“Oi!” I swat at him but miss. He giggles softly and bolts, bare feet thudding across the floor. I shake my head, still smiling as I turn back to the salad. But I don’t get far before Sebastian comes up behind me, close enough that I can feel the heat of him at my back.
“If I’d known you were gonna butcher the cucumbers, I’d have done it myself,” he drawls, voice smug as hell.
I pause mid-slice, tilt my head over my shoulder, and raise a brow. “Careful, Superintendent. I’m armed.”
He grins. “Oh? Is that supposed to scare me, Trouble? Because I can show you exactly what I do with unruly suspects who wave weapons in my kitchen.”
I hum, matching his energy, licking the edge of my bottom lip as I turn to face him fully. “Oh, no. Have I been a bad girl, Officer? Looks like you’re going to need to handcuff me.”
The sound that escapes him isn’t a laugh. It’s not remotely civil. It’s low and feral, like it clawed its way straight from his chest. His hand flexes at his side like he’s physically restraining himself, and when he steps forward, the hard press of his cock nudges against my hip.
“Oh, sweetheart…” His voice drops into a growl, his mouth brushing my ear. “Keep talkin’ like that, and I’ll show you exactly how long an interrogation can go.”
My breath shudders out of me. “Am I being detained, Officer?”
“No,” he murmurs, lips brushing my jaw. “You’re being fucking investigated.”
I grip the counter behind me. “Should I call a lawyer?”
“Only if you want them to hear how wrecked you sound when I make you come.”
I swear the air turns electric. My knees threaten to buckle. And then—
The bastard smacks my ass.
“You—” I start, heart skipping a beat, but I lose the words. I just… stare at him.Reallystare. The quiet set of his jaw. The way his shoulders roll when he leans back against the counter, like he didn’t just derail my entire central nervous system. The little flecks of gold in his eyes that always seem to glow when he’s looking at me like that. The rough edges of a man who acts like he doesn’t care, but feelseverything.
He’s goddamn beautiful.
And yeah, I’ve been studying him a lot lately. More than I probably should. It’s becoming a bit of a habit. One I don’t want to break. He notices. Of course he does. One brow lifts like a challenge. His eyes flick briefly toward Teddy, who’s now fully immersed in building some sort of chaotic Lego fortress on the living room floor. Then his gaze returns to mine, full of heat.
I don’t think, I just move, before leaning in to press my mouth to his. His lips part just slightly, like he’s chasing the kiss even after it ends. When I pull back, his brows are drawn together, narrowed eyes fixed on my mouth.
“You better be careful with kisses like that, Trouble,” he whispers. “That kind will end with your legs wrapped around my head again.”
My breath stutters, and then he’s moving. His hand fists the hem of my oversized T-shirt and yanks me into him with a force that knocks the air out of my lungs. His mouth crashes into mine, and this time? It’s not soft. It’sconsuming. His tongue parts my lips, demanding, tasting like smugness and sin and the kind of man who already knows exactly how he’ll make me fall apart.
Sebastian’s hands grip my hips, anchoring me in place while his mouth doesunspeakablethings to what’s left of my self-control. The bedroom door clicks shut behind Teddy, who’s now sound asleep, and I don’t even get a second to breathe before Sebastian’s on me. One arm snakes around my waist, the other gripping my wrist as he tugs me down the hallway like a man with one goddamn goal.
“Jesus,” I laugh, stumbling into him. “Couldn’t wait till we got to the bed?”
“No,” he growls against my neck, his voice wrecked, his mouth already hot and open as it drags over my throat. By the time we’re in his room, he’s stripping me faster than I can blink—shirt over my head, hands at my jeans, mouth on mine like he’s starving.
His tongue sweeps deep into my mouth, claiming me, and I moan into it becausefuck, I’ve missed this—missed him unravelling me with nothing but his hands and that mouth. I gasp when his lips find my breast next, at the way his tongue swirls before he sucks, just enough to have my legs shaking.
“Sebastian…”
I barely get the word out. My hand finds the front of his briefs and presses against the thick, straining length of him. He groans against my skin, teeth grazing lightly before his mouth lifts from my chest. I slide my fingers beneath the waistband and pull his cock free—thick, hot, heavy in my palm. My breath catches at the sight of him. Already so hard, it makes my thighs clench.
Sebastian’s eyes drop to where I’m touching him, and his jaw flexes. Then he takes his briefs off in one fluid motion—every golden line of him lit up by the bedside lamp, muscles tense, chest heaving, eyes dark with hunger.
“Bed,” he orders. “On your back. End of the mattress.”
I scramble into position, heart pounding, core clenched with anticipation. He stands at the foot of the bed, taking me in. All of me. Every inch.
“Is this my punishment, Officer?” I ask, sweet as sin.
His eyes darkens. “Yes.”
