The Protege (13 page)

“Ah,
yes… the suit,” he said.  “I knew I had another reason for coming here.”

Serena
cocked her head to the side.  “Another reason?  What’s the first?”

“Honestly? 
The first is just to see you again.”

“You
saw me this morning, silly. Don’t try to tell me that we saw each other a few
hours ago and you already miss me.”

“You're
right, and I won’t insult your intelligence by trying to tell you I missed you,
however, that doesn’t mean I didn’t look forward to seeing you again.” He took
his suit from her and hooked it on the doorknob. “Truth be told, there is
another reason that brings me here.”

Her
gut tightened as she anticipated his next words.  She remembered the tension
that’d been in his voice when she’d called him that morning.  That same tension
was there again.

“I
had an unexpected surprise when I arrived at my place.”

“Oh?”

He
led her to her bed and sat her down.  “Someone broke in and went through my
things.”

Shocked
into silence, Serena simply stared up at him.

“I
don’t know what they were looking for, but…”

“You're
a rich guy.  It could…”

“It
wasn’t a burglary.”  Taking her hands in his, he sat beside her.

“Um,
okay.”

“There’s
more.”

She
didn’t even want to ask.

“I
stopped by my father’s office… just to make sure he was okay… that my mom was
okay.”

“And?”

“They’re
surprisingly fine. Nothing fazes them, apparently. My father, in addition to
being unmoved by my week in the hospital, was utterly unperturbed by the break
in.”

“That’s
hard to believe.”

“I’ll
agree with you there, but I quickly learned why he was so unperturbed. He’s
been anticipating something like this for a while.”

“Something
like what?”

“Hmph.”
He shrugged as his eyes became shadowed with anger. “I don’t really know. 
Something about protecting me all these years.  Something about being old
enough to take care of myself now.  He didn’t really divulge much.”

“Are
you afraid something else will happen?”

Averting
her gaze, he swallowed. The anger left his eyes as worry and concern took its
place.

“What
is it?” she said as her gut tightened again.

He
reached into the pocket of the jeans he wore and pulled out the front page of a
newspaper.  “Apparently we’re already an item.”

Serena
tried to read his intended meaning as she looked at the photo. “I don’t get it.
What are you saying?”

“I’m
worried for your safety.”

She
bolted off the bed and turned to stare down at him. “Me? Why? What did I do?”

“You
were seen with me.”  Reaching up to take her hand, he pulled her closer. “I’m
so sorry. I should’ve never invited you to that dinner. Not only did I bore you
to tears, but now…”

“Don’t
be silly.” Though she wanted to reassure him, her voice was oddly dead. “I had
a wonderful time.”

He
laughed off her comment.  “Nice try.  Look, I’ve already arranged for
additional security here. I just have to check with the superintendent to make
sure they’ll allow it.”

His
concern for her did quick work of her growing fear. Wanting to sooth the fear
she now saw in his eyes, she brought her hand to his cheek.  Her vision blurred
as tears welled up.  I appreciate your concern, but I think I’ll be okay. 
Security here is already pretty decent.”

He
brought his hand over hers and pressed it to his cheek then turned to kiss the
palm of her hand, sending shivers through her. His tender gesture was a
surprise, as well as his concern for her. “Pretty decent isn’t enough.” His
hands snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer, pressing his face into
her chest.

The
touch of his hands was electrifying and she longed to get closer still. Her
hands found refuge in his thick mass of hair and Sebastian growled his pleasure
as she raked her nails along his scalp, holding him to her bosom as she did
so.  His growls turned to sighs of contentment while his arms tightened their
hold on her. 

“I’d
spend the day getting lost in you,” he murmured, hungrily.

So
would I, Serena mused.  So would I. 

She
looked down at him and kissed his brow.

His
hands found their way under her shirt and his fingers burned her skin.  She
wanted him and knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer. Her body was
hungry for a man and he was perfect in every way.

Her
lips trailed down his temple to his cheek.  Anticipation of finding his lips
overwhelmed her and her knees turned to mush. She leaned into him,
inadvertently pushing him back onto the bed. His strong grip on her wrists
brought her down over him and his kiss came swiftly and was more passionate
than she had expected, devouring her with his mouth.  Her head swirled in
desire and for a long moment of complete abandon, she was barely aware of her
surroundings.  The touch of his hands on her skin, the softness of his lips
over hers and the moist sweetness of his tongue were all that mattered. It was
too easy to get lost in his hold and she didn’t want to have to think of when
and how she’d regain control.

Their
lips left each other when Sebastian pushed her off him and held her aloft with
one hand while his other hand worked to free her of her t-shirt.  Not wanting
to be outdone, she sat back and pulled him into a seated position and quickly
unbuttoned his shirt until he was bare chested in front of her, and she was
running her hands over his magnificent body.

An
erotic sigh escaped her as her eyes remained riveted to the perfect biceps that
faced her.  Smooth and soft skin pulled taunt over strong and perfectly shaped
muscles was more than she could resist.  Her hands fluttered up to touch his
chest then tickled their way down over every ab while her mouth went straight
to his chest where she stuck out her tongue to lick his nipple. He groaned
before pulling her face up to kiss her deeply, while his hands reached under
her bra to begin rubbing her nipples in circular motions that made her want to
jump out of her skin. “That,” he growled into her ear, “is for licking me
before I gave you permission. It. Was. Very. Naughty.” He pulled up her shirt
and her bra at the same time before plunging down his face to grab hold of her
nipple in his mouth. When his teeth lightly grazed it, she moaned in pleasure.
Her back arched as she jutted her breasts out further towards his hungry mouth,
while his tongue began circling each nipple, making her shudder with each lick.
“That’s for being naughty, not nice, Miss Singleton.” He sucked in her breast,
while his hand plunged into the front of her jeans, reaching to her sensitive
clit to begin rubbing.

“Oh,
Sebastian,” Serena cried.

“Do
you intend on asking me for permission to touch or lick my nipples from now
on?” Sebastian asked.

“If
I don’t?” Serena asked, breathlessly.

“Then
there’s more punishment like this to come, only I won’t let you have the
satisfaction of coming.”

Serena’s
eyes opened wide, and she said, “That’s torturous alright, Sebastian. I can’t
imagine not being able to…”

“Hush,”
Sebastian said gently, “I won’t punish you so harshly. It will be all
sweetness, like this,” he plunged his fingers into her, while his thumb
continued to rub at her clit, causing her to writhe against him. The pressure
within her was mounting so quickly, she was going to come if he continued on
with his pleasurable onslaught.

Right
before she thought she wasn’t going to hold onto her control any further, he
pulled his fingers out, before licking them, causing her to shudder slightly.
“You taste just as sweet as I imagined you’d be, Serena.” He smiled as he
leaned into her, “Deliciously feminine, yet wild, like a vintage wine.” He
kissed her. “You don’t even know how exquisite you are.”

Exquisite?
Sebastian Sorensen thought she was exquisite? If she was exquisite, then he
must be vintage. She had to have a taste of him. Overwhelmed with the erotic
images that played in her mind, she kissed him harder and plunged her tongue
into the depths of his mouth. His lips tasted so good, she wondered if she’d
ever get enough.

In
the distance the doorbell rang, but she refused to acknowledge it. She didn’t
want the moment to end.  She didn’t want to stray from the heat of his body and
she didn’t want his fingers to stop their journey over her skin. He’d
unfastened the button of her jeans and was working the zipper down when he
suddenly stopped.

“I
think you have a visitor,” Sebastian said with annoying efficiency. With hot
and gentle hands, he pried her off him.

Flustered
beyond comprehension, she pushed her hair off her face and stared dumbfounded
at him.  How could he remain so cool and unmoved in such a heated moment?

“I’m
not expecting anyone.” She heard the strange huskiness in her voice and
realized just how badly she wanted to remain in the moment. Whoever was at the
door would leave.  It couldn’t possibly be important.  It couldn’t possibly be
more important than this.

“I
think it might be your superintendent.  I gave him a call about the security
issue with the building.”  Sebastian stood and pulled the black shirt back on. 
“He said he’d drop by if he had the chance.”

Security? 
Serena could almost feel the tears of frustration working their way to her
eyes.  Instead of allowing that emotion to take over, she pulled her t-shirt
and bra down and went to open the door all the while averting Sebastian’s
gaze.  She didn’t want him to see just how frustrated she was by this untimely
interruption.

He
grabbed her wrist and stopped her progress.  “Don’t look so disappointed,” he
whispered, before kissing her thoroughly, making her knees crumble as she
melted into him. “This isn’t over.”  He took the lead and opened the door.

“You
the one who called about the security?” Mr. Hough said.  He was a short and
stout man who had little time to lose and made sure everyone knew it.

“Yes,
I am.” Sebastian opened the door wider and gestured for Mr. Hough to enter.
“Come sit down.”

Serena
nodded a quick greeting at the super.  She’d only met once or twice before, but
had never spoken to him.

“No
need to sit,” Mr. Hough said.  “We already have a contract with a security
guy.  He takes care of the buzzers, doors, windows and all that stuff.  We used
to have a camera out back.  We could see what went on in the parking lot, but
that got busted last year and we never replaced it.”

“Is
there a possibility of replacing it now?”

“The
contract runs for another year,” Mr. Hough said with a shake of his head.  “Not
much I can do now to change that.”

“Sure,
I understand.” Sebastian took a step forward, ready to close the door.

Mr.
Hough turned to look at Serena. “If you're really concerned about a break in or
whatever, I can add a chain to your door; maybe a deadbolt.”

“I’ve
got it from here on in,” Sebastian said.  “Thanks anyway.”

“No
problem.”

Sebastian
shut the door and leaned into it.  “I guess I’ll have to take your security
into my own hands.”

Serena
liked the sound of that.

“Now,
where were we?” Sebastian asked, moving towards her while unbuttoning his
shirt.

Serena
wanted so badly to continue where they left off before the superintendent
arrived, but she stepped back. As much as she wanted Sebastian, she had to hold
back before it went any further. She needed to make sure she got an adviser,
and she needed Sebastian to take her seriously. “Not so fast, Professor,”
Serena said. “We don’t have to rush into anything, and…”

“You
still want me as an adviser,” Sebastian said. He ran his fingers through his
hair before letting out a frustrated growl. “I guess we’ll have to settle that
one way or another. Meet me at my office on campus tomorrow after I have a
chance to talk to the officials, and I’ll let you know where we stand.”

Serena
nodded, as Sebastian gathered his things, heading towards the door.

“If
you excuse me, I’ll have to go. Staying here with you one minute longer will
guarantee me ravaging you on the spot so I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember to
lock your doors, and don’t let anyone you don’t know in.”

“Yes,
mother,” Serena joked, but deep down inside, she wanted him to stay. And to
ravage her as he promised.

Sebastian
smiled and left.

Chapter 13

S
erena felt a heated blush come to her cheeks
the moment she approached the door to Sebastian’s office. Though she’d come to
see him on official business, her body wasn’t quite in tune to what her head
was planning; getting Sebastian to sign the documents that would officially
declare him her adviser.

When
he opened the door, she fought the incredible impulse to push him to the wall
and throw herself all over him, to continue where they left off. Though the
sight of him in her old sweatshirt hadn’t diminished his appeal, seeing him now
in a proper suit and tie definitely had a strong effect on her.

“You
managed to make it a few minutes early this time,” Sebastian teased.

“Well,
I expect to officially have an advisor today, so…”

“Yeah.”
He seemed distracted as he returned behind his desk, sat down and idly fiddled
with a pen.  “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“I
know.  That’s why I’m here.”  She sat in the seat across from him and tried to
ignore his odd behavior.  She wanted to remain upbeat.  This was the day
everything would get settled, but she was struck with a sinking feeling.

“Serena.” 
His tone was stony, almost cold.

Her
upbeat disposition took another hit and she bit her lip.  What was wrong now?