Taming the Beast Read online

  “Sebastian,” she called out, her voice raspy with sleep. “Everything all right?”

  He straightened his spine. “I’m fine, Jade.”

  The sheets rustled behind him and a warm hand touched his shoulder. He flinched away from her, then stood up and stalked to the bathroom. Turning the tap on, he splashed water on his face.

  He was no good for her; he knew that from the beginning, but he took her anyway. And, now, she would pay for it. He would eventually show his true colors, and she would get hurt.

  Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked back into the bedroom where Jade was still lounging on the bed. Fuck, she looked so beautiful with her long, dark hair spread over the pillows, the sheet wrapped around her body, and the chain necklace he had given her glinting in the morning sun.

  “Sebastian,” she purred, reaching out to him. “Come back to bed.”

  It took all his strength not to say fuck it, and just jump back into bed with her. Bury himself inside her and just forget the outside world. “Uh sorry, darlin’,” he said, clearing his throat. “I have an early meeting. I need to get ready.”

  She gave a pout. “Really?” She sat up, exposing her breasts, toying with the necklace.

  Fuck.

  “Really,” he said curtly. He grabbed her shirt and jacket and tossed it to her on the bed. “You should get dressed too. Don’t you have to go to work? My guys’ll be waiting outside for you if you need a lift. I’m gonna go shower.” He was a fucking bastard. And a coward, too, because he turned around before he could see her reaction. It was better this way.

  He got under the shower. Cold this time, as cold as he could stand it, but it did nothing to ease the pit growing in his stomach.

  No. Go back.

  Fucking Beast. “Shut up. Go away. You’re not satisfied ruining my life, so you have to do it to hers too?”

  Ours.

  Ignoring The Beast, he turned off the tap and grabbed the towel hanging from the rack, drying himself off violently. When he got out of the shower, she wasn’t in the bedroom, but he heard her angry footsteps across the hardwood floor and then the door slamming. Good, he thought. She should run away. Far away from him and the monster.

  ***

  Sebastian’s eyes scanned the room. Luxe was in full swing tonight—more beautiful women than he’d ever seen at one time. Redhead, blonde, brunette, heck, there was even one chick with rainbow-colored hair. A lot the women had thrown interested glances at him (and some more than just looks). He could have his pick of women tonight. Lose himself in them, forget about her. That’s why he ran away, right? Because he wanted her too damn much, wanted to keep her for himself when he wasn’t good enough for her.

  Fuck. Damn it all to hell.

  He was a complete bastard. And The Beast made no bones about its anger at him. It was uncontrollable today, roaring in his ear, scratching at his insides. He was so distracted he couldn’t get any work done. He also screamed at his assistant for no good reason. Even now, The Beast was there, stalking him in his own head.

  He wanted her so bad, to touch her again, to feel her around him, and to hear her whisper his name. Why couldn’t he stay away from her? She opened up to him about her past, leaving herself vulnerable. And what did he do? He pulled away from her. Hurt her.

  The Beast. The nightmares. No, that was just an excuse. He had been scared at first, afraid he’d hurt her physically, but Jade was fine. She didn’t even have any bruises this morning. He couldn’t blame it on The Beast. The damn animal actually wanted Jade for him. Wanted him to protect her and keep her. That’s why The Beast was fucking furious at him the whole day.

  No, it was his own goddamn fucked up brain that made him push her away. Scared of her. Afraid of what she made him feel. And that was just one more reason why he wasn’t the man for her.

  Slamming the glass on the bar, he stood up and left. He’d go home and sleep it off.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jade snorted and laughed at the video on her laptop, popping another piece of General Tso’s chicken into her mouth. She reached for the can of soda on her coffee table, washing down the chicken and rice. God, she could always count on these hilarious cat videos to cheer her up. Her favorite was a song by an Internet comedienne about how she loved cats.

  Oh yeah yeah I love cats

  I want all the cats

  Let’s get some more cats

  There’s no such thing as having too many cats!

  She loved singing along to that one. It was hilarious. When the video ended, she hit the reload button, but the screen froze.

  “Boo!” she jeered at the screen. She grabbed another egg roll from the bag and ate it in two bites. She let out a loud belch. “Excuse me,” she said to no one in particular, and then blew out a deep sigh.

  She was pathetic. Finally free of her virginity and what does she do? Buy a ton of Chinese takeout, put on her favorite pajamas, and watch cat videos all night.

  Memories of last night flooded back, and she slammed her head down on one of her couch pillows, letting out a frustrated groan. Stupid brain. Stop it.

  This was what she wanted, right? Get rid of her virginity, no strings, no distractions, no boyfriends. That’s what she had told Sebastian. It didn’t have to mean anything afterwards. Those were her own words. Sure, she was angry when he started acting like a wanker this morning, but she couldn’t blame him. He made no promises, and she really should have known. Sebastian was an experienced player, probably in it for the thrill of the hunt, and he was done, already moving on to his next conquest. Pain slashed through her, and she quickly pushed the feeling aside.

  Lord, she was so confused. He had been so sweet and affectionate to her this whole time. Sweeping her off her feet with that date and then coming to listen to her dad play. What was that about?

  “Ugh!” She reached for the box of fried rice, stuffing her face as fast as she could. If Meredith were here, she’d probably say something like, “Move on, girlfriend! The world is your oyster now!” Right. Now, where was the last eggroll? She snatched it from the other bag, taking a bite out of one end.

  The loud knocking on her door made her jump in surprise, the remains of the egg roll falling from her mouth, onto her couch, and then to the floor with a splat. Great. Who could be knocking on her door at this hour? She picked up the half-eaten egg roll and wondered if the five-second rule applied in this case.

  The knocks turned into loud bangs. She opened her mouth to tell them she was coming, but quickly clamped it shut when she heard the voice on the other side of her door.

  “Jade! Open up!”

  Sebastian? What was he doing here? Oh sugar iced tea, her place was a disaster area. The coffee table was littered with open boxes of Chinese food, soda cans, chopsticks and sauce packets. Also, her hair was a mess and she was wearing a shirt that said “Future Cat Lady” on the front, and her favorite pair of pajamas with cute baby sloths. Maybe if she stayed real quiet, he would go away.

  “I can hear you in there!” he called.

  “No, you can’t!” she answered, then covered her mouth. Fudgsicles.

  “Open up, Jade! I know you’re in there.”

  “Oh yeah?” she challenged. “What if I’m not alone in here right now?”

  Silence. Did he leave?

  Jade had a wicked idea. She started to moan. “Oh yeah…baby…that’s it, do it like that. Oh!” That’ll teach him.

  Another five seconds of silence passed. Then there was a loud, rhythmic thumping sound. “Open this door, Jade, or I swear to God, I’m gonna break it down!”

  The nerve! She stood up, stomped to the door and threw it open. Unfortunately, Sebastian had been in the middle of his impersonation of a battering ram at that exact moment and he barreled into her, sending them both to the ground.

  “Oomph!” She groaned when she hit the carpet. Her braced himself on the floor, to avoid crushing her, but he kept her pinned down.

  He swung his head around, his eye
s scanning the room. “There’s no one here. Why did you lie to me?”

  “To make you go away!”

  “Pretending there’s a man here is the last thing that would get me to go away.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter, you need to leave anyway,” she stated.

  “Why?”

  “I’m busy.”

  “Busy with what?”

  Ugh. Obstinate man. “With important things. I can’t be disturbed, can’t you see?”

  At that moment, the video that froze earlier decided to play.

  Oh yeah yeah I love cats

  I want all the cats

  Let’s get some more cats

  There’s no such thing as having too many cats!

  Sebastian looked down at her with a raised brow, and she grew red. She pushed him with all her might, but he didn’t move.

  “Get off me!” she said, shoving at him again. With a long sigh, he got up, pulling her up to her feet with him. As the video droned on and on about cats and how great cats were, he began to laugh.

  Jade dove for her laptop and slammed it shut. “Fine!” She marched back to him. “Make fun of me if you want! But just get out!” She pushed at him again, not that it did any good, except make him chuckle harder. Anger flowed through her. “I said get out!”

  Sebastian stopped laughing, his face turning serious. “I’m sorry, darlin’,” he said, drawing her into his arms. “I’m not making fun of you. You’re too adorable, that’s all.”

  She sank into him and sighed. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to say I’m sorry.”

  Jade froze, and then disentangled herself from his arms. “Look, I understand. I said no strings, and it didn’t have to mean anything afterwards, so it’s okay. I’m a big girl.” She turned away from him, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way she trembled or how her face betrayed her words.

  “No, it’s not okay,” he sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. “I hurt you. And I did it on purpose.”

  She whipped around. “What? You said those things on purpose?”

  His shoulders sank. “I’m no good for you. I’m a bastard, and I fucked up. I’m sorry.”

  He was apologizing for that morning. Should she believe him? Or would he rip her to shreds again come morning?

  Sebastian stalked towards her. “I mean it. I’m sorry I pushed you away. Again. Like that first night. Back then, I told myself you were innocent and inexperienced, that I should stay the hell away from you. Now I know I was afraid of how big this thing between us was and I thought I could stop myself from feeling this. But every time I saw you with some asshole, all I wanted to do was beat the living daylights out of him and take you for myself.”

  She stood there, speechless. “Sebastian, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Tell me you forgive me.”

  “I…” Could she risk it? She followed her gut. “I forgive you.”

  Sebastian swept her into his arms and carried her straight into the bedroom. He didn’t even give her time to breathe, depositing her on the bed and shucking his clothes off as fast as he could. She whipped off her shirt, tossing it aside.

  “Jade.” He whispered her name reverently, like a prayer. He crawled over her, making her lie back on the bed. The heat of his body burned her as his chest touched down over her breasts. His lips moved over hers in a soft caress, the gentleness surprising her. Hands brushed her hair aside, spreading it over the pillows.

  Sebastian relaxed against her carefully so as not to crush her with his weight. He dragged his lips lower, tracing a path from her jaw to her neck and lower still. His tongue darted out to lick her skin and the delicate chain nestled between her breasts.

  She moaned, clutching the sheets underneath her. Sebastian continued to lave attention to her cleavage, then grabbed her wrists. Lifting his head up, he pinned her hands over her head, leaning down to give her another kiss. He settled between her legs, his erection pressing up against her core.

  Jade struggled underneath him, not to get free but to try and get closer to him. He released her wrists, and then his hand reached down under her pajamas. As his fingertips brushed her lace panties, he let out a groan.

  “What are you wearing?” he asked.

  “My favorite pajamas,” she replied.

  He looked down and saw the print on the pajamas and let out a chuckle. She frowned at him, but he kissed her forehead. “Not those,” he emphasized. His hands tugged at her lace thong panties. “Hmmm…naughty Jade,” he said, giving her a smile. He tugged off her pajamas and positioned himself between her legs. Grabbing scrap of fabric, he pulled it tighter against her, pushing the lace up between her dripping cunt lips.

  “Sebastian!” she cried as she thrashed on the bed.

  With a menacing smile, he ripped the scrap of lace off her. “I need to taste you again, Jade. Your gorgeous pussy has been on my mind the whole day.”

  Jade cried out as his mouth landed on her. He held down her hips, steadying her as his tongue lashed against her wet entrance. His lips found her hard little bud, and he drew it deep into his mouth, sucking back.

  “Sebastian!” she yelled out, teetering on the edge of her orgasm. It came fast, ripping through her and making her body shake with pleasure. He was relentless, his mouth and tongue working her into such a frenzy that she barely finished the orgasm when the next one came in a wave, washing over her. She almost cried as she came down, her mind reeling.

  “Fuck, you’re incredible,” he murmured. “And you smell so good.” He nuzzled his nose up her thighs to her knees. “I wanna fuck you. Do you want that?”

  She nodded. “Yes…”

  “Say it,” he said.

  “I…” She blushed. Could she really?

  “I want to hear you say it. What do you want me to do to you?”

  “Sebastian…I want you to fuck me,” she blushed, her cheeks heating at the words coming out of her mouth.

  He let out a growl and spread her legs, pulling her to him so he could press the tip of his dick against her pussy. The thick head nudged up against her, and this time, he slid in all the way in one smooth motion.

  “Sebastian!” she gasped at the sensation of being filled. It was too much and her mind reeling.

  “Sweet Jade. Not so innocent, but still as sweet,” he whispered as he began to move inside her.

  She grasped at him, her nails raking down his back. He moved slowly, deliberately, coaxing the pleasure from her. Letting out a deep cry, she pushed at him, squeezing her muscles around him, making him groan.

  “Jade,” he whispered, then stopped moving. She whimpered, but let out a soft yelp as he grabbed her hips. He rolled them over so she was on top. “Go ahead, darlin’,” he teased. “Do what you want. Make yourself cum.”

  Bracing herself on his chest, she began to move, grinding down on him, lifting her hips slightly so she could feel him drag inside her. Sebastian seemed to like that. His head tossed back and he gritted his teeth. She did it again, getting on her knees for leverage so she could slide up and down his cock.

  “You’re so fucking hot,” he cried out, his hand snaking down between them. His fingers found her clit and began to play with the little nub.

  She continued to bounce on him, angling her hips until she found the sweet spot, the tip of his cock hitting her just right to send powerful shockwaves through her body. He continued to play with her clit, while his other hand reached up to cup her breasts and roll her nipples between his fingers.

  “Fuck!” Sebastian moaned, his body spasming “Darlin’, I can’t….”

  Jade felt him flood her, and that sent her over the edge too, exploding from her core and spreading through her body. Her body shook, and as the pleasure ebbed away, she collapsed on top of him.

  Sebastian rolled her to the side, and his arms wrapped tight around her. As he softened and slipped out of her, she sighed, reaching up to touch the sides of his face.

  “You’re mine,” he growled, nippin
g her lips. “And I’m not going to push you away again.”

  Jade sighed contentedly, laying her head on his chest.

  ***

  “C’mon, just say it.”

  “No!”

  “You can do it,” Sebastian teased.

  Jade gave him a naughty grin. “I don’t know…I don’t want you to think I’m some foul-mouthed hussy.”

  “Why not?” He rolled their bodies over, pinning her to the mattress. “What’s wrong with having a dirty mouth?”

  It was early morning, the sun barely peeking around the New York skyline. They were both exhausted, having woken up twice in the night, seeking each other out. Jade had orgasmed so many times she stopped counting somewhere after thirteen. Sebastian’s stamina and refractory period were amazing, and she was deliciously sore all over.

  “Say it for me,” he coaxed.

  “How about I say…manhood.”

  “Uh uh,” He pushed his hips against her. “You know the word.”

  “Maleness?” she offered.

  He shook his head.

  “Your turgid…instrument?”

  He bit his lip, trying not to laugh, and then hid his face against her neck.

  “Oh, I know…” She raked her fingers through his hair. “Your hot…hard…spear!” She giggled as fingers found her ribs, tickling her until she begged him to stop.

  “You know what I want to hear.” His fingers lay still over her stomach, ready to tickle her.

  “All right,” she said, her lips curling into a naughty smile. “Cock. Dick.”

  “You drive me wild when you say dirty things in that accent of yours.”

  “I don’t have an accent, you do,” she pointed out. “It comes out, you know, when you’re trying to charm someone into doing something. Or when you’re aroused.”