Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (7 page)

“Oh, come on. Don’t be shy, stud. What’s the use of staying up here? Stop holding out and dance with me. I
promise
I’ll show you a good time.”

S
he reached for him again. Once was more than enough. Grinding his teeth, he shot Josh a look of exasperation, smoothed his clothes, and backed away before his temper got the better of him.

“Excuse me,” he
stated, trying to step around the woman. “I should see if they are ready to start serving the food.”

“You’re in luck
there, honey. Servicing people happens to be my area of expertise. Let me lend you a hand.”

Not missing the suggestive undertones
in her sultry purr, his jaw tightened. “Yes, I am sure it is,” he said stiffly. “But I can handle it on my own and I would appreciate it if you didn’t touch me again.”

Shooting her a look of barely restrained irritation, he spun on his heel
s and strode away. He remained so focused on escaping her advances that he didn’t see Monique until it was too late. They collided as he rounded the bottom of the stairs, their bodies smacking together with enough force to send him staggering backwards. A curse exploded from his lips as he lunged for his sister. She flinched as he caught her teetering form and steadied her.

F
ear and apologies branded her face. “I’m
so sorry
, Sebastian.”

“No. I
t’s my fault,” he said. “I didn’t see you. Are you okay?”

Nodding, Monique let out the breath she’d been holding. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Sebastian squinted up at the deck and rolled his shoulders. He winced when the bones in his neck gave a stiff pop. “I’m trying for Taylor’s sake. I want her to have a nice day, but I don’t know how much more I can take. It’s bad enough having all these strangers around, but that redheaded hose beast is driving me crazy.”

“Irene?” she asked
, turning to follow his frigid glare. “What did she do now?”

“Nothing. She’s just drunk and in heat.”

Monique smothered a laugh. Her expression shifted to one of sincerity when he scowled. “I’m sorry,” she said, her shoulders still shaking. “It’s just I don’t think it’s the booze in this case. That woman’s been eye raping you since the moment you walked through the door.”

He snorted. “It’s my money she wants, Monique. Not me.”

“Unless you started stuffing your cash down the front of your pants, I highly disagree.”

His cheeks flamed with the implication. “I don’t want to have this conversation. What the hell is wrong with people anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“No one has any sense of loyalty anymore. Friends, family, coworkers. None of it matters. Nothing is sacred. Everyone is
just looking for a way to throw someone else under the bus and get what they want. It’s sickening.”

His sister frowned. “That’s not true, Sebastian.”

“Isn’t it?” he asked. “I wish I could say that’s been my experience with people lately, but it hasn’t.” Forcing a small smile, he backed away. “Go have fun. You worked hard to put all of this together. I don’t need you to hold my hand. I’ll behave.”

The last of their guests had just finished taking their seats when the catering staff started to make their rounds with steaming platters of meat. The smell of seared steak, barbequed pork, and prime rib rolled off the serving trays, making his mouth water. Grilled vegetables, baby red potatoes, and seafood skewers added bright splashes of color along with some options for their more health conscious guests. Sebastian’s shoulders sagged with relief as Taylor finally dropped into the chair beside him and snuggled closer. The fresh scent of sunshine clung to her, mingling with the familiar scent of her skin. Her nearness alone helped put a momentary lid on his turbulent emotions. Smiling, he leaned over to brush a light kiss across her cheek.

“There you are,” he murmured. “I’ve missed you.”

Her bright grey eyes danced with happiness as she peered up at him. “I missed you, too. Thank you so much, Sebby. This has been one of the best days of my entire life. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I never had a birthday party before.”

His heart
ached at the notion. Squelching a frown, he lifted her chin and stole another kiss. “You are more than welcome. You deserve the best, baby.”

“Everyone seems so happy. They’re having a great time. You should have heard Kelly and Jess going on about the house and how lucky I was to have a man like you.”

He lowered his head to hide the warmth he felt creeping into his cheeks. “They don’t know me. Your opinion is the only one that matters, Taylor. You’re the one who has to put up with me.”

S
he pressed her forehead against his, her voice coming in a soft murmur. “For the most part, that’s a challenge I enjoy, Agent Baas. I have no problem admitting I am a very lucky girl today.”

Cupping her face, he
stroked his thumbs over the well-defined slopes of her cheekbones. “As long as you think so, sweetheart, that’s all that matters.”

Feeling the inquisitive stares of his teammates, he begrudgingly released her and turned his attention to his plate.
His thoughts dulled as food, conversation, and liquor flowed freely around them. People seemed more than content to gorge on all three. Laughter and a loud cacophony of voices carried from every direction as their guests mingled. For the most part, the invasion of privacy had him on edge. His guard was heightened to the point of painful awareness, and much to his disappointment, he lost Taylor again before he’d even finished eating.

His eyes narrowed as t
wo giggling women he didn’t recognize swept her out of her chair and proceeded to drag her back toward the dance floor. Sebastian tried to offer an encouraging smile when she glanced over her shoulder, but his heart wasn’t in it. More than anything, he just wanted their home and their life to go back to normal.

After pitching the remainder of his food into the trash, he reluctantly settled
onto one of the chaise loungers on the deck and nursed a gin and tonic. Closing his eyes, he pondered the past few weeks. There was no denying the anguish and frustration they’d inflicted. The past few months had left him reeling. He’d lost Christian, Lucian, and Mia all within a matter of weeks. While all of that cut far deeper than he cared to admit, what happened to Taylor—in his home—threatened to send him into a tailspin. A man’s home was his castle. It was supposed to be a place of safety and sanctity. He’d needed a haven to turn to, a place far away from SKALS and untouched by all of its horrors. Now, even that was tainted.

A soft curse escaped him.
As much as he tried to rationalize everything and chalk it up to coincidence, he couldn’t. He wanted to believe otherwise, but his instincts screamed Marx was to blame. Every ounce of heartache and suffering he’d ever endured somehow landed smack dab in the middle of that smug bastard’s lap. And for what?

The c
old, snow-covered graves of his half-brother and nephew resurfaced in his mind, along with the gut-wrenching images of Taylor’s battered body. They played and replayed, haunting him in an agonizing loop. The kaleidoscope like fragments shifted, but never disappeared as they tumbled through his memory. His fists clenched as Marx’s gloating face and taunting sneer burned behind his closed lids.

“
Hey. You sure you’re okay, partner?”

He
slit an eye open. Worry defined Josh’s angular features, making them appear even more sharp and rugged. Biting the inside of his cheeks, Sebastian gave a curt nod, watching as the other man settled onto the lounger beside his.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?
At the risk of sounding like a nagging wife, you’ve been pretty closed off these past few days, Sebastian. Even for you.”

“Is that why you’ve been hovering?” he asked quietly.

His partner’s shoulders jerked in a noncommittal shrug. Pursing his lips in annoyance, Sebastian turned his attention back to the yard, his gaze combing the crowd in search of Taylor’s whereabouts. Finding her surrounded by a gaggle of overexcited women, he sighed and let his head drop back to rest against the chair. Today was going to be the death of him.

“I
’ve told you before, I don’t need you to babysit me, Josh. In fact, I would prefer it if you and Monique went home. I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I am more than capable of standing on my own.”

His partner’s
scrutiny weighed heavily on him. Uncomfortable, Sebastian pinned him with a blistering glare. Scrubbing a hand over his mouth, Josh sighed and hung his head.

“Yeah, Baas. If that’s what you want,
okay. But you and I both know this goes deeper than that. I’m your partner. As much as it scares me to ask, you have to let me know what’s going on inside that fucked up head of yours.”

“Is that so?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Yeah. It is. After all the shit we’ve been through, you owe me that much.”

He weighed that statement for a long moment and swirled the pale liquid in his glass. After several more tense seconds ticked by, he rose to his feet.

“Never doubt my gratitude or my loyalty where you are concerned, Josh. You may not understand this, but they have everything to do with why I won’t tell you what’s on my mind.”

Understanding dawned and t
he color drained from Josh’s face, leaving a deathly pallor in its wake. His throat strained and he swallowed as if he was going to get sick.

“Whatever you’re thinking here, Sebastian
—whatever crazy scheme you’re cooking up—it won’t work.”

“You’re either with me or against me, Josh. There’s no in between.”

“I’m
for
you! When are you going to get that? No matter how good of a team we are, Marx, SKALS, they are a hell of a lot bigger than us. Don’t go down that road, Baas. Whatever happened or didn’t happen in the past, you need to fucking let it be.”

“I can’t,” he stated quietly.

“Seb, no. If Marx senses you pulling back, you are gonna be in a fucking world of hurt. The repercussions of even
thinking
about it aren’t worth it.”

“That’s not up to you to decide. Nothing is certain yet, Josh. I have some things I need to work through. Do us both a favor and allow me the space to do that.”

Taylor jumped at the light touch to her elbow. Sensing both familiarity and comfort, her smile deepened, and she turned to find Sebastian. Though troubled, his eyes still held a trace of tenderness as he peered down at her. One side of his mouth hitched in apology before he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“I’ve tried to be good and give you your space but I
am done being patient. It’s my turn to steal you away for a while.”

The husky rasp of his voice sent a thrill down her spine. Snagging her lower lip between her teeth, she
peeked over at her guests and nodded. After excusing herself as quickly as possible, she threaded her fingers through his and allowed him to lead her inside. He said nothing as he steered her deeper into the house. Without a word, he pulled her into his study and shut the door. Memories threatened to resurface, the horror of what had happened in that room clawing at the back of her conscious with dark, wraithlike fingers. Rubbing down a ripple of goose bumps, she tried to force the thoughts of Laychee and his men aside, reminding herself that the masculine office with its potted ferns and earthy Tuscan tones had once been a place of comfort.

Her heart raced in uncertainty as Sebastian twisted the lock and turned to face her.

“Strip,” he ordered quietly.

Worried,
Taylor searched his face, but his stoic expression lent no clues as to where his mood or thoughts lie. Wondering if she’d done something wrong, she shimmied out of her denim shorts and peeled the form-fitting tee over her head while Sebastian circled her in a menacing prowl. His stare trailed over her, caressing her body with slow appraisal. It seared her skin, stripping her bare, until desire warred with fear.

Hands clasped behind his back,
he came to a stop in front of her.

“Bend over the desk,”
Sebastian commanded, indicating in its direction with a slight tilt of his head.

Her mouth opened and closed on a wordless protest. Brow knitting with worry, Taylor edged across the room. She glanced over her shoulder before lowering herself over the
glossy surface. The cold press of wood against her heated skin was jarring, and she couldn’t help but jump when Sebastian’s fingers traced the length of her back in slow perusal.

“You’ve never had a birthday party before
. I am assuming that means you’ve missed out on other traditions as well.”

“Like what?” she whispered, almost too afraid to ask.

“You are naked and bent over my desk. You tell me. What do you think is going to happen here, Taylor?”

“I don’t know…”

“Yes you do. If all I wanted to do was bury my cock inside you, I would have done so by now. You and I both know this.”

Stiffening, she shook
her head, a silent plea building in the back of her throat.