Page 23 of Innocent Salvation

Pulling her arm away, she moved across the room and turned to face the red-hot anger she could see on his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Sebastian was breathing hard as he paced the room like a caged tiger, his movements controlled and smooth. His angry eyes moved to her, and she felt scorched by the heat in them and embarrassingly turned on by the way he was watching her and the thought of him following through on his threat of spanking her ass.

“Me! What is wrong with me? Well, let me see, maybe it’s because my employee, who I trust with the most precious thing in my life, has lied to me.”

Snow felt her heart beat faster. He knew. Oh shit somehow, he’d found her out. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Sebastian stalked closer and she fought the urge to step back, knowing that to show any weakness to this man was a mistake he’d exploit. “Don’t lie to me, I saw you with him.”

Now true confusion coloured her thoughts. “What?”

Sebastian was standing so close now she could feel his warm breath on her skin, sense the energy coming from him in waves. “The man in the café this morning. The man who held you close as you said goodbye, who touched you.”

Realisation dawned on her and with it the knowledge that Sebastian had followed her. Snow lifted her chin in defiance and saw his nostrils flare with heat and anger. “You followed me?”

“Of course not. I was driving home from Fleur’s ballet lesson and saw you together.”

The harsh slash of his brow deepened, and Snow had the sudden urge to laugh. He was jealous. “Are you jealous, Mr Alexander?”

Sebastian flinched as if she’d struck him. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I be jealous? I just don’t like my employees lying to me.”

“I have no clue why you’d be so green with envy at seeing me, your employee who you explicitly warned away from you, with another man.” She saw a muscle in his jaw tic at her words.

“Exactly, because I’m not. I’m just angry it wasn’t mentioned in your interview when I asked you.”

Snow leaned in slightly and poked him in the chest. “I don’t mention it because I don’t have a boyfriend. Not that it’s any of your business but the man you saw me with is a friend, a good one, and I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on earth.” She now knew that Reaper had hugged her on purpose, somehow having seen Sebastian’s car going past and trying to elicit a reaction in him. She’d need to speak to Reaper about that, find out what the hell he was playing at.

Sebastian stepped forward so his chest was almost touching hers when he breathed out, and the air thickened around them until it was almost suffocating. His hand lifted and she stilled, not in fear but anticipation, her eyes closing as he skimmed a finger down her cheek like a feather caressed by a breeze.

“You got a few things wrong, Snow. Firstly, it is my business. I own you. Secondly, if I wanted you, I could have you and we both know it.”

Her eyes flashed open on his arrogant declaration but instead of seeing the cocky, aloof man, she saw heat and desire so deep it made her bones ache. She did want him, she could admit that to herself, but not to him. Sebastian Alexander was the kind of man who took and took until there was nothing left. While she knew the journey would be heaven, the end result would be disastrous for them both. Only she knew the true extent of the way their lives were entwined so she needed to be the one to take the step back. “Nobody owns me and as for having me,” she did air quotes with her fingers, and he wrapped his hand around her left one bringing it to his chest, and she could feel his heart beating as fast as her own and it made her want him so much more than she ever should, “we can’t, Sebastian. Too much is at stake, and you said yourself I’m not your type. You hate me most of the time and tolerate me for the sake of Fleur the rest. Sex would just muddy the mix and it would end badly.”

Snow knew she’d all but admitted to wanting him, but now wasn’t the time for games when there was so much to lose for both of them. She watched his face, saw the battle that raged, felt his hands warm on her skin and desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind.

Sebastian stepped back, dropping her hand, and putting space between them, the air around her feeling cold at the loss as he turned his back to her. “Don’t lie to me again, Snow. I can handle most things, but I won’t tolerate liars.”

“I understand.”

As he left the room, allowing her to breathe again since the angry storm that was Sebastian Alexander had whirled into her, she wasn’t sure if she’d dodged a bullet or missed out on the best sex of her life. The truth was probably both.

Chapter 10

“Please, Uncy Seb.” Fleur looked up at him through long dark lashes and he wondered absently if this was built into the female DNA, the knowledge of how to wrap a man around your little finger with a single look.

“Fine, let’s ask her and see if she’s free, but if she isn’t, you need to stop nagging me.”

He’d promised Fleur a trip to the Zoo and even with everything going on he wasn’t going to break that promise unless it was absolutely necessary. Having spoken to Mr Allen yesterday, while the other guy had checked his security and made some recommendations, he’d deemed it safe to be out as long as it was in public places. Nothing was more public than London Zoo on a sunny Sunday.

“Yay!”

Fleur jumped up and down with excitement and Sebastian shook his head in defeat. After his awful behaviour yesterday and his complete over-reaction at seeing with her another man, no, not another man, a man. She wasn’t his as she’d pointed out, and he found the thought unsettling because he wanted her to be. He’d avoided her the rest of the day, making excuses and she’d seemingly done the same, eating in her room instead of with them, claiming tiredness.

He needed to apologise to her and assure her he was done being an asshole but where she was concerned, he found his normally strict behaviour was unpredictable. The problem, he found, was that not only was she the most effortlessly beautiful woman he’d ever met, but she was also sweet and kind. She also had a hidden core of strength running through her that drew him to her like a moth to a flame. Above all that, she seemed to love Fleur as much as he did.

All last night he’d been full of regret for a second night and still, he was torn between wanting to run from her and wanting to hold her close and never let go. Him, a man who used willing women for their mutual pleasure, was thinking about commitment and it was terrifying. Especially given that he’d never even kissed her, and they’d spent most of their time fighting. Yet bickering with her was more of a turn-on than fucking most of the women he’d been with.

The air in the kitchen changed and he knew before he turned around, she was there.