ten
The ringing of his cell roused him from a deep sleep. He was warm and incredibly comfortable, with the sweetest ass pressed firmly against his semi-hard erection. For a moment, he completely forgot what had awakened him from such a peaceful sleep, until he heard his cell buzz once more.
Groaning, he untangled one arm from around Eve and reached blindly for the irritating piece of technology on the nightstand where he had tossed it earlier. Without glancing at the caller ID, he hit talk and pressed it to his ear. “This is Sebastian,” he muttered, still more than half asleep.
“I need you to bring Eve home now.” His father’s hard voice filled his ear.
“Dad…” he began, sitting up quickly so that he could better get his thoughts organized, but he stopped when Garth repeated his words and disconnected.
Beside him, Eve was awake now. She gazed up at him with concern-filled green eyes. “Is he angry with us?”
Sebastian frowned down at his phone. It was just after five in the evening, meaning they had been gone for more than twenty-four hours. His father hadn’t exactly sounded angry, but he sure hadn’t sounded pleased either. “I don’t know. He didn’t give me time to ask. He wants me to bring you home now.”
She bit her bottom lip, making him ache to taste it once more. Without hesitation, he dropped a quick, hard kiss on her mouth and stood. “Let’s go face the music and get this over with.” Not caring that he was completely naked, he started for the door.
“Sebastian…?” The way she said his name, the slight little wobble in her voice, had him turning to face her. She was still sitting where he had left her, but the sheet was tucked under her arms, and she was staring down at her lap.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, going back to her.
“Is this it?” She swallowed hard and finally raised her eyes to meet his boldly. “Are we a one-time thing? Or—” She broke off and looked away again, her courage deserting her. “I don’t want this to be over. Even if Garth doesn’t approve, I still want to be with you.” The last came out a whisper, but he heard her.
His heart contracted, and he pulled her up onto her knees and into his arms. His lips caressed her neck, and his own body responded to her shivers. “This is only the beginning for us, Eve. And I don’t care if my father likes it or not. You mean too much to me for me to throw it away over his disapproval.”
Her arms tightened around him. “I love you, Bastian,” she whispered.
***
When they walked into the house a little over an hour later, it was to find Garth in his office, but he wasn’t alone. Eve was surprised to see three formally dressed men standing by the large desk. They reminded her of the president’s secret service the way they were dressed. And were those guns under their jackets?
Her first thought was that these men were with the FBI and they wanted to speak to her about the robbery. But on closer inspection, she noticed that they had an almost foreign look about them. The slight tilting of their dark chocolate eyes, the olive tone to their complexion. For some reason, her grandfather’s Christmas card came to mind, and she gripped Sebastian’s hand tighter.
Garth caught her eye and inclined his head grimly, telling her without words that she was right. Anger began to simmer in her veins. “What’s going on?” she demanded.
One of the men, the larger of the three, stepped forward. He was above average in the looks department, with chiseled features and a well-muscled physique. She was sure he had plenty of admirers. His voice when he spoke was laced with a strong accent that she thought was a mixture of French and something else. “Mademoiselle Patel?”
Eve raised a brow at him. “Yes, I am Evelyn Patel. Who are you?”
“My name is Benoit Beranger. I, and my colleagues, are part of His Majesty King Jean Pierre Michon’s Royal Guard. He has sent us at the request of your grandfather, Warren Travers. News of your recent ordeal has reached my king, and he along with your grandfather feels that, until such time as they deem you are safe, you will have your own personal guards.” He spoke with such eloquence and command that she was in little doubt of his importance to the royal guard for the recently crowned King Jean Pierre Michon.
“She doesn’t need personal bodyguards,” Sebastian informed the man, his tone cold and hard.
“That is not for you to say,” Benoit stated in a neutral tone. His eyes took in Sebastian and then dismissed him just as quickly. “Until I receive word from my king, I will be watching over Mademoiselle Patel.”
Eve sighed. She knew there was no use in trying to persuade these men differently. She was stuck with them. “I am completely safe inside of this house. But since you are only following orders, then I will respect the fact that you are doing your job. However, I expect you to maintain a distance. My personal life is my own. Please respect my privacy.”
“Only as long as it does not infringe on your safety.” Benoit inclined his head. “We do not wish to intrude. I just wanted to make our presence known so as not to scare you, Mademoiselle Patel. A car will be parked at your gate at all times. Should you need to go somewhere, we will follow. If, however, you are alone, we ask that you let one of us escort you.”
When he and the other two royal guards were gone, Eve dropped down onto one of the leather chairs in front of her stepfather’s desk. “He is really pushing this,” she muttered almost to herself.
“So it seems.” Garth raked both hands through his hair. “But now that you are with Sebastian, maybe he will back off.”
Sebastian frowned from one to the other. “What are you two talking about? What the hell is going on?”
She grimaced. “My grandfather sent me a Christmas card…” She explained what he had planned for her future. As she continued to speak, she saw Sebastian’s jaw tense as if he were gritting his teeth, his eyes seeming to blaze with pure hatred. “I sent him a letter explaining that there was no way I would comply with his little scheme. But apparently, he either hasn’t received it yet, or he chose to ignore it.”
“I will destroy both of them if they so much as attempt to take you from me!” He nearly roared and left the room with a fierce expression on his face.
She sat back in the chair and closed her eyes. She could feel Garth’s gaze on her, but she didn’t open her eyes. “What?”
“Are you happy with my son?”
His question surprised her. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw concern in her stepfather’s eyes. “Sebastian makes me feel… I don’t know. Complete? I love him, Garth.”
He nodded, a small smile teasing the corners of his lips. “I know. And I think perhaps he loves you too. I hope the two of you can be as happy as I was with your mother…”
Tears burned the backs of her eyes. On the ride home, she had gone over several scenarios for how Garth might react to Sebastian and her as a couple. She had been prepared to fight him tooth and nail, because she really did want his approval. “Thank you, Garth,” she half whispered. “That means so much to me.”
***
Sebastian seemed to have disappeared.
She spent almost half an hour searching for him, but no one seemed to have seen him. He didn’t even have dinner with them. Eve picked at her meal, and instead of joining in the conversations going on around her, she found herself constantly gazing at the empty chair that would have been Sebastian’s.
She went up to bed as soon as she could get away without appearing rude. She took a long shower and then climbed into bed. After sleeping most of the day, she wasn’t very tired, so she cuddled under her covers, flipping through the many channels on the flat screen. Finally, she stopped on a travel guide show that was talking about Paris…
Someone was holding her. She jerked away from the warm body and nearly screamed. But Sebastian’s long fingers covered her mouth. “Shh. Shh. It’s me.” He pulled her back against him and kissed the side of her neck. “I couldn’t sleep without you.”
Eve relaxed back against him, her heart now returning
to a somewhat normal rate. “Where did you go?” she demanded, turning to face him in the dark. “I looked everywhere for you.”
“I went back to the city for a few hours.” His hands traveled up and down her back, making her ache deliciously. “I needed to cool down and clear my head.” His lips grazed just below her ear. “Did you miss me?”
“Perhaps.” She arched her neck to give him better access. “Were you mad at me?”
“Of course not.” His kisses became little nibbles. “I just went a little insane when you said some other man was going to marry you… Which he isn’t.” The nibbles became full-on bites, and she bit back a whimper. “But the thought alone made me want to punch things, so I drove around New York. When I got home, I went straight to bed…and missed you lying snuggled so warmly against me, with that sweet rear pressed in just the right place.”
“Bastian!” she moaned. “Please…”
“Do you want me, baby?” His lips traveled lower, his hot breath tormenting her nipples. “Do I make you wet?”
“Bastian… Oh… Ah!” He took her nipple into his scalding mouth, and she lost all reasoning. She pulled away and pushed him onto his back. “I want you!” She captured his mouth and kissed him the way she wanted to make him—hard and with desperation.
When she released his lips, he seemed just as lost as she was. She straddled his waist where his long cock lay between them. She moved until her clit rubbed against the base, stroking him with her dripping pussy and throbbing clit. Her moans mingled with his groans as she rubbed against him until her thighs were trembling. She was hanging on the edge of a powerful orgasm…
Sebastian rolled her onto her back and spread her wide, the head of his dick already at her opening. But instead of thrusting deep and hard, he took his time, conscious of how sore she had been just hours before. With each inch that slid inside, she moaned. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as it was earlier in the day, and the little bit of pain that she felt as he stretched her fully only lent to the pleasure that was burning through her.
Finally, he was all the way inside. He thrust once, twice, then stopped, his breathing labored. Eve swallowed hard, trying to get her own breathing under control to speak. “You okay?” she croaked out, sweat beading on her forehead.
He nodded. One large hand moved from her hip to lie flat on her lower stomach. He thrust again, fascinated. “I can feel myself moving inside of you.” He seemed so enthralled. “I’m deeper than I have ever been…but still not all the way inside of you. Fuck, that’s hot!”
Eve licked her lips. “Bastian, I need you.” Her hand covered his. “I swear you can play all you want later. But right now, I think I might lose my mind if you don’t make me come.”
Those blue eyes of his turned cobalt with the force of his desire. His fingers gripped her hips and lifted them slightly off the bed. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she locked her ankles. His hips began to piston, moving him at just the right speed she needed. She could fell her passage flooding with the juices of her own release as it climbed higher.
The fill of his come jetting against the walls of her womb drove her over the edge. He collapsed on top of her as his body was racked by convulsions of pleasure. Eve’s arms held him to her, her fingers stroking down his sweat-soaked back soothingly until he began to calm. She basked in the aftermath of their lovemaking, enjoying having him inside and on top of her.
Minutes, hours, perhaps even days later, Sebastian rolled off her and onto his side. Still inside of her body, he took her with him so that they were facing each other. He pulled her close and tucked her head under his chin. “Can I stay here?”
Eve was already drifting off to sleep. “Stay forever.”
eleven
New Year’s came and went.
Quinn returned home, but not before telling Eve about the man she had been seeing back in London. It was still a new romance, which was why she hadn’t said something sooner, but from the look in her stepsister’s eyes, Eve could tell that Quinn was really into the guy. The two had been texting quite a bit over the last week, and every time Quinn’s phone would chime, she had gotten a sweet, goofy look on her face.
Ami had to return to France before the new year, and Cameron went with her. He had passed on three big job offers from a few magazines to be with her. Eve had watched as Ami had gone into a fit of sobbing happy tears when he had turned down the opportunities without hesitation. It was then he had really and truly realized that he had been putting his work first, and he vowed to his bride-to-be that she would always come first with him from then on.
Things only seemed to get hotter for Eve and Sebastian. He slept beside her every night, making love to her into the early hours of the morning. He taught her some of the naughtiest things and encouraged her to take advantage of him at every opportunity, which she did.
Weeks passed. Eve spent most of her days as she normally did. Volunteering at Winthrop Charities, helping out as much as possible now that her friend Kari Brandon Winthrop was so close to her due date. She helped oversee some of the charities that were close to her heart, taking some of the burden off of her very pregnant friend.
One of the charities worked to get scholarships for inner-city girls. Most of them came from broken homes, or—unfortunately—were living on the streets. The scholarships helped them get onto the right path, gave them an education, a warm, safe place to live, and food in their stomachs. There was also a halfway house for teen girls who needed to get away from whatever life was throwing at them.
Not only did Eve involve herself in raising money to keep the house and scholarships going, but she also spent several days a week helping out. Sometimes all a girl really needed was for someone to listen to them, so Eve would be that someone. Even though there were counselors on staff, not everyone felt they could confide in them. Eve seemed more like a friend to the girls who visited—and some who even lived there.
When she wasn’t volunteering, she was with Sebastian as much as possible. A few times, he had left the country on business and taken her with him. They hadn’t spent even one night apart. But with all the time they were spending together, both in and out of bed, Eve felt she might be smothering Sebastian. So when he said he had to go to California on business, she told him she couldn’t go.
“Why?” he demanded, sitting up in bed to frown down at her.
“I have a few things going on at Girl Haven,” she told him, propping herself up against the pillows and pulling the sheet up over her naked breasts. “But mostly because I don’t want to push you or scare you away.”
His brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
She sighed, pushing her long, tangled hair away from her face. “We spend all of our free time together. I’m scared that you’re going to be stifled. I don’t want to be the kind of girlfriend who is her boyfriend’s shadow. Can you honestly tell me that you want me there every time you turn around?”
“Yes.” He pulled her onto his lap, her thighs straddling his waist so that she was facing him. “I want you with me every minute of every day. Sometimes, I dread going to work, which has never happened before—never, E—simply because I want to spend the entire day with you instead… And not just here in bed.” He dropped a caressing kiss on her mouth. “I enjoy just being with you. I don’t feel smothered or stifled. What I feel is this emptiness in my gut when I’m not with you.”
Her breath caught. “Bastian.” She hugged him to her chest, kissing his recently cut hair. “I feel the same way.”
“Then why are you pulling away? Am I smothering you?” His blue eyes looked troubled.
“No! I’m not pulling away. I love you, Sebastian. It was you I was worried about.” She kissed his cheek, his chin, his lips.
“There is nothing to be worried about, babe.” He pulled her closer, letting her breasts rub against his bare chest. “So you’ll come with me to California?”
“I can’t this time.” She rested her head on his shoulder. ??
?I really am busy with Girl Haven.”
He blew out a frustrated sigh. “I’m only going to be gone two days. Isn’t there someone else? I want you with me, Eve.”
“The girls need me here,” she told him, raising her head. “If it were next week, I could go, but not now.”
“I need you,” he muttered, sounding like a petulant child.
Grinning, she kissed him. “You have me. Now stop sulking.” Her tongue licked across his bottom lip. “You have me naked on your lap. How about taking advantage of that and stop worrying about tomorrow?”
“Maybe I’m going on strike. Maybe you won’t get any more of my special lovemaking until I get what I want.” A small smile teased at the corners of his lips. “Unless you can convince me otherwise.”
“Maybe I will accept your challenge.” She kissed his lips then nibbled a trail along his jaw and down his stubble-roughened throat. Between her legs, she felt his erection thickening, and her core grew moist for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She let her clit slide against his erection. “Maybe I already miss you and want to make sure that you remember why you need to finish your business as quickly as possible and get back here to me,” she whispered at his ear and felt him shudder with pleasure.
Her nails raked down his broad chest, making his muscles ripple with scorching need. Her lips followed their path, kissing every inch of skin exposed to her. She passed his navel and licked a damp trail around his pulsing, heavy erection. Her hand cradled his sac, tugging gently. “Still on strike?”
“So far.” But she could see that he was having trouble fighting his need to touch her.
She grinned wickedly. “Good. I always did enjoy a difficult challenge.” She turned so that her back was to him. Her fingers grasped his thick erection and stroked once, twice until pre-come glistened on the broad head of his cock. Her mouth watered, wanting to taste him.
Instead, she lifted onto her knees and guided him. She teased herself with the tip of his cock, rubbing it up and down her clit, making herself pant. But after only a few moments, she traveled lower, taking him inside her. He groaned, and she turned her head. “How’s the strike coming?”