Winning the Billionaire (Seattle Bachelors Book 2) (16 page)

He didn’t give her time to speak or to think, let alone protest. His hands roamed her body, stroking and caressing with the lightest of touches. So gently, he lit every inch of her on fire. All the while his mouth was everywhere and his hips rocked gently against hers, nudging the tip of his erection, still hidden behind his zipper, against her sweet spot.

Sebastian, apparently, had every intention of proving he owned her. In minutes, he had her a trembling mess. Every inch of her had come alive with a desperate, unslakable desire. For him. Only for him. No man’s touch had ever been so good or so right, and any thought of leaving fled, lost in him.

Holding himself on one elbow, Sebastian reached between them, undid his fly, and pushed into her in one powerful thrust. She didn’t have to ask to know he was staking his claim, and her body vibrated with the power of it.

Christina gasped, the bliss engulfing her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him to her. She could deny it all she wanted, but she needed him. She needed
this
.

Because she loved him.

Oh, she’d thought she’d loved him before, but it felt like child’s play, a schoolgirl’s crush, compared to this. Nothing had prepared her for finding a connection between them.

God help her. When Sunday morning came, she had a tough decision to make. Would he ever really be able to give her all of himself? He hadn’t been able to for Jean. Jean had spent three years of her life with him. Deep down, Sebastian was a good man, and Jean had waited, hoping. But in the end, he’d let her go, because she wanted more than he could give her. Her pain that day in the coffee shop had been palpable, the look on her face forever etched in Christina’s mind.

What if, three years from now, that was her? Was she really ready to do it again? To pin her hopes on something that may end exactly the same way it had ended for poor Jean?

She didn’t know. She’d promised him the weekend, though. If she expected him to keep his end of the bargain, she had to give him the same. This weekend, she’d allow his sweet words to fill her with hope. She’d decide when the weekend was over.

C
hristina set her pen on the kitchen counter and lifted her gaze, peering out the French doors across the room. It was early Sunday morning. The sun had begun to rise above the horizon, streaking the sky outside with oranges and yellows. The peek of blue and distinct lack of gray in the skyline held the promise of a gorgeous day, though weather reports had told her it wouldn’t stay that way.

She folded the letter neatly, picked up her heels from the floor, hooked them with her left hand, and moved into the living room. The fire they’d built the night before had long since burned itself out. Sebastian lay sound asleep on the makeshift bed he’d built Friday night, covered from the waist down by a handmade quilt. One hand lay on his bare chest, the other flung over his eyes. His chest rose and fell at a steady pace. He looked peaceful and oddly beautiful.

Melancholy clenched at her chest. She’d spent the weekend making love to him. In between, they’d spent hours talking. They’d taken long walks around the lake and had a picnic in her father’s boat out in the middle of the cool water. For the last two days, she’d allowed herself to get lost in him, in the promise in his eyes. Because she’d promised him she would. And because she needed to know for herself.

Outside, the popping of rocks beneath tires drifted through the silence. Her cell buzzed in her hand a few seconds later, and a quick glance confirmed her limo had arrived. Her gaze returned to Sebastian. The idea of leaving him this way had a cold ache forming in her chest. He’d wake alone. It would be the second time she’d snuck out while he slept. Oh, for sure he’d be angry when he woke, but this was an argument she couldn’t have with him. At least not now. Her emotions were all on the surface this morning. Waking to him, after having spent the last two nights making love to him, had left her emotions a giant tangled web in her chest.

He was right. He fit. Like Cinderella’s lost glass slipper. Or a worn favorite pair of jeans. No matter how many times you washed them or how many holes they got, they still had the perfect fit and they still felt like home. She didn’t think it possible to love him more than she already did, but he’d proved her wrong. She hadn’t counted on there being a connection between them.

Which was exactly why she had to leave. She had a big decision to make. She knew now that Sebastian had told her nothing but the truth this weekend. That he cared was in everything he did. The way he touched her. The tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her. All those sweet gifts he’d sent after the first night they’d spent together. The coffee, the lunches, the cookies. Clearly, she’d had him pegged all wrong.

But her questions remained. Could he really be what she needed? Could he really devote himself to her and only her? Did it even matter anymore?

She’d never figure it out here with him. Here, they were in an intimate little cocoon where the entire rest of the world didn’t exist. If she stayed, if they took the ride home together, Sebastian would no doubt attempt to persuade her to his side. With his addicting kisses and wandering hands and his heartfelt admissions.

When what they needed was time.
She
needed time. To figure herself out. What she wanted, from him and from this relationship. What she was willing to risk for it. Deep down,
did
she really trust him? Was she willing to risk her heart, knowing it could all end the same way it had for poor Jean?

Only time would tell her that.

No, as cruel as it was to leave him this way, she’d only promised him the weekend, and it was over.

She crossed the space and leaned the note she’d written against the stone hearth, then knelt beside him. She kissed his forehead, then pushed to her feet and forced herself to turn and walk away. She closed the front door quietly behind her.

Several hours later, Christina sat in her tiny kitchen, staring absently out the window across the room. The large picture window was half the reason she’d bought this house. It gave her a spectacular view of the line of trees out in her backyard, swaying in the gentle breeze. The day had turned out glorious. Blue skies, puffy white clouds. They even had actual sun. The golden gleam filled her kitchen, illuminating the space.

Her fingers curled around her coffee cup, but the liquid within had long since gone cold. The muffin she’d warmed up sat untouched on the small china plate. Even though she hadn’t eaten in over twelve hours, she wasn’t hungry. She couldn’t stop thinking about Sebastian. The image of him, asleep on their makeshift bed, had burned itself into her mind. It replayed now like a CD with a scratch, taunting her. So did the thought of him waking alone and finding her gone. Was he angry? Hurt? The idea alone was a wound on her heart.

Coming home, she’d thought it would take her days to figure herself out, what she wanted. Was she willing to risk her heart again, knowing it could end the same way? Sitting here now, the overwhelming truth slid over her. She didn’t have to think and she didn’t need time. She knew what she wanted.

Him. She missed him. The thought of never again getting to experience what they had this weekend left her with an emptiness inside.

It made no sense, really. Logic told her they needed to take it slow, reminded her that she’d sworn after Craig she’d never rush headlong into a serious relationship. Neither could she deny the truth staring her in the face. Her mind kept going round and round a single point: whether it lasted one year or forever, she still wanted him.

This weekend had only proven one thing—that if anybody was worth taking a chance on, it was him. It had been in his touch. He’d staked his claim on her and every cell in her body said she was his. From the tip of her nose to the roots of her hair to the soles of her feet. Every molecule belonged to him.

The buzz of the front doorbell sounded through the house, interrupting her thoughts. With a sigh, she abandoned her cold breakfast and made her way to the foyer. She forced a polite smile but it fell the instant she pulled open the door. On the other side of the threshold, Sebastian stood with his arms folded across his chest, an angry scowl forming deep grooves between his brows. A five o’clock shadow graced his jaw, suggesting he hadn’t been home yet.

Her heart hammered. Cleary he’d come straight here. Though why she should have expected anything less, she didn’t know. Sebastian wasn’t the type of man who took no for an answer. He faced problems head-on and worked at them until he found a clear answer. He’d always teased her for the way she barged into his life, but the truth was, he did it, too. They really were alike in that respect.

“You have this really bad habit of running out while I’m asleep.”

Her heartbeat picked up speed, sending her blood racing through her veins. She swallowed hard. He’d come to confront her. She dropped her gaze to the floor, flexing her toes against the dark wood. Heat flooded her cheeks and the right words refused to come.

She closed her eyes for a moment and drew a lungful of much needed oxygen, drawing in courage along with it. He deserved the truth.

A little more settled, she opened her eyes again and forced herself to meet his gaze. “I’m scared, Sebastian. After Craig, I promised myself I’d never do it again, I’d never be someone’s naïve fool, following my heart.”

He dropped his arms and crossed the threshold, stepped into her personal space, and backed her against the wall adjacent to the doorway. He set his hands on either side of her head. The look on his face, a mixture of tenderness and heat and a touch of irritation, had her breath halting in her lungs. “I know. And I know you said you needed time, but I came over to warn you. I’ve made a decision I’m setting into motion this morning. I’m also here to tell you that if you think I’m going to let you walk out of my life and go back to the nothing we had, you need to think again.”

Christina opened her mouth and shook her head, ready to explain, but Sebastian pinched her lips shut. When she mumbled a protest, he grinned, white-toothed and sexy as hell. When she quieted, he released her mouth.

“No more arguments. Do what you have to do. Run. Keep me at arm’s length. I don’t care. I’ll wait. You’re right. I hurt Jean. The truth is, I had to let her go because I didn’t love her the way she loved me.” He leaned in again, this time so close his warm, minty breath whispered over her lips. “So, you do what you have to do, baby, but mark my words. One day, Christina McKenzie, I
will
marry you. I’ll wait you out for as long as I have to, but you should know me well enough by now to know I don’t give up easily.”

He brushed his mouth over hers, the softest of kisses, enough to melt her knees, then stepped back.

“We’ll talk more later. I’ve made an appointment with my lawyer.”

And with that, he disappeared out the door. By the time she’d managed to calm her breathing and find her brain again, the quiet purr of his limo’s engine was fading into the distance.

As she straightened off the wall, his words came back to her.
“I came over to warn you. I’ve made a decision I’m setting in motion this morning.”

Her mind flitted through a million possibilities, then settled on one with heart-stopping clarity. His father’s will. She bit her lower lip, gnashing it between her teeth. But what did he mean? Set
what
into motion?

Determination swelled behind her like a locomotive. She didn’t know, but she knew who might. Caden.

She strode into the kitchen, grabbed her purse off the table, slipped on some heels, and jogged out the door to her car in the driveway. She’d coax the truth out of Caden if she had to.

Five minutes later, she stepped out of the elevator into the private vestibule of Caden and Hannah’s condo downtown. She knocked on the door, then stepped back to wait. Silence came from within. Being a Saturday, she shouldn’t be surprised, but Caden had always been a morning person. She knocked again. This time distinct grumbling registered on the other side and the door finally opened. Caden’s tall, broad form filled the doorway.

Wearing only his pajama bottoms and an irritated scowl, he folded his arms. “Do I look like Grand Central Station to you? Can’t you people sleep in on Sunday?”

“Oh, let her in.” Hannah’s soft voice drifted from behind him. Seconds later, the door pulled open wider and Hannah appeared at his side, wearing a pale pink satin robe. She offered a gentle smile and leaned forward to wrap Christina in a hug. Hannah released her and gripped her hand instead, squeezing it. “Ignore Grumpy here. He hasn’t had his coffee yet.”

Caden’s scowl deepened. “It isn’t the coffee I’m missing right now.”

Hannah jerked her gaze to his, flushing to the roots of her hair. Clearly she’d interrupted more than breakfast.

“Oh my.” Her cheeks heating, Christina flashed an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry to…interrupt. Baz came over this morning. Caden, he told me he’s setting something into motion—that he’s going to see his lawyer. What did he mean? And, please, don’t pretend you don’t know. You two have been joined at the hip since first grade. I know darn well he likely called you first.”

He sighed, dropped his arms, and stepped back, ushering her inside with a sweep of his hand. She followed him over the threshold and closed the door behind her.

Hannah flashed a polite smile, her eyes bright and warm. “Would you like some coffee?”

Christina shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m so sorry to impose. I won’t stay long, I promise.”

Hannah pursed her lips and waved a dismissive hand. “Sweetie, don’t even mention it. We weren’t sleeping, and I need to feed this little guy anyway.” She rubbed her belly, her eyes taking on a loving, tender glow. She turned to Caden. “I’ll go make some coffee and give you two time to talk.”

“Thanks, babe.” He wrapped an arm around Hannah’s back, pulled her in for a tender, lingering kiss, and waited until she waddled off toward the back of the house before turning to Christina. His earlier scowl returned. “He called me an hour ago. He’s officially refusing his father’s demands and signing the company over to the wife.”

Shock moved through her system, and for a moment, she could only stare, heart hammering in her ears. As Caden’s news settled in, a mixture of pain and regret clenched at her chest. Oh God. Had she forced him to make a difficult decision, to choose between her and his work?

She shook her head in misery, his form blurring before her as her gaze unfocused. “Because I told him I wouldn’t marry him.”

“I’ll let him fill you in. It’s his story.” Caden lifted a brow. “Care to tell me what happened? It kind of surprised me to hear from him this morning. He sounded hell-bent. Now suddenly here you are. What on earth happened?”

She nodded absently and dropped her gaze to the floor, studying the lines in the dark polished wood. From somewhere further inside, the sounds of water running filled the unbearable silence.

“I told him at the start of the weekend I wouldn’t marry him, and I left the cabin early this morning before he woke. Which is probably why he came to you first thing.” She looked up, meeting his gaze. “I’m scared, Caden. I wasn’t sure if I could really trust that he could be what I thought I needed, but this morning I was sitting at home alone, and I realized it didn’t matter. I still want him. That’s crazy, right?”

He sighed, took her by the shoulders, and drew her to him, enveloping her in his strong embrace. “Do you recall what you said to me when I stood onstage at the auction last year, after Hannah walked out?”

Christina laid her head on his chest, allowing herself the luxury of accepting the comfort he offered. They’d always been close. Whatever went on between them, no matter how angry they got at each other, Caden was always there, and not for the first time, she was grateful for his strength and support.

Her mind filled with the exact memory he mentioned. Christina didn’t have to ask to understand where this conversation was headed.

“I asked you if you loved her.” She’d never forget the panic in his eyes when Hannah left the room. She’d known right then he’d found his other half, because out of all the women who’d crossed his life, she’d never seen that look on his face before.