Take Me Down (Suits in Pursuit) (25 page)

Ashley inhaled a deep breath. The rise and fall of her breasts mesmerized him. “That’s the best way to do the job right,” she said. Sebastian’s cock twitched. He liked that she wasn’t flustered by his unambiguously suggestive remarks.

Instead, she played on. Underneath the table, Sebastian’s foot rubbed against her ankle. She didn’t flinch or move away. He knew he could have her sprawled out on his desk, on his bed, or anywhere else he pleased, begging for him, whenever he wanted. For now, he would enjoy playing mind games.

He glared at Ashley, flashed a deliberate smile. “Nice and slow,” the mellow tone flowed out from his lips like the seductive sway of a belly dancer’s hips. “That’s the only way I do the job.”

Ashley’s reach extended toward the ceiling, covering the last patch of neutral beige wall with teal paint.

He frowned. “I didn’t know you’d be such a perfectionist.” Sebastian leaned against the desk, arms folded across his chest.

She whirled around. Paint splatter from the roller in her left hand splashed across his face and doused his shirt. As though she aimed intentionally, paint missed the furniture, only splattering on him. Droplets of teal paint puddled on the hardwood floor.

Ashley’s fingers curled over her mouth, shielding a snicker. “Oh! Sebastian, I’m sorry.” The roller descended into the paint tray as she released the handle. “Here, let me help.” Wiping her hands on her jeans, she approached him.

“Ugh!” Sebastian released an irritated groan as he raised his arms and lifted the paint-covered T-shirt over his head. “Don’t you get tired of apologizing to me?”

Ashley froze, and then her eyes stalled on his naked, cut torso.

His mouth twisted into a smug half grin, eyes deadlocked on her. “What?” he asked coyly and used an unsoiled area of the shirt to wipe his brow clean.

The twilight skyline as her backdrop beyond the large paneled glass, the amber glow of the setting sun sparkled off her bronzed complexion. Sebastian basked in her beauty, radiating a mesmerizing aura.

Light bent around her curves, highlighting the angles and peaks of her fine figure. The woman had a body meant for a man to enjoy. He tossed the shirt on the desk and then took a step forward toward her. Their distance barely a foot apart.

Ashley’s eyes fled his leer. “Stay right where you are, Sebastian.” An expression he hadn’t seen before graced her face, shimmering in the fading sunlight. Timid? No. Maybe hesitation. Whatever the look, Sebastian hadn’t expected that reaction from his feisty temptress.

Throwing his head back, he laughed hard. “I told you we’d finish later. Did you think I was talking about the presentation?” He nodded his head. “No. You’re an astute woman. You knew exactly what I meant, didn’t you?”

Before she could counter in protest, Sebastian took another step and pulled her into his embrace. Head dipped low, his mouth descended over hers. Their tongues collided. The force of passion gripped him so hard that the feeling teetered them. He guided her fall, bringing her gently to the floor. Landing on the paint-splattered tarp, he quickly assumed control. And with haste, he mounted her.

Sebastian wedged himself between her thighs. Ashley’s small hands took a firm hold of his biceps, nails digging into solid-muscled flesh. She moaned in surrender, her body giving way to his as a twig would snapped under the weight of a heavy snow.

Sebastian’s hands cupped her face, deepening their kiss. Her scent. Her touch. Her taste. Stimulating nerve memory, his groin throbbed with pure carnal desire. A firm erection poked her stomach. Her nipples returned the favor, piercing his pecs. He wanted her. Then. Now.

Jostled by a hard shove to his chest, Sebastian stilled. Ashley turned away from his kiss.

He reared up, resting on an elbow. His hand clutched hers. “You make me so hot. I want you now, Ashley.” Sebastian’s lips grazed her jawline. Stern opposition met his seduction. Thwarting his attempt at another kiss to rekindle the mood, her lips remained sealed like a vault. “Look at me. I know you want me too,” he begged, eager to resume the interrupted moment.

“Get off me, Sebastian!” The shrill that came from her lungs rattled him. He stared down at her. He hadn’t been wrong about the desire and passion between them.

Sebastian rolled to the side and sat up. Confused. Frustrated. Horny. He frowned. “Ashley, I don’t understand. I know you want me as much as I want you.”

Ashley mimicked his position, joining him in an upright pose. Leaned back against the desk, she crisscrossed her legs and tugged at her shirt that had been mussed in their skirmish. There. She had that look in her eyes again.

“We share something special.” Desperate, he would try anything, including intimidation. “Remember, you belong to me.” He would make up for his brute behavior when he made love to her.

An inferno hotter than hell blazed in her eyes, met his longing gaze. “I’ll do anything to make up for what I did to you. I’ll work around the clock. I’ll allow you to call me names and insult me.” Anger flavored her words, the intonation of her voice matching her flared temper. “But, I’m not your ebony whore.” Boiling rage in her eyes threatened to spill. “You tricked me once. I refuse to be fooled twice.”

His eyes stretched wide. Sebastian didn’t speak. He studied her, watched the way her mouth moved, the way she spoke with her hands. She was angry. And something else. An emotion he had never seen before on the face of such a beautiful woman. Ashley wasn’t hysterical. He knew how a hysterical woman behaved. Ellie had been hysterical many times when she hadn’t taken her meds or for no good reason at all. As quickly as the thought came, Sebastian forced the memory back and rejoined her in their moment.

He spoke gently. “How did I fool you? I recall being the one left handcuffed to the bed.”

She leaped up, arms flailing in defense. “That was only after…”

Sebastian followed, standing a fingertip away. “After what?” He frowned, tracing her chin with his finger.

Ashley huffed. Stalked toward the window. “After I saw
that
message on your phone.” Arms circling her trunk, as if they offered protection from him, she turned to face him. “You got what you wanted. A little taste of chocolate.” Her accusation soured his gut.

His head jerked back. Sebastian stroked his chin, thinking. “Text message? Taste of chocolate? What are you talking about?” He frowned.

Her arms tightened. “I wasn’t snooping. I needed to make a call. Your phone was on the bathroom counter. As I dialed the number, a text message from Daniel came in, asking if you had banged that ebony chick.” He could see hurt and disappointment in her eyes.

Sebastian’s lips drew tight. He cracked his knuckles. “And ruining my life was a better, more acceptable option than asking me about that text?” His voice raised. “What Daniel said was stupid and offensive, but he wasn’t speaking for me. He was just being a guy. There was never supposed to be anything more. But that isn’t what happened, is it?”

Ashley’s chest heaved hard. Her eyes glazed with a light sheen of moisture. “I never expected anything from you,” she yelled, making her way toward the door.

His wide gait overtook her steps. Sebastian lodged himself in the doorway, intercepting her escape. “And that’s what bothers you. There is more. More than either of us expected,” he fired back.

He knew her reaction before the lie formed on her tongue. “You and I had sex. Nothing more,” she said.

Sebastian shook his head. Stepped forward. Ashley stumbled back. “Then what difference does any of this make?” He crushed her body with his, anchoring her to the wall. “You wanted me then, just as badly as you do now. And I want you. That doesn’t make me a bad person. That makes me a man.”

He could see her visible struggle, fighting the urge to scream. “I can’t do this anymore,” she said, the anger in her words fizzling out.

Sebastian covered her left breast, molding her mound with his firm hand. He spoke tenderly. “What can’t you do anymore?”

She released a quiet moan. “I can’t have meaningless sex.” Her hand raised to her forehead.

“Do you want me?” He lowered his head, nestling his face in her bosoms.

Ashley responded to his touch with a whimper.

“You didn’t answer my question. Do you want me?” His lips traced her cleavage.

Barely audible, she gave a breathy reply. “Yes.”

“Who says sex between us has to be meaningless? I want you too.” He unbuckled her jeans.

Panting softly, “Sebastian, I… I can’t,” she stammered.

“Yes, you can. We’ll create rules.”

“Rules?” Her eyes sparkled.

“Ashley, we both know this thing between us can’t be stopped. I’m not offering you anything more than I can give, and I don’t expect anything in return. As long as we both know where we stand, nobody will get hurt.” His hand dipped into her panties.

She angled her head to the right. “Ahhh! Sebastian,” she whimpered as he massaged her, readying her for his invasion.

Ashley tilted her head back. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be your black whore.” Her sultry eyes didn’t match the rejection that sprung from her lips.

His forehead wrinkled as his eyes searched her face. “I won’t lie. The color of your skin captivates me. You’re beautiful. I wish you didn’t feel that way about yourself. That’s not at all how I think of you.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you as my lover, until the project is complete. Exclusively. That has nothing to do with race,” he rasped hoarsely.

“And what happens after the project is done?”

“We walk away. Continue to live our lies.” His voice cracked. “Lives,” he corrected, heat warming his face. “Can you handle the arrangement?”

“I think so,” she acquiesced. “Can you?”

His question posed back at him hadn’t been expected. He hesitated. “Uh-huh,” he muttered, taken by the sensation of her supple flesh under eager fingertips.

Sebastian’s vigorous stroke forced the words from her lips. “Oh, you feel so good.”

Tattered jeans fell to her ankles. Sebastian dropped to his knees, tugged her panties down. “Amazing,” he whispered.

Hands dangling at her sides, her neck arched back. Sebastian’s tongue glided across her moisture.

Two fingers pumped into her. “Ahhh,” she released. “Sebastian.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I’m going to give you what you need.”

Chapter Sixteen

Ashley didn’t remember how she had gotten home Saturday morning. The only thoughts floating in her head were of Sebastian and how good his body felt molded to hers, thrusting into her depths. She had never been with a man who made her ache with need the way he did.

The next few days, they worked side by side each day, taunting and teasing each other. At night, when the work was done, the lights were low, and there were no distractions or interferences, they couldn’t keep their bodies apart. Like a drug, she wanted him day and night, couldn’t get enough of Sebastian Stone. At least common sense and self-control, what little she had left, won in the end, sending her home instead of staying the night with him as he had requested on occasion.

“Hey, Kerri.” Ashley chimed into the phone.

“Ash, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in weeks. You never ignore my calls.”

A grin larger than she could control spread across her face like stars spanned the Milky Way. “Sebastian has been keeping me busy… working on the presentation,” she paused. Merely saying his name made her pulse quicken. “Among other things.” A hand flew to her cheeks covering her blush.

Like a chasm, quiet grew between them until Kerrigan shattered the silence. “Among other things?” she asked.

“Sebastian and I… well, we have an arrangement.” Thinking about how she would explain their fling, she stood and moved toward the large window in the living area of her loft. Construction vehicles lined the street below. “We have unbelievable chemistry,” Ashley said, defense clinging to her words.

“Yeah, I know. I was there in the Keys, remember?” Kerrigan teased. “And?” Her tone goaded Ashley for an explanation.

Ashley flattened her palm against the warm window pane. Workers patrolled the sidewalks, moving heavy equipment and tools. “And we agreed to continue seeing each other until the project is done.”

Kerrigan couldn’t contain her shock. “Really? Exclusively?”

Ashley smiled. “Yes, but don’t go all sentimental and mushy on me. After the project is done, we’ll go our separate ways.”

“Will you be able to walk away? What if Sebastian wants to continue your relationship?”

“This isn’t a relationship. This is an arrangement of convenience.”

“Fine. What if he wants a real relationship with you?”

“Kerri, he won’t. This is only about sex to Sebastian. My feelings aren’t invested. I’m not hoping for more.”

“Ash, I thought you wanted more than another fling? I thought you were trying to move on?”

“Kerri, I’m being realistic. I’m not like you. Love isn’t meant for me. That doesn’t mean I have to be lonely. Sebastian is the most amazing and attentive lover I’ve had. I can’t describe the feeling. I’m just enjoying the time I have with him.” Kerrigan didn’t say much, only listened. Ashley imagined the self-righteous frown that Kerrigan always wore whenever she disagreed with her choices. “Kerri, are you judging me? Please don’t.”