She ran to him, crashing against the front of him as she threw her arms around him. Sebastian gave a pained grunt, but he returned her embrace with equal zeal. Shuddering, she muffled a sob into the side of his neck.
“I missed you so much.”
He pulled back, cupping her face between his hands. His eyes probed hers, the gesture both familiar and different somehow. “I missed you, too, baby.”
Her hands fluttered over his chest and danced across his sides in silent search of injury. Capturing her wrists, Sebastian gave a slow shake of his head.
“I’m okay,” he cautioned softly.
Her lips flattened in an uncertain press, but she nodded. One corner of his mouth lifted before he leaned over to claim hers. She melted against him, returning the kiss with everything she had. He let go of her arms to thread his fingers through her hair. The familiar gesture flooded her insides with painful, eager warmth. Her body throbbed. His hold tightened and he tugged her head back, forcing her head into a more submissive slant. The hot spear of his tongue parted her lips, dueling aggressively with hers. His low growl rumbled through her and threatened to drive her to her knees.
She panted, lifting her fingers to her kiss swollen lips when he finally pulled back. Desire and danger danced in his eyes as he gave her a slow smile. Taking his hand, Taylor led him deeper into the house, not missing the way he took a deep breath pulling the scent of food into his lungs. She stopped in front of the couch, her hands trailing down the ridge of his chest to the hard ripple of his abs before unhitching his belt. He lifted his arms, easing her efforts as she tugged it free. His gaze followed her, tracking her intently until she slid behind him and helped him shrug out of his coat. Draping it over her forearm, she peered up at him.
“Can I get you something more comfortable to wear?”
He seemed to ponder the offer for a minute.
“How long before dinner?” he asked, reaching out to caress the side of her neck.
“It’s ready whenever you are. I’ve just been keeping it warm until you got here.”
Sebastian nodded. “Changing can wait. Let’s eat.”
“Would you like me to fix you a plate and bring it in here? The couch would be more comfortable than the dining room.”
He tipped her chin. “I said I was fine, Taylor. We will take our dinner in the dining room, just as we always have. Understood?”
She nibbled the inside of her lip and swallowed against the tightening lump in her throat. “Yes, Sebastian.”
This time, a small hint of a genuine smile graced his features. “That’s my girl,” he murmured, brushing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed of this face. Knowing that I would get to come home to you was the only thing that got me through the past two weeks.”
She watched as a conflicting wave of emotions crashed through him. For a moment, he looked haunted, almost scared, his torment evident. Then, it was as if he caught himself. Sebastian’s spine straightened without warning and his expression hardened, turning into a cold, but unreadable mask. Steeling his jaw, he let his hand fall from her cheek and Taylor stared after him in heartbreak and confusion as he strode from the room.
Dinner was tense, silent. Peeking at him from beneath the dark sweep of her lashes, she watched Sebastian attack the beans and hickory smoked pulled pork with the zest of a man who hadn’t eaten in days. She made sure to keep the food coming and the wine flowing, until some of the tension slowly seemed to ebb from his lean frame. The circles under his eyes were troubling. Her gaze kept travelling to the cut on his cheek, and the few bites of food she’d managed to choke down churned as she wondered what had happened. What had he been through that he was so tense and on edge? Loss affected people in different ways, and there was no denying fate had dealt his family a brutal blow, but there was more to it than that. He hadn’t even been able to make the services. Whatever this was, whatever had happened, it had happened at work. Her heart ached as she wondered what she could do. How she could bring back the man she loved.
She glanced up as Sebastian leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh. He rubbed his stomach and gave a quick wink.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Anything for you,” she said with a tender smile. “I wanted everything to be perfect for you. I missed you so much. I really did.”
“I know. I’m sorry. These things will come up from time to time. What I need now is a nice hot shower.”
“You don’t smell bad to me,” she teased, standing to lean over him and sniff the side of his neck.
Shaking his head, he shrugged away from her. “No, but I don’t smell like home either. It’s what I want right now, Taylor. What I need.” He paused for a long moment, and slid his hand around to stroke the side of her neck. “I wouldn’t object if you wanted to join me.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” she said, giggling.
“That would be wise.”
She shivered at the hard edge of warning in his voice, wondering where his sense of play had gone. Nibbling the inside of lip, she moved to clear the table and headed into the kitchen. She felt the weight of Sebastian’s stare as he watched and waited, one hip reclined against the archway. Again, it was as if he was tracking her, assessing her every move and reaction. He was searching for something, but what? What was he looking for or waiting for? She felt very much like an ant trapped beneath a magnifying glass. The sensation was unnerving to say the least. Stilling the tremble in her hands, she started the dishwasher and resisted the urge to skirt past him. It took everything she had not to bolt up the steps as he followed on her heels.
Her breath caught when Sebastian closed the bedroom doors behind him, and the latch clicked shut with a cold finality. Strolling around her, he cast Taylor a look that commanded she follow. She stopped short, stumbling back a step when he rounded without warning. His head cocked, and those pale sage eyes narrowed into scrutinizing slits. A tremble wormed through her as he reached up, his cool fingers brushing the nape of her neck with a tenderness that belied his smoldering expression.
“Where’s the necklace I got you, Taylor?” he asked, his voice a quiet rasp.
Her hand flitted to her throat, dancing across the barren space in confusion. “I--I must have forgotten to put it back on after my shower this morning.”
He took a slow step closer. “Is that so?” he whispered with a forced nod. “You claim to have missed me so much, yet the one token I gave you to wear as a reminder of my love was taken off and just…forgotten?”
She shook her head frantically. “No.”
“No?”
Her eyes slammed shut as he pressed against her, his hold tightening into a painful vise. She whimpered as his fingers bit deep into muscle and bone. “I just didn’t want it to get ruined. I’ve been wearing it every day, Sebastian,” she whispered, shaking. “I swear.”
He gave a dry snort. “Ruined? You think I would give you some cheap trinket out of a machine? Is that what you’re saying?”
“No!”
“Which is it then? It has to be one or the other, so you tell me,” he coaxed, petting the back of her head.
“Please…” she choked. “You’re scaring me. I don’t like it when you get like this. I’ll put it on, and I will never take it off again. I promise. I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t do this. Not tonight…”
"Do what?" he whispered. She shook her head desperately, and he stilled it with the bite of his fingers. "What is it that you don't want me to do, Taylor?"
"Ple--please don't get upset. I messed up. I love it. I just wanted to take care of it. Please, Sebastian. I love you. Let me make it up to you."
Taylor stumbled, almost hitting her knees as he shoved her head first toward the bathroom. She managed to catch her balance, but a thick wall of tears blurred her vision. Shaking, she choked down a sob and crossed the room to huddle near the shower. Her stomach twisted in knots while she watched him prow