Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (5 page)

“I’m not crippled,” she mumbled.

Sebastian’s intense eyes continued to bore into her like two hard drills. He gave a tense roll of his shoulders before speaking. “No, Taylor. You aren’t,” he agreed. “You seem to move quite well considering how often you keep edging your toes up to the line. Do you need a reminder of what happens when you decide to cross it?”

She lowered her head, twisting her hands under the table. Her stomach started to sink. “No.”

“Good, because I am getting very tired of having this discussion. Next time, I won’t warn you. I will just take you upstairs and we will decide where to go from there. Is that clear?”

Swallowing, Taylor
nodded. “Yes, sir.”

She flushed, feeling a
somber pall suddenly hang in the air as well as the empathy that rolled off Monique as the blonde stood frozen by the sink. Shame coiled through her. This wasn’t how she’d wanted to start their day, and she certainly didn’t want to feel anymore inadequate in the striking blonde’s presence than she already did. Everything about the woman was so perfect. So beautiful. With her willowy frame, long legs, and a smile that could knock a man dead, Sebastian’s sister was far better suited for some exotic photo shoot than doing menial housework in their kitchen.

Feeling his demeanor grow even more impatient, she
grimaced. “I’m sorry,” Taylor mumbled. “I’m just not used to everyone fawning all over me. I don’t mean to come across as stubborn or ungrateful. It’s just that in my uncle’s house, it was always a fend for yourself type thing. No one else knew how to pick up after themselves or do anything.”

“I get that, kiddo,” Josh
soothed. “I grew up with the same sort of deal. What you need to realize though, is that’s not us. We look after our own.”

“That we do,” Monique agreed. “Speaking of, I need to run in to town for a while after we finish cleaning up. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to hang out here with Sebastian and Tay?”

“Is that a trick question?” Josh asked, snapping the end of the dishtowel at her butt.

Monique yelped as the pirouetting end missed its intended target. A pout crossed her pixie-like features as she attempted to rub the sting out of her thigh.

“That will teach you to try and avoid me,” he teased.

“I wasn’t trying to avoid you, Josh! I didn’t even move.
Jesus! I hope for my brother’s sake that you’re better with a gun than you are wielding a towel. That hurt!”

“Love is
a painful thing, gorgeous. You’d do well to remember that.”

The declaration rang far more true than Taylor cared to admit. Hanging her head, she grappled with a painful onslaught of memories, both past and present. Her father leaving, her mother dropping her off on her uncle’s doorstep, the way she’d always felt like an outsider lo
oking in until Sebastian pulled her into his arms and welcomed her into his family…and even that had not come without its fair share of heartache and struggle. Frowning, she cast those thoughts aside.

“I would love to go if
Josh doesn’t want to,” Taylor said, eager to change the subject.

“Uh…” The blonde’s eyes darted to her brother, her expression
no longer playful but pinched and pleading.

“No
.”

Sebastian’s
curt answer took Taylor by surprise. Even Josh glanced between the two of them, his playful demeanor fading beneath a frown. She bit her lip, struggling with a conflicting wave of hurt and anger. The hard glint in Sebastian’s eyes warned her not to question his decision. He’d already made his impatience quite clear, and she had no desire to go upstairs for an attitude adjustment.

She swallowed against the lump in her throat. Monique had shown her true colors as well. Taylor sighed.
Sebastian held his sister to very high standards. Maybe the woman was just worried her substandard behavior would rub off on her. It was a very justifiable concern, given the way the morning was going so far.

“
Make out a list of the things you want. I am sure Monique would be more than happy to pick them up for you while she is out,” Sebastian suggested.

“Absolutely.”

His sister offered another one of her sunny, reassuring smiles. Lowering her head, Taylor picked the corner of her thumbnail beneath the table.

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I forgot about all those meals you stuck in the freezer. Those should be more than enough to get us through,” she said, looking for an easy way to salvage her dignity. “I could really use a hot shower though. Excuse me.”

Silence followed on her heels. She was grateful when Sebastian made no move to stop her. Padding up the stairs, she struggled to keep her tangled emotions in check. Why had he bothered asking what she wanted to do if he was just going to shoot it down? Obviously going into town wasn’t an option either if he wanted her to give his sister a list. As much as she loved Sebastian, sometimes, the man was beyond frustrating.

The th
reat with Laychee was over. She’d spent weeks under a virtual lockdown before the attacks and weeks after recuperating behind the walls of SKALS’ headquarters. Too much more confinement and she stood the risk of going insane. Taylor grumbled to herself. Her proximity to Crazy Town was already questionable enough as it was.

After turning the shower on full blast, she stripped out of her clothes. A
wince escaped her as she stepped beneath the scalding spray and let the hot needles pummel her skin. Thick billows of steam rose to climb the walls as she squeezed some cashmere-scented shampoo on her palm and started scrubbing her scalp. Her mind still churned, replaying the mistakes she’d made that morning in an agonizing loop. Sometimes life seriously needed a re-do button.

Taylor jumped
as the shower door swung open without warning and let in a cold blast of air. The brief distraction cost her. Shampoo dribbled into her eyes. Trying her damnedest not to curse, she thrust her face back under the water and blinked against the sting. Sebastian stepped in behind her. She felt his lean body press close, its frame as hard and unyielding as the rest of him.

One of his hands settled
against the small of her back and rubbed in lazy circles. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, she cupped
several handfuls of water and splashed them into her eyes. “Yeah,” she muttered. “It just burns. Typical Irish grace.”

“
Poor little leprechaun. Let me try and make it better.”

He kissed a slow path across her shoulder
, skimming the delicate ridge of her bone, before tracing the hollow and working his way up the side of her neck. Despite herself, she sighed with pleasure as his lips settled against the sweet spot behind her ear and lingered. There was no mistaking the effect the contact had on him. The long, thick column of his erection pulsed against her as he surged closer, his body pressing against hers in urgent demand. He ground against her, the friction drawing a tortured groan from the base of his throat. The sound echoed off the shower walls and sent a raw jolt of need through her sex-starved system. It had been too long for both of them. Way too long.

Sebastian spun her in his arms. She gasped as he drove her back, pinning her against the
cool stone slabs. His mouth clashed against hers with bruising claim, his fingers twisting her nipples into aching peaks. She moaned into their kiss as the familiar combination of pleasure and pain swirled through her core. Her hands roamed over his skin in eager search before plowing through his sodden curls. Spurred by the contact and her hungry tug, Sebastian growled, driving her deeper against the wall.

He
slid a hand between her legs, parting her thighs to dip a thick digit inside her. Hungry for more, she rode the firm, steady glide of his fingers. A low rumble of appreciation rolled through him upon finding her more than ready. Still, he coaxed and teased, rubbing her clit until she bordered on the brink of a dizzying climax. Her breath left her in a shuddering exhale and Sebastian froze, his ragged breath falling against her ear.

“
Not yet. Hold it for me, baby. I want to be inside you.”

The ra
spy whisper was almost her undoing. She whimpered, digging her nails into his shoulders as she waited for the torturous throb to pass. A painful eternity crept by before she sagged with relief.

“Good girl,” Sebastian
breathed, kissing the shell of her ear.

In that moment,
Taylor swore he was trying to kill her. Her entire being threatened to unravel with his praise.

The tor
ment was as short lived as his patience. Sinking his fingers into her thighs, Sebastian lifted her up. Both of them trembled as he eased her down and impaled her inch by agonizing inch. Once fully sheathed, he pushed deeper, his eyes searching hers through the relentless rain. Winding her arms around his neck, Taylor rocked against him in encouragement. It was all the coaxing he needed.

Their lips fused beneath the warm cascade of water, drowning out her blissful cries as Sebastian drove into her. His slow, steady thrusts sent her spiraling higher until she couldn’t hold out any longer. Clinging to him,
she surrendered. Body, heart, and soul were no longer hers, but his. Release hit hard, battering her with brutal pleasure, the force enough to rob her of breath. Wresting his mouth from hers, Sebastian’s hold tightened. Determination carved his handsome features as he stabbed hard and deep, reclaiming every inch of her body and branding it as his own. His pleasured growls grew to a hoarse bellow and he slumped against her with a violent shudder.

The sound of uneven panting filled the shower as they waited for sanity to return and their hearts to slow.

“I love you,” he murmured, his voice husky and strained. “So much.”

“I love you, too, Sebby.”

He kissed her before easing from her body with a reluctant grunt. Cupping her face, he drew it to his. “I’m sorry it didn’t last long.”

The shame and sincerity on his expression tugged at her heart. He was such a proud man, always so confident and in control. The last few weeks had taken their toll on him in more ways than one. Frowning, she traced the
dark golden stubble dotting his chin, her fingers still shaky.

“Don’t be. It was amazing
, Sebastian. You always give me everything I need, in bed or out.”

Shaking his head
, he peered down at her with a rueful smile. “No, Taylor. Give me a few minutes. By the time we finish washing, I’ll be ready to go again. Only this time, I promise it will be better.”

Blinking against the shower spray, she
planted her hands against his chest. “That was already a stellar performance, Agent Baas. Trust me, you have nothing to prove.”

“
Mm. That may be true, darling, but I can’t think of a more inspiring mission. Besides, the operation can’t possibly be considered a success. Not when my target is still standing.”

Laughing, she
rocked up onto her toes and rubbed the tip of her nose against his. “You’re such a brute.”

Without warning, he wrapped a heavy fist in her hair and tugged
. A hard kiss smothered her gasp and his tongue swirled across hers, probing in a slow, hungry pantomime with his hips. Desire reignited, searing her veins as her knees grew weak and threatened to give. Wresting his lips from hers, Sebastian pulled back and regarded her with a knowing wink.

“Call it what you want, darling, but the one thing I intend to be is thorough.”

“Thorough, huh?”

Donning
a sly grin, he growled and yanked her hips against his.

“
Exhaustive…comprehensive…” His shadowy stubble abraded the side of her neck as he nipped a path across the slender column and groaned: “In-depth.”

He
lifted her in his arms again. All too happy to oblige, Taylor wound her legs around his waist, her fingers toying with the thick locks plastered against his nape. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

CHAPTER
4~

Tugging down her sunglasses, Taylor squinted against the afternoon glare as Sebastian maneuvered the Benz up their winding, hilltop road. The first Saturday in April was turning out to be a gorgeous day, and the radio promised near record highs ranging in the seventies. She smothered a yawn and reached for the coffee cup nestled in the center console. The gesture drew a
raised brow from the man sitting beside her.

“You better drink up, baby. It’s going to be a long day,” he warned.

She gave a playful roll of her eyes behind her shades. “I wouldn’t be tired already if someone hadn’t dragged me out of bed at the butt crack of dawn this morning. Not to mention the way a certain sex addict kept me up half the night.”

Sebastian laughed in earnest. “That sounds an
awful
lot like a complaint to me. Surely that wasn’t what you were doing.”

“I wouldn’t dare,
” she said, donning her most innocent smile.

Shaking his head, he steered the CL600 off the
main road and up their drive. Taylor sat up, her brow knitting at the wide array of cars already parked on the other side of the wrought iron gates. Much to her surprise, they swung open without him accessing the scanner or the codes. Rupert, their new head of security, offered a polite nod as they rolled past.