“No?” I tilt my head, wondering what he thought I’d ask.
“I’ve never brought Lilith here.”
“Oh,” I mumble stupidly, my heart taking a tumble in my chest. I don’t know why that’s important, but something tells me it’s a significant admission.
He pushes open the driver’s side door, and before he can round the hood, I slide out of my seat. Wordlessly, he takes my hand and leads me to the front entrance.
“Wow, it’s beautiful.” The wooden door opens into the main living space, and though the exterior charms one into believing they’re entering a fairytale, the inside is cozy yet modern—a synchronous collision of sandstone flooring covered in throw rugs, seating areas of overstuffed furniture in muted shades of blue, and a prominent wall of windows facing the ocean.
“I spent a lot of time here before the transition to the tower.”
“Didn’t you grow up there?”
“As a child. I left the day I turned eighteen.”
“So this place is like your home away from home?”
“The tower is my home away from home.” He leads me up three steps into a kitchen modest in size but not lacking in luxury. “I know you said you weren’t hungry, but I had the staff prepare something for us.” He nods through a stone archway leading into what looks like a bedroom with the door ajar. “And our luggage should be in there already.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“Damn right, I have.” He picks me up and lifts me onto the center island. “Especially which part of you I want to taste first.” His eyes shine like sapphires in the shadows of the kitchen.
“Which part did you settle on?”
“All of them.” He settles between my thighs and brings a thumb to my mouth. “Every freaking inch of you.” He presses his thumb between my lips. “Have you thought about tasting me again, princess?”
“Maybe,” I say, breathless as I suck his thumb into my mouth.
His pupils dilate. “Jesus, Novalee.” Abruptly, he pulls away. “You keep that up and I’ll eat you for lunch right on the counter.”
I lick the salty taste of him off my lips. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yeah.” He opens the fridge and pulls out a paper bag. “I want to take my time with you—not devour you five minutes in the door.”
“You could have devoured me during the month of Gemini, but you didn’t.” There’s a challenge in my statement, and I hold my breath as I wait for his answer, silently watching him prepare a picnic basket with whatever goodies are stowed away inside that bag.
“It was Landon’s month.”
“He’s my brother.”
“Obviously, I know that. Just because he’s your blood doesn’t mean his month didn’t stand between us.”
“That’s an excuse,” I say. “You were conflicted.” He meets my eyes, and I dare him to deny it.
“We were both conflicted, Novalee.”
I walked right into that one with both eyes wide open. Nothing I say will set this conversation on the right track, so I don’t even try. Instead, I nod toward the picnic basket. “I take it we’re eating outside?”
A knowing smile plays on his lips. I’m certain he sees through my attempt at changing the subject, but he lets it go.
For now.
“We have private beach access. No one’s around for miles.”
I hop down from the counter. “Then I guess I’ll let you feed me.”
He grabs my hand. “You’ll let me do a lot more than that.”
“Is that a threat?” My sing-song tone is too light to be argumentative.
“Threat, promise. Take your pick, princess. By the time the sun sets, I’ll have you begging for anything and everything.”
Chapter Three
We spend the next hour on the beach, eating gourmet cheese, fruit, and pieces of fresh baguette accompanied by sweet tea. Stuffed from lunch and lazy from the sun, we relax on the blanket he spread over the warm sand. A portable umbrella provides shade.
With a sigh, I lay on my stomach as Sebastian plays with my blond locks.
“I love your hair.”
“You might have mentioned it a few times,” I tease, glancing over my shoulder.
He trails his fingers down my spine, and the weight of his hand settles on my ass.
“You ready for it to come out?”
The plug has grown uncomfortable, but I’ve been too content to complain. “Yes,” I murmur, closing my eyes in preparation because I’m not sure what to expect. Every day seems to impart new experiences, and most of the time I’m barely able to keep up. The men of the Zodiac Brotherhood are always one step ahead of me.
“Spread your legs.”
Tingles break out between them, and I do as told, my heart thumping overtime with anticipation. Shifting on the blanket, he kneels between the vee of my thighs and lifts the back of my skirt. Then he brushes the hair off my neck, and I feel his lips on my nape as his hand travels to the apex of my sex. Dipping a finger beneath my thong, he groans his approval.
“Have you been this wet the whole time?”
“Y-yes.” I trip over the admission before trying to suck in a full breath. But it’s no use—his touch steals my air, leaving my body heavy with desire, tension spreading to the bottoms of my feet. My toes dig into the sand.
“You’re so…damn…sexy,” he groans between kisses, raining them down my spine. His mouth stalls on my ass cheek, and I stop breathing altogether. As his finger slides through my wetness, rubbing in all the right spots, his warm exhales fan over my backside.
Suddenly, that plug isn’t uncomfortable anymore—it’s an arousing fullness that takes my mind to forbidden places.
“I need you to relax for this.” He pulls on the base of the toy, and I grit my teeth against the tug.
“It’ll come out easier if you let it happen.”
He rubs my clit with steady strokes, and I don’t know whether to moan from pleasure or pain as he withdraws the plug from my ass. An instant later, he dips a finger into my wetness before inching that slick digit into my anus.
His breathing quickens. So does his pace. Sweet tension coils at my center, spirals down my thighs. Every inch of skin blazes to life, tingling from his touch. I grip the blanket, soft cotton and the weight of sand filling my hands.
I’m so close to coming, but I don’t know if he wants me to yet. Truth is, I don’t know where I stand with him. He’s so different from the others—less reserved, reactionary, and sexier than any man has the right to be.
“Sebastian,” I gasp, hips thrusting upward to bring his fingers deeper.
He covers me with the bulk of his hard body, and his teeth tug on my earlobe. “You’re not so innocent now, are you?” he taunts.
“I’m going to…” I squeeze my eyes shut and give in to the inevitable. Two seconds later, I take the plunge, and an intense orgasm seizes my limbs. The climax is more powerful than gravity itself, keeping me trapped in ecstasy under his solid body and the skill of his hands.
And I want more, even as I come down from the last wave.