Unhinged (16 page)

Sebastian

My heart was racing, my
skin electrically charged and I wanted more of her.

I needed more.

This woman soothed the
chaos in my head. Just being near her muffled the noise that was constantly
screaming through my brain.

But I couldn’t have
her.

Or at least I knew I
shouldn’t.

Somehow I managed to
break the kiss, pushing myself up, holding my body above Payton’s. The feel of
her breasts crushed to my chest, the warmth between her thighs against my leg…
it was too much.

And I didn’t trust
myself.

I don’t know why I
came. I’d been driving around for the last half hour, trying to convince myself
that it was a bad idea.

I should have called
Toby or Leif, asked them to get a beer or even head down to the track. But I
did none of that. Then I was there, in front of Payton’s apartment building,
pulling my car into a parking space next to hers and I just wanted to see her.

I’d had a fight with my
father.

A knock down drag out
that ended badly.

“I wanted to let you
know that we won’t be needing you in Vegas this year,” Conrad informed me when
he walked into the garage where I’d been working on the McLaren, trying to pass
some time before I called Payton.

“What?” I asked,
standing up straight.

He was standing in the
doorway between the house and the garage. He was wearing a polo and jeans, his
usual weekend attire.

“You heard me,” he said
as he stepped into the garage and closed the door to the house. “You’ve got to
finish the concept car, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go this
year.”

“We’ve had this planned
for months.” For the last five years, I had attended the SEMA show in Vegas.
Truth was, I enjoyed that trip, actually looked forward to it each year.
Aaliyah had just turned twenty-one and we’d made plans to go out and celebrate.
I’d invited Leif and we were going to enjoy the nightlife. It was the only time
I actually looked forward to spending time with my father. For whatever reason,
during the show, we didn’t argue. We managed to get along for the few days we
were there, even if life went right back to normal the instant we returned, I
still looked forward to the show each year.

“Not going to happen
this year, Sebastian. I don’t think you deserve to go out there.”

“Deserve?” I growled,
wondering if I’d actually heard him correctly. “You don’t think I deserve it?
How fucking old do you think I am? Five? Oh, wait, you weren’t there when I was
five, so that can’t be it.”

“This is exactly my
point,” Conrad countered, his tone frustratingly calm. “You’re out of control
and I can’t deal with your unprofessional attitude.”

I wanted to tell him to
fuck off, but I bit my tongue.

“Anyway, I’ve asked
Payton to go. I need her there. She can keep Aaliyah company and help with the
show.”

I swallowed hard as
realization dawned. He wasn’t insisting that I stay home because he thought I
was unprofessional, he didn’t want me around Payton. Rather than just accepting
his decision and doing what I wanted anyway, which was to go to Vegas with or
without his approval, I lost my shit.

“Fuck you, Conrad. I’m
not a fucking kid anymore and in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m the only fucking
reason your company’s still making money hand over fist. I’m twenty-five years
old, I make my own decisions. You don’t want me there, fine. But don’t expect
me to work on anything for you.”

“You don’t have a
choice,” Conrad yelled. “I fucking own you, Sebastian. You’re my son. You will
do what I tell you to do or you’ll be out on your fucking ass.”

“Is that right?” I
marched right up to him and got in his face.

“That’s right. And if
you don’t like it, I’ll take every fucking penny you’ve got.”

The laugh that escaped
me was filled with anger and disbelief. “You think so? You think you call the
shots? Well, I’ve got news for you. I’ve got a few secrets of my own and if you
want to have a pissing match, we’ll just see who wins. Try me.”

Conrad’s eyes widened,
but he wasn’t finished. “There was a reason I tried to pay your mother off,
Sebastian. I didn’t need the headache. I didn’t need the shit that would come
with it. And I was right. I should’ve let the state take you. I should have
just turned my back on you like everyone else.”

I felt like I’d been
punched in the solar plexus. I stumbled backward. Conrad had said some pretty
shitty things in my life. He’d done my mother wrong and I’d heard him and his
wife actually talking about her on occasion, but never had he said anything
that nasty to me.

I nodded, unable to get
any words to form.

“You won’t be going to
Vegas, Sebastian. I’ve already told you, I don’t want you anywhere near Payton.
And if you don’t want to find yourself out on your ass, you’ll do what you’re
told.”

It had taken everything
in my power to walk away without ripping Conrad’s head from his body. Somehow I
managed and I made it back to the guest house, grabbing the keys to the Camaro
from the bar along with my wallet before storming out. I had needed someone to
talk to, someone who would listen and not judge me. The only person I could
think of was Payton, although I had no idea whether she’d be the one who
wouldn’t pass judgment.

I suspected she
wouldn’t, which was why I was there.

When Payton’s cool
fingers scraped the skin on my sides, I realized she was reaching for the hem
of my shirt, lifting it higher, her fingers sending chills down my spine as
they grazed my overheated skin.

I should have stopped
her. It would have been the right thing to do, but I didn’t. And when she
lifted the T-shirt over my head, I held my breath, staring down into her
mesmerizing hazel eyes.

She was looking at me,
touching me. It wasn’t easy to control myself. While she studied the black ink
that decorated my arms, the tip of her finger traced over the designs.

“No tattoos on your
chest,” she mumbled, her hands coming to rest on my pecs.

My chest was heaving,
as though I’d run a mile just to get here, my abs were tight, every muscle in
my body coiled as I fought the urge to devour her. She slowly slid her fingers
over my skin again, her fingernails grazing my nipples, her eyes slowly sliding
up to meet mine. My breath hitched.

My cock was rigid, a
painful throb between my legs that was impossible to ignore. “You’re making me
crazy, Angel,” I whispered.

“I know.”

She sounded so sure of
herself. As though she knew that she was tempting the beast. There wasn’t an
ounce of fear in her beautiful eyes.

If she only knew, she
would be terrified. If she knew the demons that lurked inside of me, she
wouldn’t be lying beneath me. She would be barring the door, keeping me on the
other side at all times.

I was a rubber band,
pulled tight, ready to snap. I wanted to touch her, to taste every delicious
inch of her. And I didn’t want to stop until she was screaming my name.

For a moment, I thought
I could do this. I thought I could give in and take her the way I’d dreamed
about. I had imagined slowly stripping her clothes from her, kissing a trail up
her body, teasing, tormenting until she was begging, pleading for more. I
wanted her more than my next breath. I wanted to lose myself in her for hours.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked softly.

“I’m not sure about
anything, Sebastian,” she admitted softly.

God, she felt good.
Soft against hard. She calmed me. I’d never known anything like this. For as
long as I could remember, I’d had the noise in my head. The fear and the anger,
it was a living, breathing thing inside of me. All of my suspicions, they took
control of my thoughts until I was blinded by the rage.

I didn’t know how this
would end, but right then it didn’t matter. I would fight through hell to have
her, to keep her.

But moving too fast was
a surefire way of ending this before it ever got started.

And that was the last
thing I wanted.

I leaned forward,
burying my face in Payton’s neck, inhaling her sweet scent.

“Quit thinking so
hard.”

Her words pulled me
from my thoughts. “I can’t help it. This isn’t why I came. I didn’t plan for
this.” My words were muffled against the blanket beneath us. “God, Payton, I’m
not sure I can keep my hands off you.”

I didn’t want to, I
knew that much. I wanted to touch her.

Everywhere.

But I couldn’t. Not
yet.

Not after what happened
earlier. Not after the falling out I’d had with Conrad, the horrible things
he’d said, the things I’d said.

If I made love to
Payton the way I wanted, Conrad would turn it around on me, and he would make
her believe that I had done it just to defy him.

That’s the way the
bastard worked.

And I damn sure wasn’t
going to let him come between me and Payton.

I wasn’t going to let
anyone come between us.

So, my conscience got
the best of me and I rolled off Payton, flipping onto my back next to her.
Without hesitating, I pulled her to me, her head resting on my chest, her palm
planted over my heart.

I slid my hand under
the soft cotton of her T-shirt, finding warm, smooth skin beneath. I settled
for touching her, feeling her breath against my skin.

“We need to talk.” I tried
to regulate my heartbeat.

Payton didn’t say
anything.

Part of me was
surprised she allowed me to stay in her room. After all, I was the spawn of
Satan. Then again, she still didn’t know, because I hadn’t told her. I had
chickened out, which was probably the only reason she hadn’t thrown me out.

But that wasn’t the
only secret I had.

It was just one of
many.

And I needed to tell
her everything. I needed to open up and share, or the chaos was going to break
me. I was going to implode.

“So, talk,” Payton
encouraged, her fingers trailing down to my navel. I sucked in a harsh breath,
willing my body under control.

I couldn’t get the
words out although she’d given me the perfect opening.

“I want to know
everything there is to know about you,” Payton said softly, her body coming
closer, pressing against my side.

“I’m not sure you do.”

Payton lifted her head,
her beautiful green-brown eyes peering into mine. “I do.”

I could almost believe
her.

Almost.

But I knew the instant
that she learned my story she was going to run for the hills and never look
back.

I looked away, staring
blankly across the room. “Conrad Trovato is my…”

I swallowed hard,
trying to get the words out, but they wouldn’t come.

Payton leaned in,
pressing her lips gently to mine. “You can tell me anything, Sebastian.”

She was saying that
now. In a few minutes, I wasn’t so sure she’d feel the same.

“Conrad Trovato is my
father.” I exhaled deeply and turned my head, meeting her gaze head on. “Conrad
Trovato is also…” I swallowed again, nearly choking on the words that hung on my
tongue.

“Tell me,” Payton
demanded softly, her eyes wide.

“I’m pretty sure he’s
the man responsible for—”

Before I could get the
words out, the front door opened and then slammed closed, rattling the window
above Payton’s bed and knocking a small vase from a shelf on the wall.

Payton flew off the
bed, running to the door and pulling it open.

“Aaron!” Payton yelled.
“What’s wrong?”

Shouting ensued and I
was on my feet in two seconds flat, pulling my T-shirt on over my head before
following her into the living room. I had no idea what was going on with Aaron,
but I was almost tempted to thank him for the interruption.

His abrupt appearance
had just stopped me from telling Payton something that I wasn’t sure she was
ready to hear.

Something that I wasn’t
sure she’d ever be ready to hear.

I
really hope you enjoyed the first book in the Unhinged series. Payton and
Sebastian’s story came to me one day when my husband and I were driving in the
car. I mentioned a plot idea to him and he told me to go for it. After writing
the first book in a matter of days, I asked my daughter to read it. Her
excitement and eagerness for more encouraged me to publish their story.

You
can stay up to date on the additional books in this series by going to my website:
www.TimberlynScott.com
. If you don’t want to miss any
release dates, sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive the information
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