Chapter 16
Gianna
I toss the blanket, trying to knock my phone closer to me.
It whips out the wrong way, bumping my phone slowly off the side instead of sending it straight onto the mattress.
Tears almost well up in frustration. I’m not sure when Sebastian left; it could have only been twenty minutes ago, but it feels like ten days.
He left me restrained with nothing but my thoughts. The TV remote isn’t even close enough for me to grab. I almost popped my shoulder out of place attempting to get it.
The worst part is that I’m not as mad as I should be. When he hovered over me, his warm, large body pushed against me as he secured my wrist, I’d been turned on more than I like to admit. Memories of the way he’d torture me with his tongue and spend hours fucking me flash through my mind.
I rub my thighs together, slightly disgusted with myself. The man just locked me up in his bedroom like a prisoner and I’m thinking about fucking him. What the hell is wrong with me?
Sighing, I know what’s ultimately wrong with me.
I’m so in love with Sebastian James that he can do no wrong in my eyes.
And I’m especially in love with his cock, and fingers, and—I shake my head, scowling at myself for once again falling into fantasies.
I’m no better than a man, being led by the horny monster between my legs.
The night I ran from Sebastian after I watched him murder a man, after the initial adrenaline rush wore off, I wondered. I questioned if I had been too abrupt, that maybe I should have stayed and asked him to explain instead of running.
Now days go by where I’m basically locked in his penthouse, and I hate to admit how much I don’t mind it.
I had been terrified of those gunshots and scared they were aimed at him, but the thought of walking away from him is just as painful.
I know my brother is patiently waiting for me to turn in information and get Sebastian out of our lives, but with each passing hour I want to leave him less and less.
I’m handcuffed to his bed when less than two weeks ago he threatened to kill my boyfriend if I didn’t break up with him, and I did it willingly.
Smacking my head against the headboard, I laugh softly.
There’s no chance I make it out of this apartment unscathed.
I’ll either have my heart blown to pieces or I’ll end up married and pregnant.
I realize how easy it is for us to fall into a routine.
How my day revolves around him while he plans everything I need.
We just make sense together, and I’d forgotten how much until being in his presence again.
I spent years afraid, and I feel silly now because I know he’ll never hurt me like that.
I’m not trying to excuse murder, but I’ve always wondered if perhaps the man deserved it, and I hate that my thoughts have gone there.
I remember he promised that our children would never be in any danger, no matter what he’s involved in, and I felt more relieved than terrified.
Sebastian walks in the room, stilling when he sees the damage I’ve done in the area my legs could reach. His nightstand is knocked over, blankets and pillows kicked off the bed, and there are gashes marked in the wood from yanking at the metal loop.
“You’ve certainly been busy.”
A noise close to a snarl rips out of my mouth. “Get this off right now!” I shake my wrist, clanging the metal against the wood.
He checks his watch before moving toward me. “It’s only been an hour and seventeen minutes. No need to be dramatic.”
“As soon as this is off, I’m going to kill you,” I say through gritted teeth at his condescension.
His steps falter. “Then perhaps I should keep you locked up for a little bit longer. I have a few more things to take care of.”
“Don’t you dare.”
Sebastian grins. “What do I get if I unlock you?”
A stunned laugh escapes my lips. “Are you joking? You better be. What you get is your fucking life.”
“Hmm, but that life won’t mean much if you’re not next to me.”
My heart squeezes, and I close my eyes briefly. “Unlock me, Sebastian.”
He sighs, walking to me and pulling the key out of his pocket without another word and shoving it in the handcuffs. I gasp when my arm slumps down, not realizing how tense I’d become. Rubbing at my shoulder and wrists before curling my fist, I glare up at him as he watches me amused.
“Gianna—”
I punch him in the throat, launching out of bed at the same time.
He gargles the rest of the words he was about to say, but catches my shirt as I try to run.
He yanks me toward him, and I twist to the side, dislodging his grip and falling hard onto the carpet with a thud.
I scramble onto my hands and knees, crawling to the door in jerky motions.
An excited fear has blood pumping like a drumbeat in my ears.
I reach the dressers, and just as I attempt to grab onto the ledge to pull myself up, fingers wrap around my ankle and I’m dragged back.
A scream bursts out of my mouth, and then I’m harshly flipped onto my back.
I kick at him, but he blocks it with his shoulder as he presses himself between my legs.
Sebastian’s eyes are bright with fire, his throbbing erection hot against my center. He grabs my wrists, slamming them above my head as he pants over me.
“That was very naughty.”
I snap at him. “You deserved it. Locking me up like that!” My eyes run over the faint red mark blooming on his neck.
He rolls his hips against me, his hard cock rubbing a spot that is wet with adrenaline. He transfers his hold to one hand, kneading my breast with the other. “I enjoy this side of you. My sweet, demure girl is no more. She’s been replaced with a stunning, defiant woman.”
I shiver at his words, loving his compliment more than I should when I’m supposed to be mad at him. He grabs my chin, tilting my face up and placing a harsh kiss on my lips before letting go and climbing off me.
Sebastian laughs when he sees my frown, grabbing me under the arms to stand with him. His finger bops my nose with a wolfish grin. “Bad girls don’t get to come.”
I glare at him, and he chuckles under his breath while staring back at me with a raised brow.
“You hungry? I brought food back,” he says.
My nostrils flare. “You can’t keep buying my forgiveness with food.”
“It works so well though.”
I huff out a breath, unable to argue with that because it’s true. He fixes his nightstand and then strips the bed of all the sheets, gathering them in his arms and walking out of the room. I follow him in confusion, stunned when he stuffs them in a washer.
“You have a laundry room? You do your own laundry.”
He scowls at me. “I do, and I don’t. But since you banned our housekeeper, I have no choice.”
I laugh before I think not to and cover my mouth. “Sorry, this is such a weird domestic thing.” Walking closer, I push him out of the way and remove the large duvet he shoved in there. “First of all, this doesn’t go in here. And second… thank you for not letting her return.”
“Who, Trisha?”
Nodding, I pour the detergent and start the washer. I fold the duvet on the dryer and then turn to him.
“Nothing happened between us,” he says with a furrow in his brow.
I preen on the inside at the declaration, even if he already told me, and nod. “I know. She was just a bitch and I don’t like her.”
“She was rude to you?” His eyes darken and I pause, wondering if I’ve gotten her in trouble.
I move closer, placing my hand on his chest. “She just let me assume that more than employment happened between you two.”
He grabs me around the waist, pulling me closer. “Never.”
Rolling my eyes, I push him away and head to the kitchen. “No, because any normal person would call the police after what you did.”
He doesn’t let me get far, wrapping his arms around me. “Are you mad though? I shouldn’t have done that.”
I sigh, rolling my tongue around my cheek while I think about how to answer him. “I’m not mad… just tired, Sebastian. The same issue that drove me to run away is still prevalent today, and I don’t see how we can work past it.”
With a tense body, he blows out a breath, as if preparing for an answer he doesn’t want to hear. “That’s why you ran? Because I didn’t say I love you?”
Shaking my head, I lean my forehead against his chest. “There was a whole array of reasons, but this one feels like it’s the easiest to explain.”
Sebastian tenses, his fingers flexing where he’s holding me. “If I explain why, will you give me more time to work through it?”
My heart jumps in my throat, and I’m nodding before I can speak. I rub at his chest, feeling his heartbeat under my fingers. “Yes, just open up to me.”
He swallows and lets go. “Okay, I’ll think about it. It’s—I don’t talk about it.”
Worry twists my stomach, and it’s on the tip of my lips to ask for more, but I don’t want to push him. I concede the battle for today and give him a soft smile before letting him lead me to the food he brought.