When my eyes pop open in the morning, Sebastian’s arm is still around me, his hand tucked intimately between my thighs. Have we been like this all night? A flush spreads across my skin and I slowly untangle us so I won’t wake him. Grabbing clothes, I head for the bathroom. By the time I exit the bathroom fully dressed, I’m relieved that he’s already in his own room doing business on the phone.
Even though I’m hungry, I don’t bother with room service for breakfast. Instead, I pull out my laptop and start taking notes for a story idea that came to me while I was in the shower. Working always helps keep me focused, and in the light of day, last night’s reality crashes around me hard. Someone wants me dead. Work will keep my mind off that very sobering fact.
I’m so in the zone, the sound of my phone ringing makes me jump. I quickly answer it. “Hey, Aunt Vanessa.”
“Talia! Thank God you’re all right. I saw the news blip about a fire at the Regent. I just wanted to check on you.”
“I’m fine. I’m actually at a different hotel.”
“Why did you move? They said the hotel guests’ schedules wouldn’t be disrupted.”
“I just thought it was best. It’s all good.”
“Hmm, I’ve been keeping up with your tour. That was interesting learning about your security guard, aka, Mr. White, being a potential Blake. He didn’t look pleased with the reporter at all.”
“The reporter was being a jerk.”
“I’ll just be glad when the tour’s over. All this marketing drama is a bit much, but hearing about the fire really worried me. I keep thinking about those letters. I want you to be safe. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
She’s really wound up. “I know, Aunt Vanessa. We’re still on for lunch at Rudi’s.”
“Did we make a lunch date?” she says, sounding instantly excited.
I frown. “Um yeah, don’t you remember at the kick off party?”
“Oh, that’s right.” She laughs at herself. “Jotting it down now. I’m looking forward to it.”
I hang up and stare at my phone, wondering how my aunt could’ve forgotten when she’s the one who insisted on our lunch date.
“I’d like you to consider cancelling the rest of your tour,” Sebastian says from the doorway between our rooms.
Instead of a suit, he’s wearing a black cashmere v-neck sweater over a light gray dress shirt, dark jeans and black leather shoes. I’d asked him to dress a bit less formal for the last couple of signings today, since I planned to do the same. Even in casual clothes, the man could’ve stepped out of a fashion magazine. He’s strikingly impressive and devastating to the heart no matter what he wears. I shake my head. “I’ll cancel the Q&A hour scheduled with the media, but I’m doing these last two back-to-back signings today. I don’t want to disappoint my readers.”
Sebastian looks like he wants to argue, but then his phone rings. “Black here.” He glances my way. “Yes, I want all the employees ID photos. I understand you can’t give out personal data. The photos will do. If I find anything, I’ll let you know. A file is fine.” While he’s talking, I send him a text with my email address, then just before he starts to walk out of my room, I wave to him.
When he pauses, I point to myself and mouth, “Send me a copy.”
He nods curtly, then walks back into his room, still talking.
My stomach starts growling a few minutes later, making it hard to focus on my outline, but then I get an email from Sebastian with the file. I quickly open it and start scanning, looking for anyone familiar or anything that stands out about them.
Sebastian closes my laptop lid on my fingers. “Time to eat.”
“Hey!” I glance at my phone to see an hour has passed. I pull my hands free, scowling at him. “I’m working.”
“Did you get anything from that file I sent?”
I shake my head. “Was that every single employee at the Regent?”
“Yes, why?”
I tap my finger against my lips. “It wasn’t who I saw, it’s who I didn’t. Are you sure they didn’t hire extra staff for that kickoff party the first night?”
Sebastian frowns. “Bryce told me it was the complete photo database, but I’ll confirm with him. Who didn’t you see in those ID photos?”
“There was a blonde woman serving drinks that night. I only noticed her because we almost collided. As I walked away, I remember thinking that she looked familiar.”
“How familiar? Like someone you knew in the past?”
I shrug. “It’s a vague recollection. I don’t think I knew her. It’s like she’s someone I saw in passing. That’s why I can’t tell you more.”
“I’ll follow up with Bryce if there might be some temporary employees they brought in, but in the meantime, did any of the men seem familiar?”
I tilt my head. “Why are you asking specifically about the men?”
“Because the handwriting expert I had look over the letter you received yesterday is ninety percent certain a male wrote it. Even narrowing down the list of suspects to men, since there wasn’t a log-in time for the note delivery, there’s just too many people who came in and out on the security footage for us to figure out who might’ve dropped it off.”
“You think I’m focusing on the wrong person?”
He holds my gaze. “I’m not ruling anything out.”
The conversation makes me think too much about who might be after me, and a chill races up my spine. It must’ve shown on my face, because Sebastian clasps my hand and pulls me to my feet. “For now, you’re eating. No arguing. You skipped dinner last night.”
He’s right. I completely forgot that I didn’t eat. Maybe that’s why I feel so on edge. “We don’t have time for a long meal,” I say as I let him drag me to the door. “The car picks us up in a little over an hour for the first signing.”
“I’m aware of the schedule, Miss Lone.” Flashing a grin, he continues, “I know just the place. It’s based on a similar restaurant in Paris.”
“This is…different,” I say skeptically as I eye the crowd inside the small, standing room no bigger than thirty feet wide and forty feet deep. Only a couple streets over from the hotel, the restaurant has menu placards hanging from the ceiling, depicting wines, appetizers and main courses.
Fast moving workers bustle behind the main counter, calling out orders to those in a back kitchen, while also handing baskets full of warm bread and tapas-style foods to people over other patrons’ heads who’re waiting to order at the counter. People are eating from their baskets, standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the one-foot wide standing-only island that breaks up the middle of the restaurant, or along the narrow ledge that lines the side walls.
It’s a totally boisterous and chaotic environment, but people must really enjoy the experience of this place, if the long lines at the two different entrances are any indication. I’m not so sure I’ll even get any food, let alone find a tiny corner to stand and eat it in.
“The food here is delicious,” Sebastian says, grinning at my hesitant expression.
“Bounty awaits the brave, Talia. How bold are you? Ready to dive in?” Before I can utter a word, he clasps my hand and tugs me into the mass of people.
I’ve never been more thankful for Sebastian’s towering height. His wide shoulders cut a swath through the crowd and he quickly finds us a spot along the wall in the corner. As Sebastian waves to a guy behind the counter, I notice the body heat and fast conversation, keeps the place warm and buzzing with energy. In here, my long winter coat definitely feels unnecessary.
A few minutes later, one of the servers brings us several different baskets to try. While observing New Yorkers pass by the huge glass window beside us, Sebastian and I eat and chat about living in the city. I enjoy his witty observations about city-folk while I down every morsel of the perfectly marinated skewers of meat and vegetables, and sop up the juices with the restaurant’s signature crusty bread.
When Sebastian moves on to funny stories about his BLACK security guys, I interrupt. “Wait, so Theo won’t let you call him Bear any more because of me?” I snicker when Sebastian grunts his annoyance. I like seeing him relax enough to tell stories, even if he doesn’t share ones about himself. I can’t believe that a crowded, jostling stand-up restaurant could feel so cozy with him, but it does. The entire experience is unique and delicious, from the food to the company. It’s definitely a place worth braving the mad crush of people for.
“I think you might know the staff,” I tease Sebastian as I take the last bite of my bread. A bit of butter didn’t quite make it to my mouth, and I laugh while unsuccessfully trying to wipe it away.
“Let’s just say I’ve been here a few times.” Sebastian’s lips quirk as he swipes the drop from my chin. Watching him suck the butter off his thumb is so incredibly arousing, I can’t tear my gaze away. All I can think about is his mouth on me just like that…licking me clean.
Another rush of people make it through the doorway at the same time that a couple with fresh baskets of food shoulder their way into the corner next to us.
When I’m pushed to the side and nudged against his chest in the process, Sebastian scowls and grasps my hip with one hand and my inner thigh with the other to steady me. I start to tell him I’m fine when his thumb slowly slides down the seam of my jeans.
Gasping quietly, I jerk my gaze up to see smoldering turquoise blue staring back at me. “All mine,” he simply says, but the words make me shiver despite the heat in the room. Then he does it again, this time harder.
I glance around, but the place is so jammed, no one can see past my long winter coat. My gaze returns to his and my breath hikes. There’s something incredibly sexy about him choosing to do this in such a public place.
“I’m waiting, Talia.”
“For what?” I say in a breathy voice.
His gaze searches my face as his fingers dig possessively into my inner thigh. “For you to tell me to fraternize you senseless. To demand it, even.”
Sebastian’s suggestive comment reminds me of that stupid contract my brain seems to have temporarily forgotten during the inferno blazing between us right before the fire alarm went off last night. If I weren’t so sexually frustrated, I’d find that hilariously ironic.
“But what about the contract?” I grasp at anything to keep him in line. Despite the simmering moments we’ve had, I know his signature on that paper was the only thing keeping him walking a very gray line. He’s a man of his word, first and foremost.
Sebastian shrugs. “That jackass fired me two nights ago.”
“Jared fired you?” I stiffen my spine, suddenly anxious. There’s nothing to keep him from pushing hard on me now. Gray just shifted to full on black. “Why didn’t you tell—?”
“I told him you rehired me.” A ruthless smile tilts his lips. “He wasn’t pleased.”
I swallow my nervousness. “I’m sure that pissed him off royally. Why are you still here?”
That smile turns downright wolfish. “I’m waiting, Talia.” His thumb pauses at the spot on my jeans that will rev me in no time. “I want to hear you say that you want me.”
When I start to press my lips together, his thumb applies pressure, making my stomach flutter and my pulse skip in excitement.
“You say my name while you sleep,” he says smugly. “You did it several times last night.”
Do I really say his name in my sleep? Cheeks flaming, I reach down and try to remove his hand, but he just clamps onto me even tighter and leans close, saying against my temple, “Do you ache deep inside so much you feel nauseous? There’s only one cure, and that’s me giving you the kind of carnal satisfaction that hits you bone deep.”
“Arrogant much?” I reply against his jaw, wrapping sarcasm around me like a bulletproof vest.
He cups the back of my neck as his lips move to my ear. “Not arrogance. Assurance. That’s how you make me feel every time we’ve been together. Incredibly, deeply satisfied.” Pulling back, he scans my face. “What we have is more than a connection based on strong attraction and raw chemistry. Call it friendship, call it mutual respect at the highest level, label it whatever the hell you want, Talia, but don’t fucking ignore its existence.” He tilts my chin, forcing my gaze to his. “I’m done letting you deny us with flimsy bullshit excuses. I want you to look me in the eyes and say it.”
His eyes are so bright and intense my heart leaps. “I want you, Sebastian, but that’s not enough.”
He shakes his head in a fast jerk, his grip tensing on my jaw. “Yes, it fucking is.”
My stomach twists, but he needs to know why, even if my answer means he’ll turn away from us. “Not for me. I need—”
“Natalia!” Jared’s voice sounds above the crowd. He’s standing in the doorway, waving to get my attention.
As he shoulders his way through the crowd, Sebastian releases me and says on a low growl, “Per the terms of BLACK Security’s contractual agreement, I see him as a threat to your well-being. If that shit so much as tries to put his hand on your lower back or touches you in any other intimate way, I’m going to protect you. Meaning…I’ll break his fucking arm.”
“No you won’t!” I hiss.
His gaze narrows to a “watch me” stare. Mine narrows too.
“I’m glad I found you,” Jared says once he reaches us. Concern etching his brow, Jared ignores Sebastian’s low, “You weren’t invited,” comment and grasps my hand in both of his. “Are you okay? I got a call this morning about the fire since the room was originally booked on the company card.”
When Jared tries to rub his thumb across the back of my hand, I sense Sebastian stiffen. “Yeah, it was pretty intense.” I pull away from his hold and pick up the empty baskets from the ledge. When I turn back and see the pleased smirk on Sebastian’s face, I push the baskets into his hands and answer Jared. “I’m fine.”
Jared eyes Sebastian, clearly waiting for him to take the baskets back to the counter. Holding Jared’s expectant gaze, Sebastian stacks the baskets, then lifts them over his shoulder at the same time one of the servers walking past grabs them. Shaking off his annoyance at Sebastian’s continued presence, Jared shifts his gaze back to me. “I was told this morning that your security cancelled your media interview today. I’d like you to reconsider.”
“I cancelled it,” I say to keep Jared’s gaze on me. He does not need to see Sebastian’s murderous glare drilling into the side of his head.
“It’s the wrap-up of the tour, Talia. Not to mention, it’ll show that you don’t let anything get you down, something I admire tremendously about you.”
“It’ll wave a red flag in the face of the psycho who tried to kill her last night. No fucking book is worth risking her life over,” Sebastian snaps.
“You’re sure it was intentional?” Jared asks, his face losing some of its color.
Sebastian crosses his arms. “The fire was set just inside her room door using gasoline as an accelerant. You can’t get any more intentional than that.”
Raking a hand through his hair, Jared blows out a breath. “We’ve never had anything escalate like this before. If we have proof, we need to call the police.”
“We don’t have enough proof to call the police in as a threat on Talia,” Sebastian grates. “She switched the name on the room from her penname before the tour even started. Access to the credit card details is locked in the computer system, so whoever is responsible couldn’t have used your publishing house’s name or hers to target her. For now, the hotel is cooperating with the authorities’ general arson investigation.”
That must’ve been what Sebastian’s phone calls were about this morning. I glance up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“I planned to fill you in on the way to the signings.” Sebastian’s gaze softens, telling me the rest. I didn’t want the case getting in the way of us. Again.
“Are you okay with these last two signings, Talia?” Jared asks. “I’ll understand if you want to cancel them under the circumstances.”
I nod. “I’ll be fine with Sebastian.”
Sebastian doesn’t look away from me as he addresses Jared. “Extra security measures have been put in place to keep the media out and the bookstores secure. Talia will be safe.”
“I’d like to ride along to the signings today,” Jared says, breaking the mesmerizing hold Sebastian has over me.
“Hell no.”
“That’ll be fine,” I say, overriding Sebastian. “That way, you can deal with the media, and Sebastian’s men can focus their energy on security.” I smile when Sebastian clamps his jaw tight. He doesn’t like it, but he knows I’m right.
“Sounds like a plan,” Jared says, rubbing his hands together. “I’ll spin it that you won’t allow media interviews to take away from one-on-one time with your readers. Don’t worry, I’ll turn this into positive PR for you.”
“You have exactly thirty minutes,” Sebastian says from the doorway between our rooms.
“Could you be any more bossy?” I mumble as I kick off my shoes while opening my suitcase at the same time.
Sebastian tugs his sweater over his head, mussing his hair. “We wouldn’t be having to hurry if Ivy League Junior hadn’t pulled you in front of the cameras on our way out of that last signing.”
I drop to my knees and dig through my suitcase, looking for my other nude heel. “He was just trying to wrap up the end of the tour on a positive note.”
“What happened to no Q&A?”
Sebastian sounds so annoyed, I set my pumps on the bed and stand to face him. “So that’s why—” My comment lodges in my throat. The sight of his muscular chest and mouthwatering abs flexing as he shrugs out of his button down shirt momentarily stuns me. God, he’s beautiful. When he looks up and grins at me staring, I straighten my spine and lift my chin. “Why are you arguing with me when we have so little time?”
Sebastian opens his mouth, then closes it. Before he shuts the door behind him, he says, “You now have twenty-eight minutes.”
Exhaling an exasperated sigh, I quickly grab my teal dress. I love its straight lines, pinched waist and fitted skirt that hits me a couple inches above the knees. But most of all, I love its versatility. If I wear pearls and nude pumps with it, the look is ultra classy. Switch out the pearls for sparkly, dangle earrings, and the pumps for black spiked heels, and the dress changes from classy to sexy. Smoothing out a wrinkle in the skirt, I slip on a pair of classic pearl earrings, then pick up my makeup bag and head into the bathroom.
After I’ve touched up my hair and make-up, I try to zip my dress. The one downside of the dress’ tailored style is its hidden back zipper. The tiny tab makes it difficult to grasp and pull all the way up by myself. I can get it to my bra, but Cass usually helps the rest of the way.
My phone vibrates on the counter while I make strange contortions in the mirror. It would be funny if the clock wasn’t ticking. I instantly answer, chuckling into the phone. “Hey, Cass, I could so use you right now. You forgot to pack yourself when you packed my teal dress for me.”
“And to think I could be standing in the Regent being your personal dress maid instead of sitting on this veranda drinking a to-die-for coffee,” she says, snickering.
“Actually, I’m not at the Regent any more. I moved to the Royal Grand due to a fire being set in my room.”
“Oh, shit! I didn’t know. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Cass. Sebastian is taking good care of me.”
“Well, I’m seriously glad you’re okay, but wait….as in really good care of you?” she says suggestively.
I snicker. “Not that kind. He’s an excellent security guard.”
“What happened to letting your inner-slut have some fun?”
Twisting my lips in a wry half-smile, I run the brush through my hair. “Apparently I don’t possess your skills in putting my inner-slut to good use.”
“Oh, Talia.”
Cass sounds so disappointed, I sigh. “I know. I just suck at it.”
“That’s where I know you’re wrong. You’re just thinking too hard. You have to learn to shut your brain off, girl. Please, for me, just give yourself a night with him. And if things don’t work out, and he breaks your heart, I promise to hang with you and watch sappy movies and eat buckets of ice cream until we want to bust. I’ll even go out and buy you a bigger BOB if you want me to.”
I can’t help but laugh. She really is the best. Letting my laughter fade, I sigh. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can! Everything you’ve ever worked for—getting into that journalism program early in college, your job at the Tribune, twice. Busting up that human trafficking ring at the Sly Fox club, writing two books in the time you normally write one…You’ve worked your tail off for every one of those accomplishments. Why would you expect someone like Sebastian to be any different?”
She has a point. Sebastian is anything but easy. But he’s also an unpredictable person, not a goal to be reached. I exhale and smile. “I’ll keep that in mind. I miss you. When are you getting home?”
“In a couple of days.”
“I can’t wait until you get back. We’ll crack open a bottle of wine, and I’ll regale you with all the tour goings on, and you can tell me how brilliant your shoot went.”
“Deal. See you soon. Oh, and Talia?”
“Yeah?”
“Step off the ledge. Anyone worth winning has to be worth losing your heart to in the first place.”
She always makes me smile. “More magazine advice?”
“Nope. That was a one-hundred-percent, genuine Cassism. You’re welcome. Now go have that hunky man take care of your zipper. I suggest down, not up.”
Snickering, I tell her goodbye before she can give me any more relationship advice. Hooking my arms over my shoulder, I try to pull the zipper the rest of the way.
When I hear Sebastian walk into my room, I blow out a breath of frustration and step out of the bathroom. “Hey, do you think you can help me zip my—holy shit.”
Yeah, I said it out loud—Cass-style—but the last thing I expect to see is Sebastian wearing formal dress blues, his black-billed white hat with gold trim tucked under his arm. There’s a reason women drool over men in uniform, but Sebastian standing in my room, his dark hair perfectly combed, bright blue eyes piercing into me as his broad shoulders fill out his Navy uniform to utter perfection, is just downright cruel. How am I supposed to resist that?
Sebastian gives a wry smile. “Mina insisted on dress white. I argued for a suit. We compromised on dress blue. My sister said taking on godfather duties deserves the uniform.”
I knew in my heart that Mina chose Sebastian for such an important role in Josi’s life, but hearing him say it drills the fact home. How will he feel when he learns I’m going to be Josi’s godmother? Will it make him uncomfortable? I start to tell him, but then the look in his eyes as he sets his hat on the desk stops me. It’s saying so much more. I watch him re-straighten a perfectly knotted tie and realize why he looks tense and edgy. He doesn’t feel right wearing it. Why? Then it hits me…
Now that he’s a civilian, he doesn’t believe he deserves to wear the uniform. Knowing how he left the Navy, I can’t let him think that way, so I walk right up to him and put my hand on his chest. Sliding my palm to his shoulder, I smile. “You look fantastic. I agree with Mina. It’s perfect for a christening.” I smirk and touch the gilt eagle button on his midnight blue, double-breasted jacket, then tap his tie. “Not to mention, those gold stripes on your sleeves will have all the ladies swooning in their seats. In a church, no less.”
Sebastian clasps my waist, his expression turning serious. “There’s only one woman I want to swoon, but she’s too busy saying ‘no,’ while her body tells a different story every time I touch her.”
My heart ramps and my breasts swell as his big hands wrap around my waist. I swallow and start to speak, but he quickly spins me around, then brushes my hair to the side as if he’d never said anything. “A stubborn zipper, huh?”
Trying to regain my composure, I inhale deeply and nod, holding my hair out of the way for him. “If you wouldn’t mind.”
He starts to slide the zipper up, then pauses to press a warm kiss to the back of my neck. Chill bumps instantly scatter across my skin, and just as I exhale a sharp, steadying breath, he zips it the rest of the way.
Before I can move away, he slides the pads of his fingers down my arms just below the dress’ capped sleeves. Tracing the raised skin, his voice is a husky rasp in my ear. “Every time I touch her.”