Chapter 20 – Sydney
SYDNEY
I slam into a man’s chest with enough force that I bounce off, stumbling back and almost losing my balance. A long-fingered hand shoots out, catching me by the arm and steadying me.
My mouth goes dry.
Sebastian.
I forgot how tall he is. I have to tilt my chin up to look at him. When I do, he’s exactly as I remember, sharp-featured and brutally handsome, cold blue eyes framed by thick glasses. But he’s not looking at me. His gaze is locked over my shoulder, his expression cold.
“Who was that?” Sebastian asks in a low voice.
“Who?”
“The man you were just talking to.” His hand tightens on my arm, but he doesn’t seem to notice. I glance over my shoulder, frowning at where Justin just disappeared from view. “The man who’s been following you around all day.”
“He works here,” I tell him, my words come out with a bite. “I assume if you’ve been spying on me all day, you could have figured that out.”
It’s distracting, being this close to him. I shrug off his hold and take a few steps back, nervously fluffing my curls.
What was I doing? Right. Cleaning. Picking up after book club is all that stands between me and some takeout and bad TV, two things I desperately need right now. I force myself to turn away from him and shift my focus back to my work, grabbing another chair and adding it to the growing stack.
Sebastian doesn’t say anything, but I can feel his eyes tracking me as I busy myself with my cleaning. I bend down to pick up a stray bookmark someone left behind, tossing it in the trash, trying to ignore the heavy weight of his stare.
“If you’ve finished interrogating me about my employees, I need to…”
“A name.” It’s not even a question, the way he tosses it at me. More like a command,
My teeth grind together as I turn to him with an overly saccharine smile. “Justin. His name is Justin. Would you like his social security number too?”
I let my smile drop as quickly as I plastered it on and glare at him, daring him to piss me off with one more question.
Still frowning at the spot where Justin disappeared, he mutters, almost to himself, “Jade’s brother. Justin Lee.” His brows draw together. “What is he doing here?”
He dared.
It shouldn’t surprise me that he knows exactly who Jade’s brother is, or that he recognized the similarities between them. But what does surprise me is the range of emotions I see darkening his face when he moves that sharp gaze toward me.
Anger. Suspicion. And…
“Are you jealous?” I ask. His expression shutters, all traces of his reaction vanishing.
“Just curious,” Sebastian says evenly, reaching up to casually straighten his glasses. “The point of these security upgrades is to make sure you’re safe, remember?”
“Well, Justin is safe,” I assure him, bristling as I aggressively stuff the last of the group's garbage into the trash, shoving it down to get it all to fit. “I’ve known him since we were kids. He’s just helping us out part-time here at the store to give us a break.”
Sebastian makes a noncommittal noise, deep in his chest, like he’ll be the one in charge of determining who is and isn’t a risk to me.
“A break I think I deserve, considering the month I’ve had,” I spit at him. At least he has the decency to look somewhat chagrined at that, eyes darting away from mine. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought the installation was finished.”
“It is,” he admits, still avoiding my eyes.
“I was just checking that all the cameras were in place and functioning correctly.” He motions behind him without looking as he says it, and I follow the wave of his hand to where the nearest camera watches us, red light flashing. “Everything is working as intended.”
I place the final chair on the stack and take a calming breath in, and let it out slowly, relieved to know the security system is in place. Ready. “Great,” I say. “Do I need to do anything or—”
“So you never dated him?” he asks, speaking over me.
The shift in conversation is almost enough to give me whiplash.
“What?” I sputter, reeling. “No! Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s like family.
” Like an annoying younger brother. Just this morning, he walked into the bakery while Jade and I were prepping to open, turned off all the lights, stole my coffee, and walked back out of the room, laughing at us.
Sebastian nods once, fingers tapping a rhythm against his thigh. “Good.”
I almost can’t believe it. “You actually are,” I accuse him. “You’re jealous.”
Behind his glasses, his eyes narrow. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he says.
“I’m the one being ridiculous? Really?” I plant my hands on my hips, meeting his eyes with a glare. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you saw him on your security cameras and came running down here to question me about him. Is that not what happened?”
A muscle in his eyelid twitches. “Of course not,” he insists.
I can’t help it. A dark laugh slips out of me. “I don't believe you. Just admit it, Seb. Spare me the back and forth. Just admit that there’s something about him that you—”
Something in his expression shifts, and his cold mask of indifference fractures.
He steps forward without warning, icy blue eyes flashing with anger, closing the distance between us until he’s so close his chest is almost touching mine.
“You think I’m jealous?” he asks, in a low growl, staring down at me. “Of him?”
He’s so close I can feel the heat coming off him. I swallow and draw in an unsteady breath. “I just think you might—”
“How could I possibly be jealous of a man who doesn’t know how you taste?” he asks, his voice dropping to a whisper.
My body recognizes the words before my mind does, heat flooding my veins. My head empties, and I open my mouth, but nothing but a small, desperate sound comes out.
He’s not finished. Sebastian leans in even closer, his face suspended just above mine.
“A man who’s never seen you come undone.
” His hand lifts, fingers curling under my chin, angling my face up until all I can see is him.
“A man who’s never known the pleasure of making you come.
You think I could ever be jealous of a man like that? ”
I can’t breathe. The air between us is too charged, and my heart is beating so hard in my chest I’m sure he can feel it, maybe even hear it.
“He doesn’t know what you like,” Sebastian tells me softly. His thumb passes over my lower lip, eyes flashing as they flick down to watch it move over my skin. “But I do. Don’t I, Sydney?”
A humiliating whimper escapes me before I can stop it. I remember it, remember the way he touched me, the feel of his tongue expertly unraveling me.
His finger presses against my lip, a little too hard. “Answer me,” he orders.
“Yes,” I gasp. He knows. He knows exactly what I want, what I need.
An expression I don’t recognize passes over his face.
His lips curve, a slow, sharp smile spreading as he drags his gaze over my face and down my body.
“God, look at you,” he murmurs, sounding almost awed.
“You want it so badly, don’t you? All it took was a few words, and you’re practically begging for it. ”
He’s right, and I hate it. My legs are shaking, and I press my thighs together desperately, trying to ease the ache building between them. I can tell from the way his smile widens that he notices.
He lets go of my chin, fingers trailing down my jaw and over my neck, threading in my hair. “I could take you into that back room right now, bend you over that table, and fuck you within an inch of your life, and you’d let me. Wouldn't you?”
“Sebastian,” I plead. I don’t know if I’m begging for him to stop or keep going. To make good on his promises or step away to give me space to breathe. He leans down, lowering his head until his mouth brushes my ear, and I have to bite my lip to keep quiet.
“And you’d love it,” he promises, his breath a warm caress against my skin. “The things I could do to you? You’d never forget them. You’d be thinking about them every time you close your eyes.”
I wet my lips without thinking. “Why don’t you?” I challenge, my voice breathless. The store is closing, I can hear the last of the book club saying their goodbyes, can hear Jade gathering her things to leave. He could have me, right now, if he wanted.
He makes a sound too dark to be a laugh. “Because you wanted time. You wanted space. And that’s what I’m giving you.” He shifts, his lips brushing against my cheek, then the corner of my mouth, when he answers. “Tell me right now if I’m wrong, love.”
His lips graze mine, and my eyes flutter shut, my head tilting back. He lingers against my mouth, a featherlight kiss. Then his tongue flicks out, tracing the edge of my lower lip, and every part of me threatens to come undone.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” he repeats, voice rough, hand tightening in my hair. “Just say the word. We can go back there right now and—”
“Syd?” Jade’s voice cuts through the quiet, and we both freeze. “I’m heading out! But, hey, your quiet doc is around here somewhere checking the cameras and—”
She makes a startled noise as she rounds the corner and finds us pressed against each other, his lips hovering above mine, his hand in my hair.
“Oh. You found him.” Her lips press together, like she’s trying not to laugh.
Sebastian lets me go and takes a step back, away from me, all traces of emotion on his face washing away. He takes his time straightening his sleeves, adjusting the cuffs.
“Jade,” he finally greets her, giving her a curt nod.
“Sebastian,” she answers, dipping her chin in a mocking nod of her own.
He looks her up and down, gaze pausing on her bright red hair. “I like the new color,” he says. “It suits you.”
She beams at him.
When he turns back to me, I can only imagine how I must look. My skin feels flushed, my legs weak. I can feel my pulse everywhere, in my throat, at my wrists, pounding between my legs.
His mouth curves faintly. “Let me know when you’ve had enough space.”
And then he’s gone, leaving me a breathless, trembling mess in his wake, painfully aware of every place he touched me.