw a different side of Sebastian tonight. A side that she liked. A side that intrigued her.

“Sebastian, maybe you’re trying too hard. You don’t have to arrange elaborate dates. You’re very thoughtful and your plans are great, but truthfully,” she paused, flexing her fingers. “This is temporary.”

Sebastian raised his brow. He glanced at Ashley. “You think I should be more spontaneous?”

Ashley bit down on her bottom lip, remembering the taste of Sebastian’s sweet, salty lips. “Oh, I don’t think spontaneity is a problem for you.” Sebastian’s chuckle made her stomach flip-flop.

He pursed his lips. “I can’t take all the credit for my actions.” His eyes darkened. “We can’t keep our hands away from each other.” The glint in his eye indicated Sebastian shared as vivid a memory of the evening as she did.

“I’m just saying every date doesn’t have to be staged.”

“All right. No plans. You want to hang out with me? See where the night takes us?”

“Sure. I’d love to see what happens when Casanova lets spontaneity guide him.”

“Fine.” He twisted his lips, and turned the steering wheel hard to the left. The Jeep made a U-turn. “We haven’t eaten. Are you hungry?”

“Well, I didn’t get this curvy figure by eating air pie,” she said.

Sebastian huffed. “No, I suppose you didn’t.” He shot Ashley a sidelong glance.

She winced. “That was rude. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “No apology needed. I like your plainspoken honesty. I like that you speak your mind. And I especially like your curvy figure. No, air pie will not do.”

Ashley laughed. Being herself felt like being unshackled.

Sebastian pulled the Jeep into the parking lot. “I imagine people never wonder where they stand with you.” His dimpled grin her tonic, Ashley’s slumped shoulders lifted.

“Honesty is my gift to the world,” she raised convicted hands, shrugged her shoulders, and released a sigh. “And my personal burden.”

Fine lines creased the edges of his eyes. He cupped his chin. “You should never see your strength as a weakness. I admire your outspokenness.” He stared at her in puzzlement. “Beautiful independence,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s the way I see you.”

“Beautiful independence?” She frowned.

Sebastian placed a hand on the door handle. “You’re strong. Independent. You can take care of yourself. I like that about you.”

Ashley smiled. Most men cowered at her confidence and didn’t have an appreciation for her quick tongue. Before she could respond, he jumped out the Jeep and slammed the door.

Despite his gruff exterior, Sebastian was chivalrous, opening doors and pulling out chairs. The sort of behavior that made a woman feel like a woman. Even a strong, independent woman like herself wanted a man like him.
Mr. Chivalrous.

The passenger door opened. He held out a hand. “I hope you like hot dogs and chips.”

A man pumping gas into a sporty red convertible eyed them as she hooked arms with Sebastian.

Ashley laughed aloud. “Convenience-store store grub. My favorite.”

He winked. “Not staged. Not elaborate,” he said with a cocky smile.

“Perfect!”

“Oh, but there’s more. Come on.” He gave a gentle nudge. “Our dinner awaits.”

“I can’t wait to find out what else you haven’t planned.” She walked through the door. He followed behind.

Sebastian’s arm settled across her shoulders. “That makes two of us. I’m making this up on the spur, so anything goes.” Unwittingly, Ashley leaned into him.

A new feeling emerged. A feeling she hadn’t felt before. A feeling she didn’t think was possible. Safe. Safe to be her. Sebastian’s strength and self-assuredness didn’t come at the expense of stifling hers. Not having to temper her temperament freed Ashley, felt as natural as the erratic pitter-patter of palpitations in her chest and clammy palms whenever Sebastian held her close.

Sebastian looked too good. He leaned against the black Jeep, his muscular arm extended. Calm. Commanding. Confident. Once Ashley broke through his rough exterior, she learned that there had been more to Sebastian Stone. Beyond his disturbing beliefs about dating and interactions between men and women, she liked him. She already determined him desirable, which didn’t have anything to do with his personality. Being likeable put Sebastian into a new category. As far as she was concerned, liking Sebastian Stone could be very good or very bad.

Sebastian set out a large blanket. They lounged seaside, side by side. Ashley lay propped up by an elbow. Sebastian leaned forward, rested his forearms on bent knees. He stared at the waves rolling to shore.

He met Ashley’s gaze. “That’s when I decided to try my hand at commercial real estate investing,” he said.

Ashley covered her mouth to contain her laughter. “I didn’t mean to laugh. I just can’t believe you said that to the judge.” She laughed again, clutching her side.

“Yeah, well neither could the judge. I’m a smartass. What can I say?” He turned back to the ocean. “I guess I never belonged in the courtroom. I’m much more suited to buying and selling and property management than I am to courtroom decorum.” He popped the last piece of his hot dog into his mouth.

Ashley frowned. “So were you disbarred?”

“No. I wasn’t disbarred. I decided that practicing law wasn’t for me. I stumbled my way into investing. When I turned twenty-five, I inherited a distressed property as part of my trust. My options were to sell the property at a loss or turn it into a profitable venture. I discovered I had a knack for taking broken things and fixing them to make money.”

“You’re brave.”

“I’m not brave. I didn’t have a job. I needed money.”

“What did your family think? That must have been a difficult conversation with mom and dad.”

Sebastian froze. His jaw set tight. He stared blankly into the night. “I don’t really have much family left. My parents were killed when I was seven. I barely remember them,” he stated flatly, emotionless. The callous way he talked about his dead parents surprised Ashley.

She winced. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“Stop apologizing. You didn’t kill them. There’s nothing to be sorry about.” A frosty stare bore into Ashley. She righted herself to stave off the chill. “That’s life. People die, Ashley.” She recognized the bitter, angry bite in his tone.

She joined him in reflection, staring at the open sea. “We’re born, and then we die. If we’re lucky, we find love in the middle.”

“You believe that crap, about love?” he asked.

“I used to. The older I’ve gotten and the more life has happened to me, I realized that we’re just carnal beings. Love is the excuse some people use because they want regular sex.”

The sound of crashing waves amplified in the silence. Sebastian planted an elbow on his knee. His temple rested on a white-knuckled fist. “Hmm, your insight isn’t much different than my own beliefs. Spoken from experience?”

Arms folded across her bosom, Ashley regarded Sebastian with a reluctant glance. “Some.” She exhaled a deep breath to release the tightening in her chest.

He studied her for a moment, deep sunken lines forming across his brow. “Yeah, I guess there’s no point in getting too personal,” he said as though he had contemplated deeper conversation.

She fastened her lips shut and then swallowed. Meeting his eyes, “Exactly,” she said.

Like a caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, Sebastian’s mood morphed from somber to rollicking. Arms outstretched, he tossed his head back. “That’s what I like about you. You don’t want a relationship. You’re not trying to manipulate the situation or pressure me. You’re confident, independent. That’s sexy as hell.” Sebastian moved closer. His finger traced the curve of her shoulder to the crook of her neck.

His words slammed into her brain like a jackhammer to concrete. Ashley’s darting eyes avoided his. “Yep, I don’t want or expect anything from you.”

Sebastian had come to a very different conclusion than was her reality. She did want a relationship. She just didn’t know how to move on to a healthy relationship after Chris. To open that can of worms for debate with Sebastian—wasted effort. Two weeks from now, she planned to be back in Atlanta. Only God knew where Sebastian Stone planned to be.

His smile reached the stars. “You’re perfect.” He leaped to his feet and extended his hand. “We don’t have a minute to waste. Time is running out. Let’s go back to my place. I’ll take you to the house in the morning.”