Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (8 page)

“Shh, baby
,” he soothed, trailing a forefinger over her back again. “Maybe I haven’t given you much reason, but right now, you need to trust me. Do as I say and I won’t hurt you, Taylor.”

She swallowed, her eyes drifting shut as he leaned over her.

“I want you to enjoy this,” he whispered. “All of it.”

Words and reason escaped her panic-riddled brain. All she managed was a reluctant nod, though numbing doubt remained.

“That’s my girl,” Sebastian murmured.

He
reached up and stretched her arms across the desk, his hold commanding and sure. Authority rode his voice as he instructed her to grip the other side. Wedging a muscled thigh between hers, Sebastian forced her legs apart. Her breath caught and she braced herself, listening for the telltale jangle of his belt when she felt him pull back. The broad width of his palm roamed over her ass in a firm caress, reminding her that she was helpless and exposed.

A breathless cry tore from Taylor’s throat when t
he first smack caught her off-guard. The deafening crack of his hand connecting with bare flesh startled her more than it hurt. She writhed in place, surprised by the way the sharp sting mellowed into a pleasant warmth that branched through her entire body. Sebastian alternated blows, pausing every once in a while to rub the heat into her skin, his touch possessive and reverent. A soft moan escaped her by the halfway mark. Much to her confusion, he stopped. Feeling him splay over her, she arched into his body, eager to make contact and please.

The soft brush of his lips grazed
across her temple. “Talk to me. Tell me what you think.”             

“It’s…it’s different,” she admitted, unable to make heads or tails of what she was feeling
. All she knew was she felt a baffling and overwhelming desire to beg him to take her right then and there. She wanted more. She wanted him to make her submit to the deliciously sweet torment he offered.

“Mm. That it is, baby.”

His voice rolled through her, heightening her sense of need. She fought to hold still, flushing as his fingers explored the dampness pooling between her legs. He rumbled with approval finding her both eager and wet. Pressing closer, Sebastian ground against her in a gyrating tease, his erection prodding the warm landscape his hand had left in its wake. The shaky exhale he released added to her desire. Her body trembled with strain, as Sebastian ground his thumb against her clit and eased a thick digit inside her. It was all she could do to keep standing when he added another finger and pumped into her with hard, firm stokes. Wanting so much to please him, she fought to keep her position and not crumple at his feet.

Sebastian
resumed his merciless assault. With each powerful plunge of his fingers, he smacked her ass, keeping a tempo that made her want to explode. All too soon, his hands and the delicious things they’d been doing were gone. Taylor groaned in frustration and tried to straighten, but a heavy hand shoved her back down, pinning the back of her neck.

“I didn’t tell you to move,
” he growled.

His strong hands jerked her hips back and upward with a force that spoke of his displeasure.
A breathless scream tore from her throat when he filled her body with a single, claiming thrust. The feel of his hard, hot length stretching her to the brink was nothing short of ecstasy. Her hold on the desk tightened as Sebastian drove into her with a primal snarl of ownership. The harsh slap of skin filled the room. He stabbed into her time and again, his rhythm slow, hard, and deliberate. It didn’t take long for pulsing waves of pleasure to build in her core. She whimpered, hips arching to meet his. Release hit hard and fast. She cried out as she came, her body clamping with enough force to rob her of both wind and sanity. Sebastian stiffened above her, and she knew whatever control he had was lost. A frustrated growl rumbled through his chest as one hand locked on her hipbone. The other anchored in her hair, giving him a sure but steady hold as he propped a foot beside her and pounded his way to climax.

His
breathless cry was music to her ears.

Easing her off the desk, he
spun her around and wrapped her in his arms, holding her upright. Her body still pulsed and sang. Being with Sebastian was like breaching the surface and gasping for air after being under water for too long: delirious, dizzying, and almost frantic—she could never get enough. He was both aphrodisiac and addiction, a craving with no cure.

Without a word, Sebastian
lifted Taylor into his arms and carried her to his chair where he cradled her in his lap. His hands rubbed soothing circles against her back, easing the chill and coaxing her back down.

After a few minutes, she managed to find her voice. “What the
fuck was
that
?” she asked.

Sebastian
tapped her lip with his forefinger. “Language, baby,” he warned. “That was a birthday spanking, and perhaps you finding a bit of yourself as well. Maybe a part you never even knew existed.”

“Great,” she muttered. “
Not only am I another year older, but now I discover I’m a freak who gets off on getting spanked.”

His body
shook with silent laughter. “Taylor, Taylor.” Tipping her chin, he searched her eyes. “It wasn’t meant to hurt you, darling. You were
supposed
to enjoy it. I certainly did.”

She pushed a wry exhale through her nose
. “Wonderful. We’re both screwed up.”

He seemed to ponder that for a long moment. Sighing, he wrapped his arms a little tighter
, ensconcing her in his powerful embrace. “Maybe we are. Or maybe we’re just different. That part of you has always been there, Taylor. I sensed it the first day I met you. Part of you craves control and structure. Maybe because you’ve never had it before. Some secret part of you even enjoys pain in small doses—like when I twist those delectable nipples of yours. You’re submissive by nature. It might make you different, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of, baby. There is strength in surrender.”

She weighed his words
, her face puckering with a doubtful twist.

“Don’t
question yourself. You’re perfect just the way you are,” he murmured. “You are always wondering what it is you offer me. It’s you, Taylor. All of you. You’re everything to me. There is nothing else in this world I need or want more.” He pressed his lips against the top of her head. Blowing out a loud breath, he patted the outside of her thigh and urged her off his lap. “Let’s get this party over with. My patience is wearing thin. I’m trying to be nice, but I want you all to myself again.”

Giving a playful roll of her eyes, she shook her head.
After slipping her clothes back on, she chanced a peek over her shoulder. “Sebby?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we could forget the belt and go with your hand as punishment instead?”

H
is laughter was unexpected. Arching a brow, he responded with much firmer swat to her ass. She yelped and rubbed a hand across her denim pocket, trying to ease the sting.

“I don’t reward bad behavior, darling. All that does is encourage it.” His smile faded
, darkening with his thoughts, and he raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t negotiate, Taylor, but we will see. I’m not making any promises,” he said tracing the delicate curve of her jaw. “As you know, I have more than one way of proving my displeasure and getting my point across when that need arises. Be careful what you ask for, sweetheart.”

She felt her face pale slightly, suddenly unsure of the wisdom in her request.

“Yes, Sebastian,” she agreed, lowering her lashes. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Happy birthday.”

CHAPTER 5 ~

Sebastian
drummed his fingers on his desk, his pale stare locked on the mountain of paperwork piled on the corner of his desk. He scowled, his mood souring even more. Despite the luxurious décor of his office, it was still sterile and cold. The building itself flooded him with instant hatred and rage, the moment he stepped through headquarter doors. Part of that was his conditioning. The other was so much more. It was leaving Taylor and the comfortable haven of their bed. It was coming to work and knowing what had to be done. His muscles ached with unspent tension, his thoughts forever turning to Marx and the lack of trust the Laychee incident had incited between them.

Things would never be the same. His entire outlook had been shattered.
He could no longer trust anyone, not even his team, and that was a very dangerous place for someone in his position.

A
curt knock shattered his thoughts. Pinching his sinuses, he sighed and dropped against the back of his chair, struggling to keep his annoyance under control.

“Yeah?” he barked.

The anterior door swung open, revealing a tense looking guard. For the life of him, Sebastian couldn’t remember the man’s name. The only purpose he served was to keep other people out. Expression hardening, he pinned the man with a look of silent expectance.

“Vincent
Pellagreeni is requesting to see you, sir.”

“Send him in,” Sebastian
ordered, standing. He remained rooted behind his desk, watching as his teammate surged into the room.

“It’s g
reat to have you back, sir,” Vince exclaimed. His face flushed with his bright smile.

Sebastian
nodded, his gaze dropping to the wad clutched in the other man’s hands. His cheeks tightened and the muscles beneath his eye twitched as he regarded the black cloth bundle. Tensing, his hand crept toward the pistol holstered against his hip. Either ignoring his reservations or blissfully unaware of them, Vincent snapped the shirt open. A lopsided grin stretched his bronzed features as he held it up.

“Check it out, Baas.
We made up a bunch of them to celebrate your return.”

Relaxing some, Sebastian
took in the bold lettering.

Think you’re hav
ing a bad day?
Go see Dominic.

H
e shook his head and looked away. Just seeing the traitor’s name flooded him with an instantaneous bloodlust that made
Cujo’s
seem benign in comparison.

“Do
you like it, sir?” Vince asked. “We thought you would appreciate the humor.”

The technician
took an uncertain step back, paling, as Sebastian rounded the desk with narrowed eyes and a questioning tilt of his head.

“That
man betrayed this organization and his team. He damn near killed me and helped facilitate the
unspeakable
things Laychee and his men did to Taylor and I am supposed to find the situation
funny
?”

Vince retreated another step upon hearing the soft, civil tone.
“No, sir. Not the situation. Just the shirt.” Uncertainty flickered across his classically handsome features.

“The shirt,” Sebastian repeated with a stiff nod.

He
sprung without warning. A startled gasp left his teammate, followed by a pained grunt as Vince’s back collided with the wall. Sebastian’s white-knuckled grip tightened, twisting the other man’s collar until his face flushed a dangerous purple.

“
I don’t care
what
your intentions were. I don’t appreciate you making light of the situation. The next time I hear any of you joke about Dominic Chase or his actions, I will rip your fucking throat out and you will join him in that room. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,”
the other man choked.

“Baas?”

He shot his partner a cursory glance as he filled the doorway then returned his attention to Vince. The technician offered a mute nod, his dark hazel eyes flared and pleading. Releasing him with a shove, Sebastian tore the shirt from his hands and stormed out of the room. His partner’s voice echoed in the hall behind him as both men scrambled in his wake.

“What the hell did you
do to him?” Josh snapped.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“You just
had
to poke him with a stick. You couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you? I told you not to make those fucking shirts!”

Blocking the
bickering out, he stalked through the corridors in long, determined strides until he reached the cell where Dominic was sequestered. Josh grabbed for his arm, trying to reach for him, but he’d already punched in the combination.

“Baas
, wait! What are you going to do?”

The smell hit him first, the putrid stench enough to drown out the words and world behind him.
A tight grimace contorted his face, and he choked back a gag, his eyes swinging to the man shackled in the middle of the room. Burn blisters and open wounds oozed with raging infection. Little of the Dominic he knew remained. Only his eyes were recognizable, and even those had all but vanished behind the swelling and shift of displaced bones. Seeing the traitor broken and afraid was enough to wrest a cruel smile from Sebastian’s stony countenance, but it wasn’t enough to erase the man’s sins.