My entire body was still so sensitive, the touch of his hand sent another shiver down me.
“Shoulders tight?” he asked, his finger trailing back up my body.
I shrugged. They were always tight,butI couldn’t exactly afford a masseuse. His fingers dug into my shoulders, lightly at first. And when a moanescapedme they pressed in harder, finding that tender spot that had been nagging at me.
“I want to make sure you’re okay. I know thatthiscan be overwhelming,” he said.
“I’m fine.” And surprisingly, those words were true. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this. Certainly not when I’d been spending moneywhiletrying to replicate Piper’s life. Even when I disregarded the nagging feeling I felt whenever I spent theloan shark'smoney, I’d never felt at peace. Piper and her friends had only ever seen a version of me. When I was naked and exposed in front of Sebastian, I’d felt seen in a way I’d never felt before.
God, he was the last person I should allow to see me at my most vulnerable. I shoved the thoughts out of mind and snuggled further into his chest. I nuzzled my nose against the soft v-neck and closed my eyes. The comfortable silence between us lulled me into sleep.
???
The next morning, I snuggled into a plush blanket that felt so cozy against my bare stomach. Awareness hit me that I was naked underneath the blanket. My eyes snappedopen, and I noticed the hickey on my neck.
I pulled the blanket in closer to me, as the memories from last night came crashing over me. Moisture pooled underneath me as the reminder ofSebastian’stouch seared my awareness.
“Want some coffee?” Sebastian called, and my head snapped towards him.
He was wearing a tailored black suit with a crimson button down underneath. I tried to keep from glancing down at the Italian leather belt on his waist. I hadn’t been able toseewhat lay underneath his pants, and a part of me yearned to know.
A knowing smile covered his face as he watched me take in his appearance. But at least there didn’t appear to be any awkwardness after last night. He wasn’t trying to avoid me, or refusingto look me in the eye. No, he wasn’t the type of guy to be ashamed by his actions.But maybe that wouldn’t have been such a bad thing. Despite my body’s reactions to him, deep down I knew he was the last person I should involve myself with.
Iinhaledand mentally steadied myself. Finally, I nodded at Sebastian, and he began work on my coffee. When I was absolutely sure he wasn’t looking, I quickly sniffed at my pits. The deodorant had mostly held up even though I hadn’t showered last night. A linen scent managed to overridemymusky dampness.
I took the finished coffee from himandinhaled the scents of cinnamon and cream. Warmth flooded my body as I took a large sip of the drink. God, what wasn’t he good at?
Sebastian sat down on the chair to my left, his gaze rolling over my body. With my free hand I clutched the blanket tighter against me. Beads of sweat shivered down my body, but I knew throwing the blanket off was the last thing I should do.
He smirked, but before he could say anything his phone buzzed.
Sebastian picked it up, and his smirk turned into a frown.
“What is it?” I askedwhen he hung up the phone.
“I need you ready in fifteen minutes. We have to go.”
A feeling of dread filled my stomach.“Where are we going?”
He shook his head and pointed towards my bedroom.“Unless you are planning on walking out the door naked, you need to get ready.”
Ten minutes later, I was showered and dressed in black yoga pants and a black long sleeve t-shirt. I laced up black tennis shoes as I waited for him to put on his loafers. Unlike him, I needed to be able to sprint at amoment'snotice. Although it was debatable how far I’d get with this damn death bracelet.
“Where are we going?” I tried again when he opened the door to the garage.
He remained silent as he steppedonto the polished concrete. The second I followed behind him, guns pointed in my direction.After a growl from Sebastian, they were immediately lowered.
I followed him towards the black military grade truck, watching his movements for any clues.The tenseness in Sebastian’s posture told me that wherever we were going, Iprobably wouldn’tlike it.Something told me Luca would be waiting for us.
Onceour car was moving into the city,I tried to cajole Sebastian into giving me a scrap of information about our destination.But he remained silent.
I speculated onmy potential fates. Would they attempt to torture the information out of me beforedisposing of me? Sebastian hadagreed to terms with me, but if Luca was in any way involved he’d attempt to sabotage the deal.Or was it possible that my father had come through, and they were doing atrade?
No.I couldn’t allow hope to flood me. It would make me weak. Instead, I needed to focus on finding something to use as a weapon when they weren’t looking.
Soon my view of the water disappeared, and was replaced by skyscrapers. My stomach tightened. Would this be my last time seeing the Hudson River?
Eventually, wepulled into a garage, and they shuffled me out of the car.Surprisinglywithout guns digging into my shoulder blades. ButI could see the rigidness of Sebastian’s back muscles through his suit as he strode towards the door. And that put me onhigher alert than guns aimed at me ever could.
