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“I ca… can’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Tears trail down my temples as the world around us becomes fuzzy. I reach out for him but find nothing but empty air. The orgasm just out of reach vanishes as my head grows heavy, and the sudden thumping in my skull threatens to split my head in two.
I groan as the dream fades and the daggers in my head dig deeper. My eyes and mouth are sticky, my limbs leaden, and the smell of grease and spice makes my stomach roll.
What the hellhappened?
“I don’t think champagne agrees with you.” I startle at Sebastian’s voice, bolt upright in bed, and curse when my world swirls in front of me, my stomach twists, and my head pulsespainfully.
Clutching the sides of my head, I groan and clench my eyes shut. “What happened?” I croak, and Sebastian hands me a glass of water and two ibuprofen, which I swallow eagerly.
He sits beside me on the bed, his ripped torso bare and his lower half donned in black pajama pants. “You were nervous at the party last night and needed some liquid courage. I went to speak to a potential client, and upon my return, you were…” he smiles wide, “uninhibited.”
I groan again and flop back down on the pillows that feel like boulders against my skull. “I hate champagne.” I turn into the pillow and notice with startling realization that I’m notin my bed.
I swing my eyes to Sebastian, who’s still smiling at me. “Do not worry,Piccolo Uccello, nothing happened. I put you in our room to keep an eye on you. SignoreRossi undressed and dressed you.”
I look down to see the long white, short-sleeved night dress I’m wearing, and though the thought of that one-acorn-short-of-a-nuthouse seeing me naked is unpleasant, I’m glad it was her rather than Sebastian himself.
“Thank you,”I mumble.
“You’re very welcome. Now you must eat.” He grabs a tray stacked with bacon, eggs, and a mountain of pancakes from the side table.
I clutch my stomach when it twists. “I don’t think I can,” I grumble inprotest.
“You must. The fat will help with the hangover. Come.” He places the tray at my feet and extends a hand to help me slowly rise to sit with my back against theheadboard.
Sebastian places the tray on my lap and takes a piece of crisp bacon between his thumb and index finger. “Open,” he instructs, but I don’t comply. This feels too intimate, and something needles at the back of my mind. Something I was meant to remember, but I can’t quite recall.
Shrugging it off, I go to take the bacon from his fingers, but he pulls back before I can grab it. “I can feed myself, Seb,” I assert and go to pick up a piece of bacon offthe plate.
His hand captures mine firmly, and that needling feeling returns. “I know you can, my love, but I want to take care of you. I shouldn’t have let you drink so much last night. It could affect your recovery.” He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear and smiles lovingly at me. “You called me Seb.” The sudden change in topic has my lashes fluttering rapidly in confusion.
When I finally realize what he’s referring to, I silently curse myself for my mistake and cast my eyes away from his ocean blues that hold so much hope. “It just seemed easier.”
Rough fingers stroke my cheek, and my heartbeat picks up its tempo when a previous memory tries to push through. The pounding in my head begins a tango as I try to grasp the image, only to remain distorted. All but for two golden eyes that seemfamiliar.
“It’s what you used to call me, Greta. This is progress.” He places the bacon against my closed lips. “Now be a good girl and open for me.” This time I do as I’m told. Sebastian continues to feed me, and before I know it, my plate is empty, and the stabbing in my head has dissipated to adull ache.
“Better?” Sebastian asks while removing the tray and placing it outsidethe door.
“Yes, thank you. I would kill for a shower and a toothbrush, though.”
Sebastian chuckles and pulls the blankets back for me. “No need to commit murder,Piccolo Uccello. The bathroom is stocked with everything you will need. I’ll be in my office when you’re done. Later, if you’re up for it, we can hike up to the mountain base.”
“In the rain?” I ask, wide-eyed. I’m all for exercise, but not at the expense of catchingpneumonia.
Sebastian crosses his muscled arms over his chest while trying to contain the smirk playing on his lips. “What’s wrong? You can’t handle a little drizzle, little bird?” He cocks a dark brow inchallenge.
And I can’t help the smile that stretches my lips. The thought of getting outside and working my body to its limits and showing this cocky bastard what I’m capable of has the competitor in me taking the bait. “Not at all. Just don’t come crying to me when you get your ass handed to you by a girl,” I throw back, then turn to head to the bathroom when my hand is clasped, and Sebastian gently pulls me into his chest, a bright, mischievous smile planted firmly onhis face.
My eyes study his before dropping to his pouty lips, where his teeth bite into the tender flesh, causing a tingle to race up my spine. When he feels the goosebumps along my skin, his smile drops, and his eyes turn predatory right before he brings his lips down on mine. My heart thunders in my chest when his tongue sweeps a languid path across my lower lip, and when I don’t rebuke him, Sebastian deepens the kiss, his hands gripping my hips in a possessive hold as he grinds his erection againstmy tummy.
Warm all over and moaning in wanton need, golden eyes flash across my vision, the smell of leather and sage cloud my senses, and a deep phantom voice whispers, “Sei mia, mia perla. You’re mine, my pearl.” The endearment has me gasping against soft lips and my temples throbbing as I cling to the image of those eyes.
Sebastian fades into the ether as the phantom’s hands slide to my ass, squeezing the twin globes and pressing his erection against my stomach. I moan into his lips, and he growls against mine as he slowly gathers my nightdress at my hips, his pinkies grazing the bare skin beneath.
“Eccola.” There she is. “Ilpiccolo Uccello. My little bird,” the voice says, but the endearment is all wrong, and like a wrecking ball smashing into a brick wall, the image of my golden-eyed phantom comes crashing down.
My eyes shoot open, and my skin chills when they lock on azul eyes. I push against Sebastian’s chest, and he lets me go freely, confusion and hurt swimming in the ocean that is his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
