Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (19 page)

Taylor turned at the quiet click of the latch releasing in the door. Despite her frustration, she forced her lips into a tentative smile. Her heartbeat sped to a forceful thunder when Sebastian didn’t return the gesture. Biting the inside of her cheek, her eyebrows lowered and gathered with worry.

Prowling closer, Sebastian folded his arms. The hard
ened stance creeping across his face warned he was running low on patience. “I want you to think back on something,” he stated quietly. “What did I tell you the night of your party in my office?”

Frowning, she searched her memory then paled. Her eyes darted to his, hoping to find some small measure of understanding. She found none.

“Answer me.”

She shook her head,
her fingers winding in the hem of her stretchy tee. “I don’t remember,” she whispered.

Sebastian’s shoulders jerked; his smile was
cold and condescending. “Yes you do, Taylor. Don’t make things worse by lying to me.” Locking his hands behind his back, he nodded and pinned her beneath his stare. “A little refresher perhaps? What did I say would happen the next time I had to rein you in, Taylor?”

She lowered her gaze to the lush cream carpet under her feet. “I wouldn’t like it.”

Long fingers trailed along the underside of her chin in a deceptively gentle caress.

“Very good.”

“Sebastian, I--”

“Skip the formalities, Taylor. We both know why I’m here. Consider yourself lucky we already made plans to go to the store.
Unfortunately, that is not enough to get you off the hook. You wanted a punishment, darling, here it is.”

“No…”

He sprung with lightning fast speed, forcing her face down over the bed. She winced, fighting not to struggle as one of his heavy hands pinned the back of her neck and pressed her against the mattress in an unforgiving hold. Using his free hand, he tugged her low riding stretch jeans down with a jarring yank.

“My point exactly,” he whispered against her ear. “Would you still like to argue
about the way your clothes fit?”

“No, Seb. Please calm down. You’re right. I’m sorry…”

“I am calm. Consider this a warning, Taylor, because it is the only one you are going to get.”

She pondered his statement, tensing at the harsh grate of his zipper, the sound loud and menacing in the silent confines of their room. One arm snaked around her waist, angling her up to hi
m. His fingers sank along the sloping curve of her hipbone. Reaching around, he slid his other hand between her thighs.

“Have you forgotten me?” he whispered, breathing against her ear.
“Does your body still know how to respond to my scent? To my touch?”

She hated herself for it, but it did. Warmth flowed through her along with the
silken rasp of his voice. Biting her lip, she rode a delicious throb of pleasure. Sebastian rubbed a forefinger over her clit and groaned as he pushed it into her tight heat. Taylor whimpered at the sudden fullness, her heart pounding when she realized where this game was heading. Letting her eyes drift shut, she focused on the hard, steady plunges. Her cheeks burned with shame as she felt her body grow slick and ready around him. Sebastian’s low, rumbling growl told her he noticed the same.

He pulled away, leaving her aching and bereft. The broad
width of his hand came down without warning, the force and sting enough to rear Taylor up on her toes. Tears sprung to her eyes. The fire spreading across her ass was definitely not one of pleasure or play. Again, his palm came down in a deafening crack, branding the other side and wringing a hoarse cry from her lips. Blunt fingers gripped and squeezed her stinging cheeks, rubbing the burn in.

“
Mmm. I have to admit, darling. That look suits you well,” Sebastian murmured.

Four
more blows followed suit. By the third, she was choking back a sob. He was right, she didn’t like this—and she wasn’t so sure it was any less painful than his belt. His huge, powerful hands covered much more ground and left a lasting sting. Her mind spun as she tried to reason how something that brought her so much pleasure before now brought only pain.

“Perhaps, while you’re riding me, those will help you think,” he stated, tracing the lines of his handiwork.

Pulling back, Sebastian slowly peeled out of his clothes, his acute gaze never leaving her. Not wanting to test him any further, Taylor followed suit. Once finished, he hooked a finger under her chin and steered her toward the sitting room without a word. She eyed the beige micro suede furniture with no small measure of trepidation as he dropped onto the loveseat and branched his arms across the back.

“Have a seat, darling.
I believe you remember this routine.”

Closing her eyes, Taylor nodded and turned, perching above him with a knowing shudder. Sebastian eased her down, guiding her body as it lowered over his. She impaled herself slowly, jerking with resistance when the pressure got too deep. Reaching around
, Sebastian clamped one hand over her throat in warning. The other anchored on her hip as he drove into her and pulled down, burying himself to the hilt. Her strangled cry rang through the room.

Sebastian’s hold tightened. “Stop fighting me,
” he growled. “You were warned. Now sit still and hook your feet.”

Straightening some, he rocked up into her
, drawing a muffled cry. Her body shook with her efforts to stay seated as his cock stabbed deep. Taylor moaned in understanding as his middle finger pressed against the small nub above her slit and rubbed in hard, fast strokes. A rumble of pleasure rolled through him as his head fell back. Their eyes met in the mirror hanging across the room, and she watched him study her face.

“
Take away what you will, darling. Your heart and mind might fight me, but your body will always be mine.”

He ground into her again.
She whimpered at the increase in pressure, her fingers scrabbling along his forearms in pleading.

“
You’re going to come,” he growled against her ear. “I don’t care if it takes all night. You’re going to remember your place.”

“I-I do, Sebby. It’s here…with you…”

“Mmm. So you claim. Prove it to me, Taylor. Give me what I want.”

He rubbed her
clit harder. A low rumble built inside his chest as her body started to throb and contract. Slick moisture coated his shaft and her breathing hitched, signaling she was getting close. The pressure and need for release was growing unbearable. She squirmed, trying to fight it, but he picked up his efforts. Soon, despite the pain, she rocked against the skillful strum of his fingers, grinding herself down until his moans joined her whimpering gasps.

She tumbled over the edge with
a scream, her body locking and crashing down deeper against the unyielding steel of his shaft. The contractions made him stab straight to her core. Riding out the blissful throes had never been more painful or more sweet. Sobbing, she tried to elude the endless torment his fingers brought. The movements drew a snarl from Sebastian and his hold tightened. Surging to his feet, he spun her and shoved her face down over the couch. His fist wound in her hair as he pounded into her, bringing himself to a quick, brutal release. Her legs threatened to give as he came, his deafening roar echoing in her ears.

Gasping, Sebastian c
ollapsed against her. After a few seconds, he pulled out of her body with a reluctant tremble. She remained motionless, watching as he slid back into his clothes and zipped his pants. His fingers danced over her back in mild assessment before brushing the damp hair away from her cheek.

“
You will always be mine,” he whispered. “Remember that and what it means.”

Bright florescent lights and gleaming linoleum offered a false sense of cheer. Taylor clung to the slight measure of relief the store offered. There was a safety in public she didn’t quite feel at home. Not today. She browsed the shelves while Sebastian strolled in silence beside her. Every few steps, she would toss another item in the cart and then glance his way, her expression troubled and uncertain. He hadn’t spoken a word since they left the house. There were no smiles or light touches to the small of her back or her arm like there usually was while they shopped. He was stoic and distant, his attention constantly rooted on their surroundings. The store was crowded and anytime someone pressed too close, Sebastian’s fists would curl and his lean frame would poise for strike. More than once she’d held her breath in fear for the safety of the people passing by.

She pitched a
package of chicken in the cart and sighed. Shopping was a mistake. He wasn’t ready to be around other people, much less a busy crowd. Somebody was going to get hurt before the day was through.

Feeling him press against her, she glanced over her shoulder with a
twinge of hope. Maybe, given a little more time, he would come back around.

“Grab one of those,”
Sebastian directed, pointing to the section of duck. “The meat is rich and fatty. It will do you some good.”

She couldn’t help
feeling skeptical. Images of Easter ducklings flickered through her mind, and she scrunched her nose. If he was trying to spur her appetite, it wasn’t working. “I’ve never had duck before, let alone made it.”

He shrugged. “It’s
very good as long as you know how to cook it properly. I will show you how.”

“Sebby
,” she started, her tone pleading. She held her tongue as his expression hardened and his piercing stare trapped her in place.

“Is everything going to be an argument with you today, Taylor?”

“No, sir.”

She flushed as
an older gentleman caught wind of their conversation and paused. Shooting them both a look of question, he shuffled by. The heat searing her cheeks deepened as she turned her attention back to Sebastian. His glare continued to drill into her and she stilled an apprehensive shudder.

“I am starting to think
you are trying to bait my anger, Taylor. Put it in the cart. We will finish this discussion when we get home.”

“
Sebastian, please don’t be like this.”

“
Like what, Taylor?” he asked, leaning over her. “What is it you think I am doing?”

“You’re backing me into corners
and looking for reasons to punish me.”

His shoulders jerked with a humorless huff
. “I don’t need to look, sweetheart. You are giving them to me on your own.”

She winced
when Sebastian reached up and stroked the back of her head, the tenderness belying his smoldering expression. She’d endured that gesture enough to know it was an unspoken warning of things to come, a menacing herald of pain.

“You’ve forgotten how things work between us, Taylor
,” Sebastian murmured. “It’s my fault for being so lax with you. I’ve been too forgiving and negligent in my duties to keep you on track, but I assure you that is a situation we will remedy.” He leaned over and brushed his lips across her temple before pressing them against her ear. “You are going to fall back into line, darling. I don’t care what I have to do or how much pain that takes.”

Unable to help it, she stumbled away. Tears
pricked her eyes, and she frantically scanned their surroundings in a bid for help. The rueful slant of Sebastian’s mouth warned he knew exactly what she was doing. Saying nothing, he folded his arms and reclined a hip against the meat counter. The unspoken dare burned steadily in his gaze.

She wanted nothing more than to run.
This was bad. So bad. He wasn’t himself. Whatever he’d been through was making Sebastian even more menacing and cold. Her heart hammered, and her stomach was twisting into painful knots. Asking someone to help would only be handing them a death sentence. Of that much she was certain. Her desperate gaze darted to the other end of the store. Maybe she would make it out the front doors. She might even make it out of the parking lot but, eventually, Sebastian would find her. He would use every high-tech resource available, and he wouldn’t stop until he’d found her. Her terrified brain couldn’t even bear to fathom what would happen then. One thing she did know—if he didn’t kill her, he would definitely make her wish he had.

Seeing her shoulders slump,
Sebastian arched a brow.

“Are you finished?” he asked with a
surprising measure of calm.

B
ody sagging in defeat, Taylor offered a mute nod. It was pointless. There was no escape, and like always, he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. The thought made her blood run cold. She grabbed the cart to keep from sinking to her knees. Causing a scene would only make things worse. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would cool down by the time they got home. At least enough that she’d be able to sit right after a few days. As terrifying as the notion was, she had no doubt that would be quick and painless in comparison to whatever lie in store for her now.

The rest of the shopping hadn’t taken nearly long enough. Neither had putting the contents of their overflowing cart away. Taylor found herself wishing Sebastian would stop helping several times. He was quick, proficient, and more than determined to get through the task as quickly as possible. A frigid bolt of fear zapped through her when she heard the sound of the pantry door clicking shut. He turned to face her and she knew, without being told, where to go.