Chapter Eleven

His possessive tone washed away the horrors of her nightmare. Lily let go of the last lingering twinges of fear and stared at the man above. He had the same look he had earlier when they were in the pool—a mixture of lust and desire cemented together with an ironclad determination to do as he pleased.

Luckily, what made him happy set her on fire.

Still, she needed to get a handle on exactly what Sebastian expected from her. With Mark’s death and all the responsibilities she’d be expected to take on, her life would no longer be her own. “I appreciate you looking after me, but well…”

Memories of the time they’d spent apart today hit her. She’d wanted him to give her some breathing room so she’d have a chance to cope. Instead, the minute she had a moment alone after returning from the funeral home with Zane, her mind had jumped immediately to Sebastian. Wicked thoughts of how much she wanted to live out every fantasy with him plagued her.

Her body aroused, she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She’d made it through dinner with Violet and Zane, had even assured them she’d be fine until Sebastian returned.

What a joke. The only reason she’d chosen to go for a swim was too cool down and work off some excess sexual energy. She smiled, recalling the pleasure of making love to him in the pool.

He dipped one finger inside her moist center and slipped deeper, caressing the already tender walls. “That smile makes me wonder what you’re thinking.”

She bit back a moan, trying her best, not to beg and debated if she had the strength to say what she wanted to say. Her past would forever affect her future if he didn’t completely comprehend what happened when her parents died. She shifted restlessly determined to make him understand before she ventured any further into a relationship with him. “I know it’s probably against some rule for us to continue sleeping together. But if we are, I want to ask a favor.”

“And that is?” Staring into her face, he slipped a finger over her sensitive clit. The light pressure had her hands knotting into fists.

“I’d like it if you’d let me up.”

He toyed with her and slid a finger into her pussy. Then he retreated and flicked a nail over the small nub. “Why?”

She worked to draw in a breath and tugged her hands free from his grip. “I need to explain—”

He gently brushed his fingers over her cheek. “You don’t have to do this. I know you went through hell and you’re stronger for it now.”

“That’s not true.” She sat up the minute he rolled to one side and gasped in a few quick gulps of air. After flipping on the lamp next to the bed, she opened the nightstand’s drawer and withdrew the box of condoms. She’d stashed it there after her divorce but until tonight hadn’t had an opportunity to use any. “The next time we make love, we need to remember to use these.”

“Why? You’re on birth control.”

“How do you know?” She fought down the dread bubbling up inside her. What else did he know about her?

“They’re sitting on the counter in the bathroom.” He ran a calming stroke over her back helping ease some of her anxiety. Still, his touch did more than just quiet her fears. Other more basic needs sped through her body, like a hunger to be in his arms and have him buried deep. She enjoyed the special way they connected and found sexual bliss.

Mulishly fighting the lust pooling between her legs, she made the decision to tell him about her past. Then if he was still interested, they could work on a future together. She rolled to her feet and scrambled to her dresser to pull out a nightshirt from the top left-hand drawer.

“You don’t need that.” The teasing tone reminded her once the conversation was over she’d return to bed. Hopefully, after she finished what she had to say, he’d still be willing to sleep with her.

Slipping the shirt over her head, she shoved it down over her hips and turned. “Maybe, but for you to truly understand me, you need to understand what I went through after my parents died.”

Dreading how he might respond, she relived the misery she’d endured at the time, the horror of facing the future without any family and the complete desolation of being totally alone. “I wanted to die. That’s why they had me in the psych ward. They had me on suicide watch.”

He sat up and shoved her pillow behind his back. “Wasn’t the problem also amplified by the mixture of drugs?”

“I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it or not. All I know is I felt as if my life had ended. I had no one. Without my parents, I became an orphan and suddenly had the responsibility of settling their estate. I had also just finished college and was at a crossroad.” Lily ran her hands through her hair, pulling the tangled mess away from her face. Fears sizzled through her, bringing to life the old pain and terror. “I wanted nothing more than to die.”

The image of Mark standing beside her hospital bed flashed through her head, his smile, the soft reassurance in his voice, and his soothing touch. “Mark was my lifeline. He stepped in and helped me. He became almost like a surrogate father, but so much more. I loved him in ways that I’ll never love another man.”

Lowering her chin, she wiped at the tears leaking onto her cheeks. Mark had shown her how to release her emotions by crying, yelling, or simply being. As a child protégé, she’d only seen intelligence and reason as a means to communicate. Emotions were secondary, unimportant, and only for people with small minds.

She shook her head. How naïve.

“I’m not trying to take Mark’s place.” Sebastian’s comment filtered through her senses.

The two men were nothing alike. However, each had somehow gotten to her, one through intelligence and the other through his physical caress. “That’s the problem. In some ways, you already have. I long to do things with you that I never even considered doing with him.”

A smile bloomed on his face. He rubbed a hand across his chest, drawing her attention to the dark curls running over the wide expanse. The flat plane of his stomach led to thick thighs. The solid girth of his erection had her fighting back the need to touch.

He teased her by stroking the appendage. “Now we’re getting to the good stuff. What exactly did you have in mind?”

A nervous laugh broke from her lips. “Were you not listening? I just told you I’m already attached. If we continue having sex, I’ll just become more involved. You don’t want that.”

“Why not?” He waved her to the bed.

Unable to come up with a feasible argument, she shuffled forward. The minute she drifted within reach, he captured her hand.

“We have nothing in common,” she said, determined to stand her ground.

“I beg to differ.” He tugged her forward until he had a hand at her waist and drew her onto the bed. The gentle prodding didn’t stop until he had her on her knees straddling his lap. “You like me. I like you. We both enjoy spending time in each other’s company. What more do we need?”

“What about our jobs? We live and work in two separate parts of the world.” Lily set her hands on his shoulders and eased them slowly lower. His crisp chest hair tickled her palms. His body heat warmed her and unleashed a hunger in her core. Moisture seeped from her pussy.

“I don’t think it’s a problem. You are my job for the foreseeable future. I need to keep you close so I can protect you and have my wicked way with you.” He laid his hands on her thighs and nudged his thumbs to her folds. His touch teased but didn’t satisfy.

“Wait a second, are you saying this isn’t a temporary assignment? I mean after you find out who killed Cain and Mark, won’t you be reassigned?” She rubbed her fingers over the tight bud of his nipples, playfully plucking at the peaks.

Nudging her elbows upwards, he ended her fun and lifted her nightshirt over her head. Once it was free, he tossed it aside and closed the space between them by wrapping his arms around her. His gaze met hers and held. “No. Like I told you, Neanderthal warriors are my ancestors. And you’re the scientist with all the answers about them. Rex wants to know everything there is to know about the gene project you’re working on. You’re my permanent assignment until he has all the answers he wants.”

Seeing the serious glint in the depths of his eyes, she fought for some perspective. “But that could be years, we’ve just identified the genes. Now, we’ll need to determine what traits those particular genes have.”

“Exactly. So you see, I’m not going anywhere.” He lowered his head and nibbled on her neck. His hard cock nestled against her feminine mound, tantalizingly close but not anywhere near where she needed him.

She tilted her hips to relieve the building tension and struggled to make sense of his explanation. “Sebastian, I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to at the moment.” He dipped lower, captured her nipple, and then released it. With long, delicious laps, he licked at the sensitive peak, causing shudders to ripple through her.

“Sebastian.” Her warning tone didn’t faze him.

He continued to play, driving all reason from her head. His hot mouth finally closed over her breast, drawing a moan of ecstasy from her. Each brush of his tongue launched a violent onslaught of desire against her senses. Yet, he didn’t ease up or give her a chance to catch her breath.

No. The wicked man cupped her other breast and pinched the tip. Then he rolled the rigid nipple between his fingers.

Strung out on a sexual high, she tunneled her hands through his hair and tugged. “Please. I can’t take much more. I need you inside me.”

Wrapping his fingers around her hips, he nudged her onto her knees. His mouth broke free from her breasts with a loud pop. “Okay, sweetheart, you’re in charge.”

Uncertain of exactly what he meant, she felt the round head of his cock prodding against her entrance. She followed his lead and slowly glided down his extended length.

“Oh, yes, take all of me.” He rocked his hips, allowing another inch of penetration.

Once fully seated, his body locked intimately to hers, she had a sense of completeness she’d never enjoyed before. The uniqueness of their position allowed her the opportunity to stare directly into his eyes, to see the hunger in them.

She licked her lips and spoke without thinking, “You want me as much as I want you, don’t you?”

“More.” He groaned and leaned forward. His mouth claimed hers, taking her lips hostage and working his tongue deep. Then he retreated to nibble his way to her ear. He squeezed her ass. “Ride me, baby.”

Following his direction, she lifted off him. The slow movement dragged the velvety steel of his cock against her needy flesh. Upon reaching the tip, she paused.

He hauled her back down his solid girth. Back and forth, pushing, pulling, he worked deeper until she had no doubt he’d established a place up through the center of her body to the top of her head. Time lost meaning, and her body shook with the effort it took to do his bidding.

A wild hunger raced through her, and she couldn’t maintain the easy pace. No, she had to have more. In a frenzy, she bucked her hips, altering the controlled rhythm and creating a rowdy ride.

He punished her into submitting to his will by pressing her back against his raised knees. The new position left her open to his questing fingers and had her sitting in the saddle of his groin.

Arching her back, she met him stroke for stroke as he powered deeper, taking everything she had and demanding more. She silently questioned her strength to survive when her climax crashed down over her, engulfing her in a passionate storm of quivering muscles. Her body shuddered, and she must have conveyed her need for him to follow her into an orgasmic bliss. With one more thrust, he poured himself into her.

Completely spent, she collapsed forward and wrapped her arms around him. Her head landed on his shoulder. She kissed his cheek. “That was amazing.”

He shifted down in the bed, keeping her body snug over his. The click of the lamp’s light switch added a new level of darkness behind her closed eyelids. “I agree, but we should probably try to get back to sleep. Tomorrow will be no cake walk.”

Exhausted by the prospect of all she needed to do, she melted over him, hoping only for the strength to get through the event without falling apart.

****

Low inspirational music played through the funeral home speakers. The people assembled in the viewing room spoke in hushed tones while the adjacent area had a more jovial atmosphere as friends and colleagues met and conversed.

Sebastian scanned the crowd, looking for Lily. She’d wandered away to give him a few minutes to talk to Bruce alone. His partner had arranged for them to meet with Detective Callahan the following afternoon after Mark’s funeral.

“That’s not the best time for us to head into San Francisco. If he’d meet with us in the morning before Mark’s funeral that would work better.” Sebastian’s gaze fell on Lily’s blonde head. Twisted into a knot, her hair was half-hidden under a small black hat. Sheer netting bordered the rim and concealed the top of her ears. Her silk, black dress had short, puffy sleeves and fell to just above her knees.

His body hardened as he recalled seeing her walk downstairs earlier. What should have been a widow’s attire reminded him more of what she’d wear for a hot date. The dress hugged her curves and accented her creamy complexion. Even her respectable sling-back heels had set him on fire.

Studying the way she moved, he narrowed his gaze when she nestled close to another man. The two locked in an embrace. A proprietary spurt of rage raced through his system. “Who is Lily talking to?”

Bruce gave the couple a cursory glance. “That’s her assistant, Devin Fleetwood. They work very closely together and have been friends for years.”

“Nothing else between them?” Sebastian studied the man, noted the pale coloring of his skin, his slightly bent posture, his dark hair in direct contrast to Lily’s light blonde.

“Not that I’ve heard. He allegedly has a girlfriend. But no one has met her as far as I know of,” Bruce grumbled and resumed the earlier thread of their conversation. “I’ll contact Callahan and see if we can change the location of our meeting, but don’t count on it. The detective is not overly thrilled to have our help in this matter.”

“Not surprising, and thanks for handling him,” Sebastian said to Bruce as he kept an eye on Lily. “I have enough to do to keep up with Lily. Her trip yesterday with Zane was without my approval. I made the mistake of thinking she’d sleep for most of the day. I should have known better.”

“I understand. She caught me off-guard more than once by taking off on her own.” Bruce veered to one side to allow a couple of women to step past them.

“Mark never could risk the co-eds. That’s why…” The woman’s words captured Sebastian’s attention.

He swiveled his head, searching for the speaker. “Did you just hear that?”

Bruce nodded and strolled after the group.

Confident his partner would find out what they needed to know, Sebastian headed in the opposite direction, working his way steadily to where Lily still stood with Devin.

“I thought it best if you didn’t know. That way, you wouldn’t worry.” Devin shifted his gaze. The menacing glare ran from the top of Sebastian’s head to the tip of his black, alligator boots.

Unhappy with the shrewd, little smile on the man’s lips, Sebastian sauntered forward and wrapped his hand around Lily’s waist. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friend?”

Turning her body into his, she snuggled close and smoothed her hand over his tie. “Sebastian, I’d like you to meet my best friend and assistant, Devin Fleetwood.”

The man lifted an inquiring brow and held out his hand in greeting. “You’re her new bodyguard, right?”

Annoyed by the man’s attempt to dismiss him as being unimportant, Sebastian slapped his hand into Devin’s and squeezed just a bit harder than he normally would. “Yes, and I’m also probing into Cain’s and Mark’s murders. Do you have anything you’d like to share concerning the investigation?”

Devin drew back with a frown. “No, I shared everything I knew with a police detective yesterday.”

“Yes, a Detective Callahan.” Lily nodded. “He happened to be at the house when we arrived. I’m afraid I didn’t give him the best impression. Exhausted, I, well…” She lowered her voice. “Olivia was in true form.”

“Naturally.” Devin scanned the area, as if searching for the woman.

“After I told her to pack her things and move out, I—”

“You did what?” Eyes wide, the man stared at Lily as if she’d lost her mind.

Satisfied the man didn’t pose any danger, Sebastian allowed Lily to move out of his embrace.

She laid her hand on Devin’s arm and leaned closer. The two appeared like two naughty children, whispering in a hushed tone, sharing some deep, dark secret. “I did, and what’s even more shocking is she moved out.”

“Yes, finally we’re rid of that woman,” Devin countered and hugged Lily.

Sebastian swallowed the smile that threatened to reveal his part in Olivia’s decision to vacate the premises. It hadn’t taken much, a few choice words, and a gentle warning of what would happen if she continued to live in Lily’s house.

Being an intelligent woman, Olivia elected not to risk losing her standing as a first-class fundraiser for nonprofit organizations. Luckily, he had no qualms about keeping silent regarding her misuse of funds. If their accountants hadn’t found a reason to question her ethics, why should he?

“Oh, my. I can’t believe that woman had the nerve to show up here.” The loud exclamation had heads turning to the doorway leading into the viewing area.

Olivia stood with her hands on her hips, her face covered in a mask of fury. Doing her duty as a grieving fiancée, she wore a black long-sleeved dress and black nylons with four-inch black heels. The color on Lily had a sexy appeal. On Olivia, the dress made her appear more like a female version of the grim reaper with fangs instead of a scythe.

A tall, thin man hovered by her side. He seemed uncomfortable with her outspoken words and laid a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her. With a shrug, she brushed him aside, but he didn’t falter as he blocked her from entering the room.

Sebastian couldn’t hear the man but from the look on Olivia’s face nothing short of a miracle would keep the woman quiet.

“Oh, shit,” Lily grumbled beside him and grabbed a hold of his hand. “Devin, you go delay Karen from going into the viewing room while Sebastian and I deal with Olivia.”

“Sure thing, but Bruce can probably protect her better than I can.” Devin hurried off.

Scanning the crowd, Sebastian observed his partner talking to the woman they had seen earlier. “Who’s Karen?”

Lily darted toward Olivia and dragged him along behind her. “Mark’s first wife. She’s the one who introduced Olivia to Mark. The two have been at war since.”

Weaving through the masses, he followed her lead until she released his hand to tap the tall man next to Olivia on the shoulder. “Stan, why don’t you find Olivia a glass of water? I’m sure she can use it to cool off.”

“I don’t want any water. I want that woman out of here.” Olivia fumed and glared at Lily as if ready to do battle.

“Are you sure? Because the last time you two tangled, the local society page had a blow by blow account of the event.” Lily waved a finger over her shoulder. “Those same reporters are here, today.”

Olivia straightened her shoulders and eyed the crowd. After a moment, she brushed her hand over her chest and toyed with her necklace. “How long do you think she’ll be here?”

Lily shrugged and pointed to a door at the back of the room. “Probably no longer than it’ll take for you to go to the bathroom. The director said there is a room right across from the restrooms we can use if we should feel the need to get away for a few minutes.”

“You want me to leave?” Olivia incredulous tone revealed an unwillingness to comply.

Sebastian stepped up behind her and laid a hand on her waist. “Everyone knows this is an emotional time for you. No one would begrudge you a few moments to yourself.”

A tissue magically appeared in Olivia’s hand, and she lifted it to her face, blotting the corners of her eyes. “You’re right. Mark wouldn’t want me to cause a scene.”

With a dramatic show of despair, she ducked her head and wove her way to the back door.

Once she had disappeared, Lily slumped against him and whispered, “Man, she really didn’t know Mark. He would have loved the idea of women fighting over him at his funeral.”

Sebastian gathered her close and turned her in the circle of his arms. “Are you kidding?”

“No. Mark cheated on his first wife, me, and even Olivia. Although, she probably doesn’t know it. He had a way of keeping his affairs under wraps.” Lily brushed a hand over his chest. “Don’t look so surprised. Why else do you think I divorced him?”