Page 22 of Blood and Thorns
“Car,” he said, and it took a full minute for me to realise he was speaking to the one with the annoying watch. The brunet with the posh yet east-end accent, and a preference for large, blunt objects.
“Coming round now,” he responded, looking down at his phone.
Sebastian nodded, sweeping out his arm for me to go before him. Which was ridiculous, because I had no idea where I was going. Except, I shouldn’t have worried, because the black car with equally black windows that pulled up on the curb directly outsideThe Thornwas very clearly for him.
A hush came over the large queue, as if the sight of Sebastian in his mask out in the open was a rarity. I ignored the glares when they turned their attention to me, almost happy to climb inside the car.
But then Sebastian climbed in behind, and we were suddenly side by side in a tight, confined space. He was just sobig.Unnecessarily so, like his mother had fed him raw eggs from a toddler just so he could become a human mountain.
The air was tense, with an almost violent undercurrent that didn’t go with how relaxed Sebastian sat. His frame took up the majority of the space, his shoulder brushing mine and his legs spread as if he wanted to impose himself in what little area I had.
I refused to look over, instead counting the streetlights as they whizzed by. The car was nice, black leather interior with a little console in front of us that looked to hold two crystal glasses. There was a partition that was currently down, and I realised that the blond with the lighter fetish was in the passenger side.
He and the brunet seemed to be Sebastian’s personal… men? Guards? Friends? Although, the concept of friendship was pretty far-fetched for a man like Sebastian.
I didn’t recognise this part of the city, which wasn’t surprising because it wasn’t like I knew every inch of London. Nerves fluttered in my stomach when the car turned, and Sebastian pressed a little harder against the sideof my thigh. A thousand toxic butterflies prepared me for what was to come.I can do this.
I hadn’t realised I’d closed my eyes until a finger brushed along my cheek, catching the single tear that had dared to escape. Honestly, I needed to get it together until I was in private. Sebastian looked at the tear for a second, the drop hanging from his fingertip before he closed his hand.
I studied his face, seeing he’d lost his mask somewhere between getting in the car and when I closed my eyes.
“We should probably discuss the details,” I said.
He raised a single brow at my statement, seeming to wait for me to continue with a stoic expression.
I cleared my throat. “Of your expectations of me.” My eyes dropped to the thorns that wrapped around his throat, the tattoo both realistic and harsh against his skin.
“To pay off your father’s debt.” In the small confines of the car, his deep voice brushed over me like velvet. His accent was slight, only pronounced on certain words and letters. He was like a lion, his long hair a mane that swept forward when he tilted his head towards me. The strands were dark with a few brown highlights. “How far will you go?” he asked.
He watched me like a lion too, a predator ready to devour his prey.
“Will you suck my cock if I demand you get on your knees right now?” he whispered.
My cheeks burned, and my breathing picked up as Sebastian continued to watch me with eyes of midnight that had gotten impossibly darker, losing what little light they once held. What was left was savage. Brutal.
His fingers brushed over my collarbone until he encircled my throat, his thumb pressing against my pulse. “Will you bend over so I can fuck you any time and any place I wish?”
I swallowed, unable to find my voice.
“Will you let me ruin you for anyone else?” he whispered, pulling me closer until his breath feathered over my lips. “All to protect your father?”
You don’t want a repeat of Mum, do you?
Guilt twisted inside me, memories of the woman who’d birthed me threatening to make this entire situation so much worse.
Another tear rolled down my face. “Yes.”
He released me so suddenly, cold swept in to prickle along my skin.
“I have no interest in reluctance.”
The rejection burned hotter than I expected, before twisting into panic. “Then what do you want from me?” I asked, but he’d already turned to the window, giving me his profile.
He said nothing else as the car rolled, finally coming to a stop once we’d driven into an underground garage. His door opened, and he stepped out without acknowledging me. I waited a second, trying and failing to calm my nerves before I followed.
There were rows of cars, each more ostentatious than the last. A yellow Lamborghini, a red Ferrari and somethingJames Bondwould drive. A huge SUV was parked at the end, the brand something I didn’t recognise, as well as several Harley Davidson motorbikes.
Sebastian waited until I was beside him before he moved toward the lift at the back, the door opening at his approach. Much like the one atThe Thorn, there were no buttons, just a state-of-the-art pad where he placed his hand. I didn’t know what to expect as we ascended the floors, but definitely not the warm and welcoming living room that was decorated in dark woods, blues and grey.
