Unbelievable (16 page)

She hadn’t meant to make that accusation. It served no purpose, except to show the measure of her hurt. Pride made her stiffen. As much as she wanted him, she wouldn’t humiliate herself.

Muttering, she said, “Shay should have kept her mouth shut. She promised me.”

“Yeah, well, she buckled under my threats.”

Brandi snorted. “Shay doesn’t buckle under to anyone.”

“Okay, so she was more reasonable than you.” He shook her gently, and his tone was urgent. “I explained to her I was called out of town on an emergency, and she believed me.”

“You were out of town?”

He made a rough sound of exasperation. “
Yes.
I had to deal with a case where only I knew the history. I couldn’t hand it over to anyone else.”

Just looking at him made her heart beat faster. She licked her lips, more aware than ever of the differences in their heights, their strengths. “Was it a woman you had to help?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. But it’s over for good now. The jerk harassing her had a prior of petty theft. This time he had robbed a small convenience store. They had him on film. After she contacted me, I got the police involved and we set him up. The damn fool tried shooting at the cops.”

Brandi swayed, and automatically she reached out to touch the solid strength of his chest, verifying that he was still in one piece. “You could have been hurt.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

For the first time, she noticed the exhaustion in his eyes, apparent even in the dim moonlight. Being a hero was tiring work. Yet he’d come after her. Tears clouded her vision and she didn’t know what to think.

All the differences between them had never seemed more magnified. He was close to a Superman figure, but she was certainly no Lois Lane.

“I tried to call once I got settled in a hotel, but you didn’t answer your phone.”

“The phone rang really late a couple of times. I
thought it was Shay. She’s driving me nuts, wanting to coddle me, and at the same time trying to pry details out of me. She’s not being at all subtle.”

Sebastian’s grin shone very white in the darkness. “I’m relieved that’s all it was. Shay told me you were avoiding me.”

This time, she really would strangle Shay once she got home. “No, I wasn’t doing that.” Then she shrugged. “I didn’t think there was any reason to avoid you. You hadn’t called. I thought it was over.”

His fingers tightened on her arms, not hurting her, but letting her feel his strength. “No.”

That one word held a wealth of determination. Very carefully, Brandi pulled away from him. Not because she was afraid, but because she needed time to think. She stepped behind the rocker. “Sebastian, I’m sorry if I misunderstood. But it was for the best anyway. We can’t continue where we left off.”

“Bullshit.”

Shocked, Brandi curled her fingers over the wooden slats of the chair. Her anger simmered. “I’m trying to be honest here,” she shouted in frustration.

“Then be honest and admit you want me! I’m too damn tired for more games.”

Knowing she was only reacting to his anger, Brandi tried to find a measure of calm, but she couldn’t. Sebastian was simply being too brutally provoking. “We’re not suited to each other,” she insisted.

“I’ll warn you right now, honey,” he said, his tone hard and low and rasping, “if you give me any nonsense about not being good enough for me, you probably won’t like the consequences.”

“I’ll always have the fears, Sebastian, and eventually, they’ll come between us!”

He cursed again, loudly, and Brandi’s temper rose to match his. “Quit cursing at me! Do you think this decision has been easy for me? I’m trying to do what’s best for both of us. So go home and leave it alone.” Tears stung her eyes. In disgust, Brandi turned away and stomped into the house. Sebastian followed.

With only one light on in the tiny kitchenette, the interior of the cabin was dim. “Don’t walk away from me, Brandi.” He caught her arm and swung her around. Lowering his face close to hers, he said, “I’ve given you as much space as I can. From the very first, you’ve wrapped me around your little finger. But I’ll be damned if I’ll let you end it this easy.
I care about you.
”

Brandi had given this a lot of thought, and she was prepared to be reasonable, even noble, despite the volatile mood. She squared her shoulders and stated, “Sebastian, you’re a hero.”

With a hoot of rough laughter, he sneered and said, “Is this a new fantasy, Brandi? Hey, I’m game, you know that. But I need to know the details if you want me to play the right role.”

He looked dangerous, and Brandi imagined this was how he looked when he worked. He seemed poised to jump on her, but she knew he wouldn’t. She trusted him. Still, her own anxiety made her tone as harsh as his. “Damn it, Sebastian, will you just listen?”

He looked ready to snarl in anger, but finally he nodded.

Brandi drew a steadying breath, but she couldn’t calm herself. The truth of what she was losing, of what she was chasing away, made her angry. “You’ve been
rescuing women for years, starting with your mother, then in your business. You’ve always seen women as small and vulnerable. Being a protector is as much a part of you as your sexuality.”

His low growl reverberated in the quiet cabin. “I don’t think of women as inferior people, Brandi.”

“I know you don’t.” She tried to keep her voice even, desperate to make him understand. Still, her words came too fast and too hard. “The reality of your size and strength in comparison to a woman’s is obvious in everything you do. And more than most men, you’re aware of that reality. It’s ingrained in you, with your job, your background. And you…you probably viewed me, with the circumstances of my rape, as a woman in more need of rescuing than most.”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t initiating a rescue attempt when I let you tie me down. I was answering a sexual need. I was hot, and you were the answer.”

Brandi took a step forward, her eyes narrowed. He was deliberately being crude, trying to embarrass her. In low tones, she said, “Good. Because you don’t have to rescue me. The five-day fling is over. Your obligation is over.”

His snarl was loud and ferocious. “Damn you! Is that all you think it was? An
obligation?
I’ve got plenty of obligations, lady, but I don’t usually handle them in bed.”

Brandi felt her cheeks heat, but refused to look away from him. “Our situation was unique.”

“Damn right it was. You used me, and now you’re through, is that it?”

Her breath caught painfully.
“No!”

“Listen to me, Brandi, and listen good.” He still
frowned, but now his expression was intent, filled with cold determination. “My house will never be fancy, nothing like Shay’s, but it’s mine, and it’s not something I can give up. Anything else is negotiable but that. I have enough money put away that you can redecorate as many times as you like. And I’ve already decided to limit the cases that take me out of town. The house is isolated, but you won’t be alone there very often. I’ll even hire a maid, if that’ll make you feel better. It’s not a mansion, but you’ll adjust.”

Tears blinded her, and without thinking she struck him hard in the chest. It felt like hitting a stone wall, and she gasped with the pain of it, cradling her hand to her chest. Sebastian blinked, his anger replaced by surprise, but other than that, he didn’t show any sign that the blow had registered.

Brandi went on tiptoe to try to look him in the eyes. “Damn you, Sebastian, this isn’t about money! It isn’t about a house or maids or decorating. It’s about
you.
”

She tried to strike him again, and this time he caught her fist and held it against his chest. “Stop that. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Brandi snarled with her anger. “I don’t care about money!”

“But I do. A little too much.”

“Ha! What about the cases you don’t charge for? You made it sound like it was an isolated case here and there, but Shay told me there were a lot of people who needed you, and you do the work gratis.”

He stiffened, as if he didn’t want that part of his life examined too closely. “Not everyone with a need has
that kind of money to spend. I make a more than sufficient income on the bigger cases.”

“That’s exactly my point! You don’t hoard your money. You’re not oblivious to those in need. God, you’re the most generous man I’ve ever known.”

“Brandi…”

“No! You listen to me this time. I love you, you big jerk. You’re an amazing man, considerate and sexy and strong and gentle and…” She faltered, the words choking her. She cleared her throat and stared up at him. “You can have any woman you want, Sebastian. You don’t need me.”

His eyes suddenly blazed with a savage expression.
“Like hell I don’t.”

“Sebastian…”

“I need you and I want you.” He jerked her up against his hard, hot body. “Right now.”

She glared and actually stomped her foot. “You are
not
going to sidetrack me with sex!”

Sebastian caught both of her wrists and used them to control her, holding her just tight enough to let her know she couldn’t escape him. A slow grin suddenly spread over his face. “You are so damn beautiful.”

Brandi gasped. “Aren’t you listening to me? Have you heard a word I’ve said? This would never work out between us. You deserve everything a woman has to offer. But I can’t give it to you, because part of me is forever gone. You deserve so much more than I can—
Umpf!
”

Sebastian jerked her hard into his body and his mouth muffled her protests. He kissed her, letting her feel his anger, his lust. When he pulled away, Brandi was dazed.

“I warned you not to do that, not to put yourself down. Don’t you ever belittle yourself, do you hear me?” He kissed her again, a quick hard kiss, then whispered, “I love you, Brandi. I accept all your flaws, just as I hope you’ll accept all of mine. Having you makes me feel more secure than any amount of money ever could. And you might as well know right now, I’m never letting you go.”

Before Brandi could form a coherent argument—if indeed she would have—Sebastian picked her up and carried her to the only bedroom. It housed a double bed, and as he lowered her to the mattress, his mouth came down on hers again, stifling any complaint she might have made. Brandi struggled against him, especially when he started pulling off her T-shirt. Nothing had been settled yet!

He misunderstood and said against her lips, “It’s just me, babe. Only me.” His head lowered to her breast and he sucked her nipple gently into the heat of his mouth. Brandi arched up off the mattress with a harsh cry of pleasure.

Lowering his full weight onto her to keep her still, Sebastian trailed his mouth over her breasts, kissing the other nipple, then moving down to her ribs. Brandi writhed beneath his comforting weight, loving the feel of him over her, surrounding her. Her earlier fantasies, combined with his sudden appearance and her raw emotions, left no room for anything other than need. She could no longer focus on fear, regrets or what might be right or wrong for the future.

Sebastian growled and his hand slid between her thighs, seeking, probing. He didn’t hold back now, didn’t temper his desire or his urgency. Brandi moaned.

“I need you, babe. Right now.”

“Yes.”
Brandi said the word mindlessly, her hips lifting into his, pressing. He unsnapped her shorts and jerked them open. His long fingers caught at the waistband, and he stripped her shorts down her legs, taking her panties with them. Sitting poised between her widespread legs, he looked at her. The heat in his eyes should have brought on her wariness, but instead, it thrilled her.

He was back, and he wanted her. He’d said he loved her.

“Sebastian?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t wait.”

Brandi screamed when his mouth pressed against her sensitive flesh. His tongue touched and explored; he suckled and nipped with his sharp teeth, and through it all, he held her legs spread wide with his rough hands. Brandi had almost no time to adjust to the unfamiliar caresses before she felt her climax building. Her body arched high, pressing her closer to his mouth, closer…She felt suspended with intense pleasure for long seconds before the feelings began to diminish.

When she slumped into the mattress, her breathing still harsh and her heart thundering against her ribs, Sebastian leaned back and quickly fumbled with his belt and the closure of his slacks. The zipper came down and he eased the restriction of clothing away from his erection.

Balancing on his arms above her, he positioned himself, then gently probed against her slick folds. He made a low sound of pleasure. “You feel so hot and wet.” He slid in an inch, pacing himself, then squeezed his eyes closed. “Tight.”

Brandi wrapped her legs around him. She loved him. And she needed him now.
Sebastian.

He thrust forward, and this new position, with him planted firmly between her thighs, left her helpless to counter his thrusts. The sense of being totally vulnerable to him—feeling him so deeply inside her, stretching her—enhanced her pleasure rather than inhibiting it. They both groaned.

When he gruffly apologized, Brandi knew he had meant to be slow and gentle. But their mating had turned urgent. Unlike the lovemaking that Brandi had controlled, this was wild and primal, and so beautiful she cried.

Within minutes, she came again, but it was better this time, the feelings more intense, deeper, because Sebastian was a part of her. She wrapped herself around him and screamed with her pleasure. Sebastian’s low growl followed, while his shoulders tensed and his hips pumped wildly. Then he slumped onto her, his body limp, sated.

Brandi drew her fingers up and down the long expanse of his back, solid with muscle, warm and damp from his sweat. She loved him, every big gorgeous inch of him, from his hair-rough legs to his whiskered chin. He was the most incredible man, and if she could believe his words, he was hers.

Smiling, she said, “You were wrong.”

He stiffened, then carefully levered himself upward. Brandi felt tears sting her eyes at his look of uncertainty. She raised her head enough to kiss him, letting her lips play lightly over his. “You told me I wouldn’t like the consequences—but I liked them very much.”